Blue Jays complete Major League coaching staff & Minor League assignments for 2015
The TORONTO BLUE JAYS have named DANE JOHNSON as Bullpen Coach and ERIC OWENS as Assistant Hitting Coach, who will assist recently appointed Hitting Coach Brook Jacoby in 2015. SAL FASANO will assume the role of Minor League Pitching Coordinator, DAROLD KNOWLES takes over as Rehabilitation Pitching Coach and RICK LANGFORD will serve as Senior Pitching Advisor. In addition, current staffers HEATHER CONNOLLY advances to Manager, Major League Administration and JOE SHEEHAN has been promoted to Manager, Baseball Research and Development.
JOHNSON, 51, has been coaching in the Blue Jays organization since 2000 after a 13 year playing career, including parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues. The Coral Gables, Florida native has been a key player in the development of most Blue Jays pitching prospects having served as Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the past 11 seasons.
OWENS, 43, has spent the past four seasons as Minor League Hitting Coordinator in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization after five seasons coaching in the Los Angeles Angels minor league system. A veteran of nine Major League seasons with the Reds, Brewers, Padres, Marlins and Angels from 1995-2003, the Danville, VA native posted a .264 average with 126 steals in 806 career games.
FASANO, 43, assumes the role of Minor League Pitching Coordinator, held by Dane Johnson after serving as Catching Instructor the past two seasons. The 11-year Major League veteran spent three seasons managing in the Blue Jays system earning a Manager of the Year recognition in 2011 at New Hampshire (AA).
KNOWLES, 73, has spent the past nine seasons as Pitching Coach for Dunedin (A) and will now handle the organizations rehabbing pitchers in Dunedin. Following a 15-year Major League career, Knowles moved into coaching with Cardinals in 1980, before joining the Phillies, Pirates and in 2005 coming aboard with the Blue Jays.
LANGFORD, 62, has been a coach in the Blue Jays organization since 1996, most recently as Minor League Rehab/Roving Pitching Instructor the past four seasons. Langford played 11 years in the Major Leagues and 2015 will mark his 16th as Coach, including one season as Bullpen Coach in 2010 for the Blue Jays.
CONNOLLY recently completed her 28th season with the Blue Jays organization and has been an invaluable asset over her time. Originally joined the club in 1984 as an Administration Assistant in Tickets Sales and moving into Baseball Operations in 1988. Connolly serves as an active liaison with the Commissioner's Office and is instrumental preparing and maintaining Major League paperwork, including player contracts, immigration documents and employment visas.
SHEEHAN joined the club in 2010 as a Baseball Information Analyst creating and designing many of the advanced analytic processes critical to all Baseball Operations staff. In addition Sheehan helped develop the teams internal scouting software among the many systems used across all levels of the organization.