Orioles announce 2020 Major League coaching staff

December 23rd, 2019

The Orioles today announced their 2020 Major League Coaching Staff. They have named FREDI GONZÁLEZ as Major League Coach, DARREN HOLMES as Bullpen Coach, and ANTHONY SANDERS as First Base Coach. JOSÉ HERNÁNDEZ shifts from Major League Coach to Assistant Hitting Coach, while all other coaches remain in their same positions: DOUG BROCAIL as Pitching Coach, TIM COSSINS as Major League Field Coordinator/Catching Instructor, JOSÉ FLORES as Third Base Coach, and DON LONG as Hitting Coach.

González, 55, joins the Orioles from the Miami Marlins organization, where he spent the past three seasons as the Marlins Third Base Coach. This was his second stint with the Marlins, having previously managed Miami from 2007-10, posting a 276-279 record. He was named Sporting News National League Manager of the Year in 2008, after leading Miami to an 84-77 record. In 2009, the Marlins finished 87-75, the third-most wins in a single season in franchise history. His 555 games managed are the most by a Marlins skipper, and his 276 wins are the second-most in club history, trailing only Jack McKeon (281). Prior to his most recent stint with the Marlins, González managed the Atlanta Braves for five-plus seasons from 2011-2016. He finished in the top five in BBWAA Manager of the Year voting in three of his five-plus seasons, including in 2013 when he finished third after leading the Braves to the National League East Division title. He has twice served as a coach for the National League at an All-Star Game, in 2014 under manager Mike Matheny and in 2007 under manager Tony La Russa. He also served as Third Base Coach for the Atlanta Braves under manager Bobby Cox in Atlanta for four seasons (2003-06). González began his professional coaching career in 1990 with the unaffiliated Class-A Miami Miracle. He was named the manager at Class-A Erie in 1992, becoming the first minor league manager in Marlins history. González enters his 31st season as a professional coach or manager, with 29 of those years coming in either the Marlins or Braves organizations. The Havana, Cuba native was selected by the Yankees in the 16th round of the 1982 First-Year Player Draft and spent six seasons as a catcher in the Yankees minor league system.

Holmes, 53, joins the Orioles from the Colorado Rockies organization, where he was the Rockies Bullpen Coach since 2015. His five seasons as the Rockies Bullpen Coach were his first Major League coaching seasons. Prior to joining the Rockies, he spent the 2014 season as the Atlanta Braves Biomechanics Pitching Consultant. Before working in professional baseball, he served as the Director of Sports Performance at the Acceleration Sports Institute in Greenville, S.C., where he was responsible for overseeing the training of Olympic, professional, collegiate, and high school athletes with a focus on the biomechanics of pitching. A native of Asheville, N.C., Holmes spent parts of 13 seasons in the Major Leagues with eight different organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers (1990), Milwaukee Brewers (1991-92), Colorado Rockies (1993-97), New York Yankees (1998), Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2000), St. Louis Cardinals (2000), Baltimore Orioles (2000), and the Atlanta Braves (2002-03). Originally a 16th-round selection in the 1984 First-Year Player Draft, Holmes appeared in 557 career MLB games, posting a 35-33 record with a 4.25 ERA (321 ER/680.0 IP) and 581 strikeouts.

Sanders, 45, joins the Orioles from the Colorado Rockies organization, where he spent the previous two seasons as the Rockies Outfield and Baserunning Coordinator. Sanders has been a coordinator, coach, and manager in the Rockies organization since 2007. He began his professional coaching career in 2007 with Short-Season A Tri-City, serving as the Dust Devils Hitting Coach. He held this position through 2012. From 2013-15, Sanders managed the Rookie Level Grand Junction Rockies, and was named the Pioneer League Manager of the Year in 2014. He then transitioned to High-A Development Supervisor for the Rockies for two seasons (2016-17), before landing his latest position as Outfield and Baserunning Coordinator. He also served on the Team USA Premier 12 coaching staff during the 2015 offseason. A native of Tucson, Ariz., Sanders spent parts of 14 seasons playing in the minor leagues after being drafted in the seventh round of the 1992 First-Year Player Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanders appeared in a total of 13 Major League games in his career. In addition to his professional career, Sanders won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.