Twins announce 2014 Minor League coaching staff
The Twins announced their Minor League managerial and coaching staff on Friday, with only one major change from last season.
Former Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo, who played for the Twins in 1977, has been named Minnesota's Minor League infield and baserunning coordinator. Perlozzo served as Baltimore's manager from 2005-07 before working as a coach for Seattle and Philadelphia.
Gene Glynn will return for his third year as manager of Triple-A Rochester. Glynn, who coached in the Majors from 1996-2006, led the Red Wings to a 77-67 record and a second-place finish in 2013. Marty Mason will return for his second season as Rochester's pitching coach, beginning his 29th year as a coach at the professional level, while Tim Doherty is set to return as the Red Wings' hitting coach. Also returning for their second seasons are trainer Larry Bennese and strength and conditioning coach Jon Cioffi.
Jeff Smith is going to return for his fifth season as Double-A New Britain's manager. His whole staff will come back next year as well, including pitching coach Stu Cliburn, hitting coach Chad Allen, trainer Chris Johnson and strength and conditioning coach Tyler Donahue.
The Twins' Class A Advanced Florida State League affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla., will once again be led by Doug Mientkiewicz, a former Twins player. Hitting coach Jim Dwyer and trainer Alan Rail will return to the Miracle's staff, while Gary Lucas will begin his first season as the club's pitching coach and his 15th in the Twins organization. Lucas spent the last six years with Class A Beloit/Cedar Rapids.
Jake Mauer is coming back for his second year as manager of the Twins' Class A Cedar Rapids affiliate. Mauer's Midwest League coaching staff returns hitting coach Tommy Watkins and includes two new additions: pitching coach Ivan Arteaga, who's beginning his 14th season as a pitching coach in the Twins organization, and trainer Curtis Simondet, who spent last season at Elizabethton and two seasons in the Gulf Coast League.
Beginning his 28th season on the staff for the Rookie-level Elizabethton Twins, Ray Smith will return as manager. The skipper has compiled a career record of 828-517 with 11 first-place finishes in 20 seasons. He'll be joined by pitching coach Henry Bonilla and trainer Steven Taylor, who's set to serve his first year with Elizabethton after working with the GCL Twins last season.
Ramon Borrego will return for his fourth season as the Rookie-level GCL Twins' manager and also will run the Twins' extended spring training program. His staff will include hitting coaches Riccardo Ingram and Rudy Hernandez, pitching coaches Ehren Wassermann and Luis Ramirez and trainer Axel Lopez, who's joining the GCL staff after most recently serving as an intern in the Red Sox organization.
Joel Lepel will return for his ninth year as the Twins' Minor League field coordinator, Eric Rasmussen for his sixth season as pitching coordinator and Bill Springman for his ninth as hitting coordinator. Chad Jackson is entering his 12th season with the Twins and his second as their head Minor League trainer and rehab coordinator.
Erik Beiser will begin his second season as Minor League strength and conditioning coordinator. Jose Marzan is coming back for his 10th season as Minnesota's Latin America operations coordinator, overseeing the Twins' field staff and academy personnel in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Brian Maloney will serve his first year as the club's senior manager of Florida operations, his ninth season overall with the team, while Dave Ringler will return for his 18th season as equipment manager.
Former Twins great Tony Oliva will continue to serve as a hitting coach in addition to performing his community relations activities, and former manager Tom Kelly will return as special assistant to general manager Terry Ryan.