Cubs announce 2013 Minor League coordinators
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today announced the club’s minor league coordinators for the 2013 season, including four newcomers to the organization.
Tim Cossins begins his first season in the organization as minor league field coordinator following 10 seasons in the Miami Marlins farm system, including the last six as the minor league catching coordinator. Prior to handling catching coordinator duties, he was a manager in the Marlins minor league system from 2003-07. Cossins began his coaching career in 2000 and in 2001-02 was the major league bullpen catcher for Kansas City. The former catcher played eight minor league seasons (1993-2000) in the Rangers, Yankees and Expos organizations. Cossins takes over for Brandon Hyde, who was promoted to Director of Player Development in August of this year.
Derek Johnson enters his first year as the Cubs minor league pitching coordinator following 11 seasons (2002-12) at Vanderbilt University as the team’s pitching coach, including the last three as the school’s associate head coach/pitching coach. He earned National Pitching Coach of the Year honors in 2004 and National Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2010. In 2011, he helped lead the school to its first-ever College World Series appearance. While at Vanderbilt, he helped develop six pitchers that were selected in the first round/supplemental first round of the MLB Draft, including David Price, who was the top overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2007 draft and the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner.
Anthony Iapoce, the organization’s Special Assistant to the GM and Player Development, will oversee the minor league hitting program while contributing to additional projects within the organization. He joins the Cubs after spending the last three seasons as roving hitting coordinator for Toronto. Prior to joining the Blue Jays organization, Iapoce served as the hitting coach for the Marlins Single-A Jupiter affiliate for two seasons from 2008-09. A former outfielder, he played 11 minor league seasons in the Brewers and Marlins organizations, as well as independent ball, after being selected by Milwaukee in the 33rd round of the 1994 draft.
Carmelo Martinez enters his 16th season in the Cubs organization, and his first as hitting coordinator for the Cubs Single-A, Rookie League and Dominican League teams. He was Chicago’s Latin American field coordinator for the previous five years (2008-12). The former major league outfielder and first baseman spent 10 seasons at Rookie-League Mesa, handling managerial duties from 1999-2003 and 2006. His 2002 Mesa club won the Arizona League title with a 35-21 record. Martinez hit .245 with 108 homers and 424 RBI in nine seasons with the Cubs (1983), Padres (1984-89), Philadelphia (1990), Pittsburgh (1990-91), Kansas City (1991) and Cincinnati (1991).
Jose Flores joins the organization as minor league infield coordinator, and begins his 13th year as a coach or manager.
This follows two seasons as manager of the Puerto Rico National baseball team in 2011-12. Flores was a bench coach for Ponce Leones in the Puerto Rico Baseball League beginning in 2010, after handling similar duties for the Gaguas Criollos baseball club starting in 2008, the same year he managed the Cleveland Indians Dominican Summer League team. After playing six seasons in Houston’s minor league system (1990-95), he began his coaching career in the Puerto Rico Winter League from 2001-06.
Lee Tinsley enters his third year as the organization’s minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator. He has 12 years of coaching experience following a 14-year playing career that included five major league seasons with Seattle (1993, 1997), Boston (1994-96) and Philadelphia (1996). He was Seattle’s major league first base coach in 2009-10 after serving in the same capacity with the Diamondbacks from 2006-08. Tinsley was Arizona’s roving outfield instructor from 2003-05, the same position he held with the Angels in 2002. He began his instructional career in 2001 as Double-A El Paso’s hitting coach.
Doug Jarrow begins his sixth season as Chicago’s minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. He previously spent five years in the Dodgers organization, including 2003-05 as the minor league strength and conditioning coordinator and 2006-07 as the major league strength coach. Jarrow began his career as a minor league strength and conditioning coach with Tampa Bay in 1998 and Pittsburgh in 1999.
Justin Sharpe returns as minor league athletic training coordinator for the ninth-consecutive year. He joined the organization in 2003 as the athletic trainer for Double-A West Tenn after six years as an athletic trainer in Atlanta’s system. Sharpe earned the South Atlantic League’s Trainer of the Year award in 2002 and was recognized with the same honor in the Southern League in 2004.
Chuck Baughman enters his eighth season as rehabilitation coordinator, and his 13th year with the organization, after joining the club as Single-A Boise’s athletic trainer in 2001. His career in professional baseball began in 1999 when he was the athletic trainer for Single-A Clinton in Cincinnati’s system.