SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres today announced the coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates for the 2020 season.

In El Paso, the Chihuahuas will be managed by Edwin Rodriguez, who returns for his fourth season in the Padres organization and his second at the helm of the Triple-A club. In his first post with El Paso, Pete Zamora returns for his fifth season in the Padres organization as the club’s pitching coach, serving as the pitching coach for Single-A Lake Elsinore for the past two seasons and as pitching coach for the club’s Rookie-Level affiliate in Peoria, Ariz. from 2016-17. Zamora will be joined by hitting coach Morgan Burkhart, who returns for his eighth season in the organization and fifth with the Chihuahuas. Lance Burkhart also returns in 2020 as fielding coach for his third season with El Paso and sixth in the organization, previously serving as hitting coach for San Antonio in 2017. The Chihuahuas training staff will be led by athletic trainers Daniel Leja and Dan Turner and strength coach A.J. Russell. 

The 2019 Texas League Champion Sod Poodles return for their second season in Amarillo managed by Phillip Wellman, who enters his fifth season managing the Padres Double-A squad. The 2020 season will be Wellman’s 32nd as a coach and 21st as a minor league manager. Returning to lead the Sod Poodles pitching corps will be pitching coach Jimmy Jones, entering his 12th season with the Padres. Hitting coach Raul Padron returns for his fifth season with the organization and third with the Double-A affiliate after serving as hitting coach for Lake Elsinore in 2017. Freddy Flores joins the Amarillo staff for his second season as fielding coach and fourth with the Padres, previously serving in the same capacity for Single-A Lake Elsinore. The Sod Poodles training staff will be led by athletic trainers Allyse Kramer and Drew Garner and strength coach Sam Hoffman.

In Lake Elsinore, Mike McCoy enters his fifth season in the Padres organization and his first managerial post for the Storm after sitting at the helm of the Short-A Dust Devils for the last two seasons. Hitting coach Patrick O’Sullivan makes his debut on the Lake Elsinore coaching corps, entering his third season in the organization after serving in the same capacity for Tri-City the past two seasons. Felipe Blanco returns for his second year on the Storm’s staff as fielding coach, marking his third season in the organization since also serving as fielding coach for Tri-City in 2018. Lake Elsinore’s training staff will be led by athletic trainer Maritza Castro and strength coach Corey Measner. A pitching coach for the Storm will be announced at a later date.

Fort Wayne will be managed by Anthony Contreras, who returns for his sixth full season of managing in the Padres organization and fifth as the manager for the Single-A TinCaps after managing in Tri-City in 2015. Pitching coach Leo Rosales enters his first season on the staff and his third in the organization, having coached for Tri-City in 2019 and the AZL Padres in 2018. Hitting coach Jonathan Mathews returns for his third season with Fort Wayne and his fourth in the organization after serving in 2017 as a Major League coach for the Padres. Jonathan Meyer enters his fifth season in the organization and his first as fielding coach for Fort Wayne, having served as fielding coach with the AZL Padres last season, Double-A San Antonio from 2017-18 and Single-A Tri-City in 2016. The TinCaps training staff will be led by athletic trainer Nick Coberly and strength coach Ben Loftis.

In Tri-City, Vinny Lopez enters his first season as manager for the Dust Devils, having managed the club’s Rookie-Level affiliate in Peoria for the last two seasons and having served as hitting coach for Fort Wayne in 2016 and the AZL Padres in 2017. Gorman Heimueller joins the Tri-City coaching ranks as the club’s pitching coach, having previously held the title of roving pitching instructor. Raul Gonzalez enters his first season as hitting coach with the Dust Devils and his fourth with the organization, serving as hitting coach for the AZL Padres from 2017-19. Luis Mendez enters the post of fielding coach for his first season on the Dust Devils coaching corps. The Tri-City training staff will be led by athletic trainer David Bryan and strength coach Justin Seyler.

Managers Aaron Levin and Oscar Salazar will lead the club’s two Rookie-Level affiliate squads in Peoria. Salazar begins his first season at the helm, previously serving as hitting coach for Tri-City from 2017-19. Levin enters his fourth season with the Padres after spending 2016 managing the Padres Dominican Summer League club and serving as hitting coach for Fort Wayne in 2016 and the AZL Padres in 2017. John Halama and Christian Wonders will serve as pitching coaches for AZL Padres 1 and 2, respectively. Jed Morris returns to the AZL Padres 1 for his second full season as hitting coach after serving as the head baseball coach for Eastern University from 2012-18, and Doug Banks enters the post of hitting coach for AZL Padres 2 after spending 2018-19 with the Storm and 2017 with Fort Wayne. AZL Padres 1 fielding coach Jhonny Carvajal returns for his fifth season in the Padres organization, having coached for Fort Wayne from 2017-19, and AZL Padres 2 fielding coach Sung Heon Hong returns for his third season with the organization. Curt Young will serve as the AZL Padres rehab pitching coach. The AZL Padres training staff will be led by athletic trainer Jordan Light, strength coaches Shaun Alexander and Gareth Webber and assistant strength and conditioning coordinator Drew Heithoff. 

Miguel Del Castillo returns for his third season with the organization as manager for the Padres Dominican Summer League affiliate. Joining him will be pitching coaches Jackson Quezada and Nelson Cruz, returning for their ninth and 10th seasons, respectively. Also returning to the DSL staff will be hitting coach Yunir Garcia and coaches Edinson Rincon, Jhonaldo Pozo and Wilfri De La Cruz. The DSL Padres training staff will be led by athletic trainer Evamarie Balderas, assistant athletic trainer Jairo Garcia, strength and conditioning coach Austin Harris and assistant strength and conditioning coach Juan Salgado.