Indians announce 2012 Player Development staff assignments

CLEVELAND, OH - The Cleveland Indians today announced the organizational staff alignment within the Player Development System for the upcoming season.

Rob Leary joins the organization as Field Coordinator while Mickey Callaway moves to Pitching Coordinator in 2012. Leary and Callaway join Travis Fryman (second season, Infield) and Alan Zinter (first season, Hitting) in coordinator roles at the top level of the Indians Player Development System.

Leary, 47, spent the last two seasons as a Major League Staff Assistant for the Boston Red Sox, organizing spring training workouts and assisting the coaching staff with advance scouting and pre-game and on-field preparations. He was Boston's Field Coordinator for seven seasons (2003-09) and worked in the Florida Marlins PD System from 1995-2001. The San Mateo, CA native began his 26-year career in professional baseball as a player in the Montreal Expos system in 1986. He will also oversee and instruct the organization's catchers.

Callaway, 36, is beginning his third season in the organization after spending the 2010 season at Class-A Lake County and 2011 at Class-A Kinston. He pitched professionally for 13 seasons from 1997-2009, including parts of five seasons at the Major League level with the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Anaheim Angels from 1999-2004.

Mike Sarbaugh (third season) returns to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers where he has led the Clippers to consecutive Triple-A and International League Championships. Pitching Coach Ruben Niebla (Pitching) and Phil Clark (Hitting) round out the Columbus staff. The Double-A Akron Aeros staff remains unchanged for 2012.

David Wallace will manage the Class-A Lake County Captains with Ted Kubiak assuming the helm of the Short Season-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Wallace managed the Scrappers in 2011 after spending the 2009 and 2010 seasons as an assistant on the Major League Coaching Staff. Kubiak is beginning his 19th season in the Indians organization and his 53rd season in professional baseball since 1960.

Steve Karsay rejoins the Indians organization after spending 4 seasons in the Cleveland bullpen from 1998-2001 where he was 15-14 with a 3.23 ERA in 164 games (4GS, 223.0IP, 210H, 80ER, 191K). Overall, he spent 11 seasons in the big leagues from 1993-2006 with Oakland, Cleveland, Atlanta, New York (AL) and Texas and was a first round pick of the A's in 1990. This is his first season of instruction at the professional level.

Scott Erickson will be the Pitching Coach of the Class-A Carolina Mudcats in 2012 as he enters the professional coaching ranks for the first time. Erickson compiled a career Major League record of 142-136 with a 4.59 ERA in 389 games/364 starts over 15 big league seasons with six teams (2360.2IP, 2586H, 1203ER) from 1990-2006. In 1991 with the World Champion Minnesota Twins, he was an American League All-Star, leading the AL in wins (20) on his way to a 20-8 record with a 3.18 ERA and finished second to Rogers Clemens in the AL Cy Young voting.