White Sox announce 2014 player development staff
CHICAGO - The Chicago White Sox have announced their player development staff and assignments for the 2014 season.
Joel Skinner at Class AAA Charlotte (third season) and Julio Vinas at Class AA Birmingham return to manage their respective clubs in 2014. Vinas guided Birmingham to a 77-63 record and the Southern League Championship, the club's first title since 2002. The Barons won both postseason series in a decisive Game 5.
Vinas also was named by Baseball America as the Best Manager Prospect in the SL following the season.
New managerial assignments in 2014 include Tommy Thompson at Class A Winston-Salem, Pete Rose Jr. at Class A Kannapolis and Charlie Poe at Advanced Rookie Great Falls.
Thompson and Rose Jr. are entering their fourth consecutive seasons managing in the White Sox system, while Poe's assignment will be his first as a manager. Rose Jr. led Great Falls to the Pioneer League playoffs last season.
Mike Gellinger will serve as the manager of Chicago's new Arizona Rookie League Team. Gellinger formerly worked as a major-league coach, computer scouting analyst and special assignment scout for the White Sox from 1997-2013. He managed at Advanced Rookie Bristol in 2013.
The AZL White Sox will play at Camelback Ranch - Glendale, the spring training home of the Sox.
Former White Sox third baseman Vance Law, who joined the player development staff last season, will serve as the assistant hitting coordinator in 2014. He will work with returning hitting coordinator Tim Laker.
Pitching coaches Richard Dotson (Charlotte), Britt Burns (Birmingham), J.R. Perdew (Winston-Salem), Jose Bautista (Kannapolis) and Brian Drahman (Great Falls) will return to their posts this season.
Nick Capra enters his third season as the White Sox director of player development, and Kirk Champion will serve as the organization's field coordinator for the third consecutive season. Capra and Champion were promoted to their current positions on January 23, 2012.
Following are the White Sox full player development assignments for 2014:
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTORS
Director of Player Development: Nick Capra
Field Coordinator: Kirk Champion
Pitching Coordinator: Curt Hasler
Hitting Coordinator: Tim Laker
Assistant Hitting Coordinator: Vance Law
Outfield /Baserunning Instructor: Doug Sisson
Infield Instructor: Ever Magallanes
Catching Instructor: John Orton
Conditioning Coordinator: Dale Torborg
Latin Liason: Bobby Magallanes
Minor League Medical/Rehabilitation Coordinator: Scott Takao
Physical Therapist: Brett Walker
Coaching Assistants: Jerry Hairston, Chet DiEmidio
CLASS AAA CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
Manager: Joel Skinner
Pitching Coach: Richard Dotson
Hitting Coach: Andy Tomberlin
Assistant Coach: Ryan Newman
Trainer: Joe Geck
Conditioning: Chad Efron
CLASS AA BIRMINGHAM BARONS
Manager: Julio Vinas
Pitching Coach: Britt Burns
Hitting Coach: Brandon Moore
Trainer: Scott Johnson
Conditioning: Shawn Powell
CLASS A WINSTON-SALEM DASH
Manager: Tommy Thompson
Pitching Coach: J. R. Perdew
Hitting Coach: Gary Ward
Trainer: Josh Fallin
Conditioning: Raymond Smith
CLASS A KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS
Manager: Pete Rose Jr.
Pitching Coach: Jose Bautista
Hitting Coach: Rob Sasser
Trainer: James Kruk
Conditioning: George Timke
ADVANCED ROOKIE GREAT FALLS VOYAGERS
Manager: Charlie Poe
Pitching Coach: Brian Drahman
Hitting Coach: Greg Briley
Trainer: Will Lawhorn
Conditioning: Tim Rodmaker
ARIZONA ROOKIE LEAGUE WHITE SOX
Manager: Mike Gellinger
Pitching Coach: Felipe Lira
Hitting Coach: TBD
Trainer: Cory Barton
Conditioning: Ibrahim Rivera
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ACADEMY
Academy Coordinator: Rafael Santana
DR Field Coordinator: Julio Valdez
Manager: Guillermo Reyes
Pitching Coach: Efrain Valdez
Hitting Coach: Domingo Michel
Infield Coach: Angel Gonzalez
Outfield Coach: Nelson Abreu
Trainer: Jose Del Villar
Conditioning Coach: Pedro Gomez