Washington Nationals announce Minor League Coaches, Coordinators and Staff

The Washington Nationals announced their 2026 Minor League coaches, coordinators and player development staff on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni, Assistant General Manager Devin Pearson and Special Assistant to the President of Baseball Operations Andrew Wright made the announcements. Washington’s system now includes additional coaches and athletic training staff at each affiliate and an increased number of hitting and pitching coordinators.

Coach and Coordinator Bios

Triple-A Rochester

• Matt LeCroy embarks on his sixth season as the manager of Triple-A Rochester. He returned to the dugout in 2021 after spending the 2020 season as Washington’s Minor League quality control coordinator. The 2026 season will mark his 18^th season in a coaching role with the Washington Nationals organization.
• Hitting Coach Brian Daubach, entering his 16^th season in Washington’s chain, returns to the Triple-A ranks for his 11^th season as hitting coach. Daubach transitioned to the hitting coach role after managing stints with Double-A Harrisburg (2014), Single-A Potomac (2013) and Single-A Hagerstown (2010-11).
• Assistant Hitting Coach Travis Fitta joins the organization after working as the senior hitting trainer and hitting coordinator at Driveline Baseball from 2023-25. Prior to that, he served as the director of hitting and director of player development at Ascent Athlete from 2021-23. Fitta was a Minor League hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs during the 2020 season, conducting swing, batted ball, biomechanic and force plate assessments. Before his time with the Cubs, Fitta was the director of hitting development at Ohio University.
• Pitching Coach Fernando Nieve spent the last seven seasons as a Minor League pitching coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates, working with the Florida Complex League Pirates (2025), Double-A Altoona (2024), Single-A Greensboro (2022-23), Single-A Bradenton (2021), Single-A Bristol (2020) and Gulf Coast League Pirates (2019). He pitched in parts of four Major League seasons with the Houston Astros and New York Mets.
• Assistant Pitching Coach Sam Narron moves to this role after spending the last four seasons (2022-25) as Washington’s Minor League pitching coordinator. Prior to that, Narron spent 10 seasons as a pitching coach in Washington’s system with Double-A Harrisburg (2020-21), Single-A Potomac (2018-19), Single-A Hagerstown (2014-17) and Single-A Auburn (2012-13).
• Defensive Coach Mario Lisson returns to Rochester for the second consecutive season after serving as their developmental coach in 2025. He served as the manager of Single-A Wilmington from 2022-24, Single-A Fredericksburg in 2021 and the GCL Nationals in 2018 and 2019.
• Quality Control and Development Coach Anthony Deleo spent the last seven seasons (2019-25) with New Jersey Institute of Technology as an assistant coach/pitching and catching coach. Prior to his time with the Highlanders, he served as an assistant coach at Merrimack College (2018) and worked in player development for the Toronto Blue Jays (2017) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2016).

Double-A Harrisburg

• Manager Delino DeShields returns for his fourth season as the manager of the Senators. He joined the organization in 2023 after 14 seasons (2009-22) with the Cincinnati Reds organization, including four seasons (2019-22) as first base/infield/baserunning coach on their Major League staff. DeShields was the Montreal Expos’ first-round pick in the 1987 Draft and went on to spend 13 seasons (1990-02) in the Major Leagues with Montreal, Los Angeles (NL), St. Louis, Baltimore and Chicago (NL).
• Hitting Coach Darin Everson enters his first season in the Nationals organization after spending the 2025 season as the bench coach/assistant hitting coach for Triple-A Omaha in Kansas City’s organization. Prior to that, he spent two years (2023-24) as the Double-A hitting coach in the Mets organization; 10 years in the Rockies organization (2013-22) as a coach, manager and hitting coordinator, three years in the Marlins organization (2006-09) and two years in independent baseball (2010-11).
• Pitching Coach Rigo Beltran embarks on his third season in Washington’s system. He joined the organization in 2024 after spending the 2023 season as the Cleveland Guardians bullpen coach. Beltran appeared in 78 Major League games across five seasons with Montreal (2004), Colorado (1999-00), the New York Mets (1998-99) and St. Louis (1997).
• Assistant Pitching Coach Pete Horner joins the Nationals from Southeastern University (Fla.). Horner’s prior coaching experience also includes time at Ave Maria University (Fla.), the independent Great Falls Voyagers, Bowling Green University, McPherson College (Kan.) and the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League.
• Defensive Coach Nik McClaughry previously served as the assistant director of player development (position players) at Louisiana State University prior to joining the Nationals organization. A 10^th-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft by the San Diego Padres out of the University of Arizona, McClaughry appeared in 166 games across three professional seasons in San Diego’s and Seattle’s Minor League systems.
• Coach JT Heenan comes to the Nationals after serving as an assistant coach at Ohio University since September 2024. Prior to that, he worked in the Texas Rangers organization as a player development coach and served as the head coach of the Salem University (W. Va.) baseball team from 2020-23.

High-A Wilmington

• Manager Ted Tom spent the last eight seasons (2018-25) as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida. He was hired by the University of Memphis to serve as their hitting coach/recruiting coordinator following the 2025 season. Prior to his time at Central Florida, Tom was an assistant coach and director of baseball operations for the University of Cincinnati from 2015-17. He served as the head baseball coach and assistant athletic director at Shawnee State University (OH) for eight seasons from 2007-14. Tom began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Indiana University from 2005-06.
• Hitting Coach Hudson Byorick spent the last four seasons (2022-25) as an assistant coach/director of player development at Wofford College (S.C.), working primarily with hitters. Byorick helped the Terriers to four straight 30-win campaigns, including a 40-win season in 2024, in which he headed one of the nation's best offenses en route to winning the Southern Conference title.
• Pitching Coach Justin Lord joins Wilmington after spending three seasons (2023-25) as the pitching coach at Single-A Fredericksburg. Lord spent the 2022 season with Double-A Harrisburg and was with High-A Wilmington in 2021. He enters his seventh season with the Nationals organization after seven seasons (2013-19) as a pitching coach in the Baltimore Orioles Minor League system.
• Assistant Pitching Coach Niko Leontarakis spent the last three years at Rockland Peak Performance in Sloatsburg, N.Y. as the director of pitching. Prior to his coaching career, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 40^th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of high school but went on to pitch at Eastern Kentucky University, Post College (Conn.), Palm Beach State College Tallahassee State College (Fla.) and in the 2022 MLB Draft League with the Trenton Thunder.
• Defensive Coach Mitchell Boe joins the Nationals after working as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 2023-25. Prior to that, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Valparaiso University (Ind.).
• Coach Jefferson Valladares enters the coaching ranks after spending the last five years playing in the Minnesota Twins (2025) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2021-24) Minor League systems. A catcher, Valladares signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent on April 17, 2019.

Single-A Fredericksburg

• Manager Chris O’Neill joins the Nationals organization after two seasons (2024-25) as a hitting coach/recruiting coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University. He served as an assistant coach and assistant recruiting coordinator at George Washington from 2022-24. O’Neill spent the 2021 season as the director of operations at Duke University and prior to that, he served as an assistant coach at Bucknell University (2020), Marshall University (2018-19) and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (2017).
• Hitting Coach Jake Scheiner starts his coaching career after playing seven seasons (2017-23) in the Phillies and Mariners organizations. He appeared in 658 Minor League games before signing in 2024 with Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. A native of San Mateo, Calif., Scheiner was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft by the out of the University of Houston.
• Pitching Coach Luke Dziados comes to the Nationals organization after spending the last two years as a pitching trainer at Driveline Baseball. He capped his college pitching career at Villanova University in 2023 after pitching at Binghamton University from 2018-20.
• Assistant Pitching Coach Luis Villanueva was a performance coach at LAVR Performance where he designed and led throwing programs to improve overall pitching performance. Villanueva attended and played baseball for both Kansas Wesleyan University and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.).
• Defensive Coach Anthony Ray joins Washington after spending the 2025 season as a hitting and outfield coach with the Rocky Mountain Vibes of the independent Pioneer League. He transitioned to the coaching role after 10 professional seasons between the St. Louis Cardinals system and independent leagues.
• Coach Isaac Kim comes to the Nationals organization from California State University, Northridge, where he capped his collegiate playing career in 2025. He began his collegiate playing career at Pomona University (Calif.) where he graduated in 2024.

Florida Complex League

• Manager Carmelo Jaime will manage the FCL Nationals for the second consecutive season, having joined the Nationals in 2022 after serving as a coach in the Detroit Tigers organization from 2012-21.
• Hitting Coach Ender Chavez returns for his fifth season as Florida Complex League hitting coach. He joined Washington’s system in 2022 after 11 seasons (2011-21) in the New York Mets chain.
• Complex Hitting Coach Cole Evans served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska the last two seasons (2024-25) after playing for the Huskers from 2023-24. He also played two seasons at Parkland College (Ill.) and the shortened 2020 season at Creighton University.
• FCL Pitching Coach Franklin Bravo enters his 24^th season as a pitching coach in Washington’s system. The 2026 campaign will be his sixth with the FCL Nationals, having made stops at Single-A Auburn, Single-A Hagerstown, Single-A Potomac and the Gulf Coast League Nationals since joining the organization in 2003 with Montreal’s Dominican Summer League team.
• Complex Pitching Coach Jutin Simanek was the pitching and strength and conditioning coach for Belhaven University (Miss.) from 2024-25. Prior to that, he was the pitching coordinator and facility director at P360 in Jackson, Miss. A native of Kent, Wash., Simanek pitched collegiately at Tacoma Community College and Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Complex Defensive Coach Cayden Phillips joins the coaching ranks after a four-year playing career at Kansas State University. The former catcher and designated hitter also spent two summers playing for Bristol (2024) and Elizabethton of the Appalachian League.

Dominican Summer League

• Manager Sandy Martinez enters his 16^th season in Washington’s system and 15^th as the manager of the DSL club. Martinez played parts of eight Major League seasons with Toronto (1995-97), the Chicago Cubs (1998-99), Florida (2000), Montreal (2001), Cleveland (2004) and Boston (2004). He was behind the plate for the Cubs when Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters on May 6, 1998 vs. Houston.
• Academy Hitting Coach Alan Mejia joins the coaching ranks after playing six professional seasons (2018-23) in the Yankees organization, appearing in a total of 192 games. A native of Bonao, Dominican Republic, Mejia was signed by the Yankees on June 15, 2018.
• Hitting Coach Freddy Guzman returns for his ninth season with the DSL Nationals in 2026. He joined the coaching ranks after a 16-year professional career that included parts of five Major League seasons with Texas, New York (AL) and Tampa Bay.
• Hitting Coach Rafael Ozuna joined the Nationals in 2023 after spending the previous five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, most recently as the manager of their Dominican Summer League club (2018, 2021-22). He also spent two seasons (2019-20) as the hitting coach of the DSL Diamondbacks.
• Academy Pitching Coach Blaise Martinez spent the last three years with Cressey Sports Performance as a pitching coordinator. Martinez’s experience also includes time at Don Bosco Preparatory School and Delbarton Preparatory School in New Jersey, Velo-U and multiple private facilities.
• Pitching Coach Feliberto Sanchez enters his third season with the DSL club after spending two seasons (2022-23) as assistant pitching coach. He joined Washington’s organization after five seasons (2017-21) as part of Philadelphia’s player development staff.
• Assistant Pitching Coach Niomar Gomez embarks on his second season with the DSL Nationals after a seven-year professional career in Washington’s system from 2017-23.
• Academy Defensive Coach Brenny Escanio joins the coaching ranks after five professional seasons (2021-25) in the New York Yankees’ Minor League system.
• Catching Coach Jeremy Bautista returns for his second season on the DSL Nationals staff. He joined the coaching ranks after playing three seasons (2022-24) in Washington’s system for the DSL (2022-23) and FCL Nationals (2024).

Coordinators

• Senior Advisor of Player Development Dave Jauss embarks on his fifth season with the Nationals after joining the organization in 2022. He spent the 2021 season as the bench coach for the New York Mets, the 2020 season as a scout for the New York Yankees and seven seasons (2013-19) on Pittsburgh’s Major League coaching staff. Jauss worked the 2010 (bench coach) and 2011 (coordinator of staff development) seasons on New York’s (NL) Major League staff and, prior to that, held bench coach jobs with the Baltimore Orioles (2008-09) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-07). He worked for 10 seasons (1996-2005) as a coach, scout and administrator for the Boston Red Sox, including a stint as first base coach on the Major League staff from 1997-99. He began his professional career managing in Montreal’s organization (1988-92, 1994).
• Player Development Advisor Gerardo Parra moves to this role after spending the previous two seasons as Washington’s first base coach. He held a role similar to his current position from 2022-23, working with outfielders across all levels of Washington’s Minor League system. He joined the front office in May of 2022 after a 12-year Major League career and was a member of Washington’s 2019 World Series championship team.
• Director of Defense, Baserunning and Game Play Jeremy Barnes served as the hitting coach for the New York Mets from 2023-25 and their assistant hitting coach in 2022. He joined the Mets organization in 2021 as their director of player development initiatives, and from 2017-20, he worked in the Houston Astros system. He served as the Astros’ Minor League hitting coordinator from 2019-20 and hitting coach for Single-A Tri-City in 2017 and 2018. Barnes was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 11^th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Notre Dame. He went on to play professionally until 2015, reaching as high as Triple-A.
• Florida Complex / Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Sheetinger was an NAIA National Champion and National Coach of the Year in 2021 and joins the Nationals after compiling a 365-95 (.793) record in nine seasons leading Georgia Gwinnett College (2020-25) and Spalding University (2013-15). His Georgia Gwinnett team advanced to the NAIA World Series five straight years from 2021-25. In 2024, he was named the manager of the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League. Sheetinger served as an associate scout for the Atlanta Braves from 2015-19.
• Infield Coordinator Jason Wood embarks on his third season with the Nationals after spending the previous four seasons (2020-23) with the San Francisco Giants as their Minor League infield coordinator. Prior to his time with the Giants, he worked 12 seasons (2008-19) in the Texas Rangers system, spending the last nine as a manager across various levels.
• Outfield / Baserunning Coordinator Chris Prieto enters his third season with the Nationals after spending the previous two seasons (2022-23) as Tampa Bay’s Major League first base coach. Prieto joined Tampa’s organization after seven seasons with the Seattle Mariners, including six seasons on their Major League coaching staff.
• Catching and Game Play Coordinator Jake Lowery moves to this role after managing High-A Wilmington in 2025; Single-A Fredericksburg from 2022-24; and the FCL Nationals in 2021. In 2022, he led the FredNats to the second half North Division title and a postseason spot.
• Director of Hitting CJ Gillman spent the previous six seasons as the Minor League hitting coordinator for the Seattle Mariners (2022-25) and Cincinnati Reds (2020-21). Prior to joining the Reds, he was the recruiting coordinator/assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy from 2014-19. Gillman graduated from the University of Dayton in 2012 and played two seasons (2012–13) of professional baseball for the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League.
• Coordinator of Hitting Russ Steinhorn spent the previous six seasons (2020-25) as the Minor League hitting coordinator for the St. Louis Cardinals. He served as the assistant Minor League hitting coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019 and director of player development at Clemson University from 2017-18. He was the manager of Single-A Quad Cities for two seasons (2016-17) after joining the professional coaching ranks in 2013 as a hitting coach in Houston’s system.
• Coordinator of Hitting Phillip Cebuhar spent the previous four seasons (2022-25) as the hitting coach at the University of Charlotte. He joined Charlotte after three seasons (2019-21) as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas. He served as the hitting coach for the Cape Cod League’s Orleans Firebirds in 2022 and as a coach on Cleveland’s Dominican Summer League club in 2019.
• Director of Pitching Grayson Crawford served as the New York Mets assistant pitching coordinator in 2025 and the organization’s Triple-A pitching coach in 2024. Prior to joining the Mets, he worked as the pitching coach for Double-A Somerset (2023) and Single-A Tampa (2022) in the New York Yankees system. Crawford joined the professional coaching ranks after coaching in the Division 1 ranks at Lipscomb University (2020-21), Austin Peay State University (2019), University of Louisiana-Monroe (2018) and Murray State University (2015-17). He was a teacher and the head baseball coach at Christian County High School (Ky.) from 2013-14 and an assistant coach at Pensacola State College (Fla.) from 2011-12.
• Coordinator of Pitching Sean McGrath served as the pitching coach at Lamar University (Texas) in 2025 and the University of Iowa from 2023-24. He joined the collegiate ranks after three seasons (2020-22) as a pitching coach in Seattle’s Minor League system. He spent 2022 with Double-A Arkansas, 2021 with Single-A Everett and was set to be with Single-A Modesto in 2020. McGrath spent two seasons (2018-19) as the pitching coach at Elon University where he mentored eventual Major Leaguers George Kirby and Ty Adcocok, and two seasons (2016-17) at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. He began his coaching career at Iona College, serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2013-14.
• Coordinator of Pitching Will Hawks spent the 2025 season as pitching coach for Single-A Peoria in the St. Louis Cardinals organization after serving as a coach with Double-A Springfield in 2023 and with Triple-A Memphis in 2024. Prior to joining the Cardinals, Hawks was a coach at Lipscomb University (Tenn.) from 2020-23 and served as a graduate assistant at Austin Peay State University (Tenn.) from 2019-2020. Hawks also gained experience as the bullpen coach for the Falmouth Commodores in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League in 2019.
• Rehab Coordinator Dan Mahoney has owned and operated Player Development Lab, a private baseball training facility in Northern Virginia since 2019. From 2023-24, he served as a rehab pitching coach in the Cleveland Guardians system. He was selected by the Florida Marlins in the fourth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Connecticut and played five seasons for the Marlins and Yankees before retiring in 2013.
• Rehab Pitching Coach Eddie Cheong joins the Nationals after spending the last two seasons (2024-25) as a player development coaching assistant and Korean interpreter for the Boston Red Sox. He graduated from the University of San Diego in 2022 and earned master’s degrees from the University of Texas-Permian Basin in 2023 and the University of San Diego in 2024.