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Royals announce Minor League coaching staff

KANSAS CITY -- Managers in the Royals' Minor League system are moving up and, while they're at it, going home.

Brian Poldberg is being promoted to manager of the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers after six years of piloting Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He succeeds Mike Jirschele, who has joined the Royals' coaching staff in Kansas City.

Poldberg lives in Carter Lake, Iowa, which is surrounded on three sides by Omaha, so he'll be right at home. A Kansas City coach for four years, 2004-07, Poldberg led the Northwest Arkansas Naturals to the Texas League championship in '10. He'll be joined at Omaha by pitching coach Larry Carter and hitting coach Tommy Gregg.

Vance Wilson will take over as manager at Northwest Arkansas, located in Springdale, Ark., where he makes his home. He spent the past two seasons as manager of Class A Wilmington. Wilson's staff with the Naturals will include pitching coach Jim Brower and hitting coach Andre David, who began this year as the Royals' assistant hitting coach.

Chino Cadahia, who was the Royals' Major League bench coach the past two seasons, will resume his previous role as advisor to player development. Jack Maloof, Kansas City's head hitting coach at the beginning of last season, will be special assistant to player development-hitting.

The Royals won't field a rookie classification team at Surprise (Ariz.) in 2014, so the manager there for the past four years, Darryl Kennedy, will become the Wilmington manager. Kennedy also managed the Blue Rocks in 2008.

Brian Buchanan will return for his second year as Class A Lexington (Ky.) manager. Back as rookie classification managers will be Oscar Ramirez at Idaho Falls (Idaho) and Tommy Shields at Burlington (N.C.).

The Royals' Minor League assignments
Triple-A Omaha
Manager -- Poldberg
Pitching coach -- Carter
Hitting coach -- Gregg
Trainer -- David Iannicca
Strength coach -- David Kathmann

Double-A Northwest Arkansas
Manager -- Wilson
Pitching coach -- Brower
Hitching coach -- David
Trainer -- Masa Koyanagi
Strength coach -- Austin Driggers

Wilmington
Manager -- Kennedy
Pitching coach -- Steve Luebber
Hitching coach -- Jose Castro
Bench coach -- Justin Gemoll
Trainer -- James Stone
Strength coach -- Joe Greany

Class A Lexington
Manager -- Brian Buchanan
Pitching coach -- Steve Merriman
Hitching coach -- Abraham Nunez
Bench coach -- Glenn Hubbard
Trainer -- Mark Keiser
Strength coach -- Aaron Reis

Class A Idaho Falls
Manager -- Omar Ramirez
Pitching coach -- Mark Davis
Hitching coach -- Damon Hollins
Bench coach -- Julio Bruno
Coach -- Willie Aikens
Trainer -- Robbie Oates

Class Burlington
Manager -- Tommy Shields
Pitching coach -- Carlos Martinez
Hitching coach -- Nelson Liriano
Bench coach -- Scott Thorman Trainer -- Sab Hagihara

Dominican
Manager -- To be announced
Coaches -- Rafael Roque, Juan Guadron, Miguel Benard, Ramon Martinez and Onil Joseph
Trainers, Martin Berroa and Manny Plaza
Strength coaches -- Jose Rosario and Reymundo Sido

Roving positions
Field coordinator -- Tony Tijerina
Advisor to player development -- Cadahia
Senior pitching advisor -- Bill Fischer
Special assistant-hitting -- Maloof
Special assistant -- John Wathan
Special assistant-pitching -- Steve Foster
Hitting coordinator -- Terry Bradshaw
Outfield-bunting-baserunning coordinator -- Milt Thompson
Medical coordinator -- Chris DeLucia
Latin American medical -- Tony Medina
Strength and conditioning -- Garrett Sherrill
Latin American strength -- Luis Perez
Rehabilitation coordinator -- Justin Hahn
Rehab pitching -- Carlos Reyes
Cultural development -- Jeff Diskin
Manager Arizona operations -- Nick Leto
Minor League equipment -- Will Simon
Mental skills coach -- Freddy Sandoval

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com.
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