Rays name Minor League coaching staffs for 2024

January 23rd, 2024

The Tampa Bay Rays have named the minor league on-field coaching and medical staffs for the 2024 season. Below are the organizational changes for minor league managerial roles:

  • Triple-A Manager Morgan Ensberg, spent last season managing Double-A Montgomery
  • Double-A Manager Kevin Boles, spent last season managing the Princeton WhistlePigs in the summer-collegiate Appalachian League
  • Florida Complex League Manager Héctor Giménez, spent last season as a coach for the FCL Rays

Below are the organizational changes for minor league coordinator and roving instructor roles:

  • Hitting Research and Video Coordinator Steve Livesey, spent last season as a Hitting Coordinator
  • Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Paul Jones, spent last season as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
  • Process and Development Coordinator Josh Kozuch, spent last season as Mental Performance Coordinator
  • Roving Hitting Instructor Wuarnner Rincones, spent last season as Hitting Coach for Double-A Montgomery

Below are the new hires for minor league coordinator and roving instructor roles:

  • Pitching Coordinator Buddy Carlyle, spent last season as Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Los Angeles Angels
  • Pitching Coordinator, Performance Development Christian Wonders, spent last season as a Sports Science Instructor for the San Diego Padres
  • Roving Pitching Instructor Tony Watson, retired from MLB in 2022 having last pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2021

Below are the new hires to the minor league on-field coaching and medical staffs:

  • Assistant Hitting Coach Tyler Ladendorf (Triple-A Durham), spent last season as a Hitting Fellow for Double-A Tennessee (Chicago Cubs)
  • Hitting Coach Brett Schneider (Class-A Charleston), spent last season as Hitting Coach for the ACL Mariners
  • Hitting Coach K.C. Judge (Florida Complex League), spent last season as Hitting Coach for the ACL Diamondbacks
  • Coach Chris Roberson (Florida Complex League), played in 2023 for Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League
  • Process and Development Coach Elliot Cox, was previously a Mental Performance Coach for IMG Academy

Below are new roles in Player Development Leadership and Administration:

  • Assistant Director of Player Programs and Integration Dani Dockx, spent last season as Coordinator of Baseball Development
  • Assistant Director of Latin America Player Programs Jairo De La Rosa, spent last season as Latin America Cultural Coordinator
  • Senior Manager of Minor League and International Administration Giovanna Rodriguez, spent last season as Senior Administrator of Minor League and International Operations
  • Pitching Development Assistant Matthew Bruno, spent last season as a Baseball Performance Science Assistant
  • Player Programs and Integration Assistant Sam Bennett, spent last season as a Baseball Operations Intern

Below are the organizational changes to the minor league coaching and medical staffs for the 2024 season:

Name Position 2024 Club 2023 Assignment

Brett Ebers Bullpen Coach Durham (AAA) Baseball Training Methods Coordinator

Mathew Bennett Process & Integration Durham (AAA) Baseball Development Assistant

Riley Welch S&C/BB Perform. Science Durham (AAA) Montgomery (AA)

Paul Rozzelle Hitting Coach Montgomery (AA) Bowling Green (A)

Perry Roth Bench Coach Bowling Green (A) Hitting Coach with Charleston (A)

Jim Paduch Pitching Coach Bowling Green (A) Pitching Coordinator

Braxton Martinez Hitting Coach Bowling Green (A) FCL

Giovanni Caraballo S&C Coach Charleston (A) FCL

Victor Cruz S&C Coach FCL FCL-seasonal coach

David Lianes Process & Development FCL Mental Performance (DSL)

Carla Diaz Process & Development FCL/DSL Mental Performance

Morgan Ensberg, 48, joins Triple-A Durham after spending the previous four seasons (2019, 2021-23) managing Double-A Montgomery. The Biscuits reached the postseason in each of his four years at the helm, including a 2019 season that saw Montgomery win a franchise-record 88 games and earn Ensberg Southern League Manager of the Year honors. He joined the Rays after managing for two seasons in the Astros system, with Class-A Buies Creek (2018) and Rookie-level Tri-City (2017). Ensberg spent the 2016 season as the Astros minor league mindset coach, the 2014-15 seasons as the Astros minor league special assignment coach and the 2013 season as the infield coach at Class-A Lancaster. He joined the coaching ranks in 2011 and spent two seasons as a hitters and infielders coach for the University of California San Diego.

Kevin Boles, 49, joins Montgomery after managing the Princeton WhistlePigs in the summer-collegiate Appalachian League in 2023. Prior to Princeton, he spent four years in the New York Mets organization, including stints as manager of Triple-A Syracuse (2022), minor league field coordinator (2020-2021) and manager of Double-A Binghamton (2019). Boles spent the 2008-2018 seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, managing Triple-A Pawtucket (2014-18), Double-A Portland (2011-13), Class-A Salem (2010) and Class-A Greenville (2008-09). He managed in the Minnesota Twins system from 2004-2007, leading Class-A Fort Myers (2006-07), Class-A Beloit (2005) and Class-A Quad Cities (2004). He managed the AZL Royals 2 in 2003, Class-A Utica (Miami) in 2001 and made his managerial debut at age 25 with the GCL Marlins in 2000.

Héctor Giménez, 41, enters his first season managing the FCL Rays after spending the 2023 season as a coach with FCL team. It marks the second managerial season of his career after leading DSL Tampa Bay in 2022. His coaching career began as an assistant hitting coach and catching instructor for the DSL Rays 1 in 2021. Giménez’s playing career ended after spending the 2016-18 offseasons in the Venezuelan Winter League. He played professionally for 16 seasons, including a combined 37 games in the majors with the White Sox (2012-13), Dodgers (2011) and Astros (2006). Giménez came to Rays camp as a non-roster invite in 2008 and split the season between Triple-A Durham and Class-A Vero Beach, totaling 81 games between the two levels.

RAYS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

Senior Director, Player Development: Blake Butera

Director, Minor League Operations: George Pappas

Director, Player Programs & Integration: Simon Rosenbaum

Director, Pitching: Winston Doom

Assistant Director, Coaching & Player Development: Alejandro Freire

Assistant Director, Pitching: Ryan Pennell

RAYS MINOR LEAGUE COORDINATORS & ROVING INSTRUCTORS

Pitching Coordinator: Alberto Bastardo

Pitching Coordinator: Buddy Carlyle

Pitching Coord., Performance Development: Christian Wonders

Roving Pitching Instructor: Tony Watson

Hitting Coordinator: Will Bradley

Hitting Coordinator: Kyle Wilson

Hitting Research & Video Coord.: Steve Livesey

Roving Hitting Instructor: Wuarnner Rincones

Catching Coordinator: Jeff Smith

Infield Coordinator: Ivan Ochoa

Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator: Jared Sandberg

Process & Development Coordinator: Josh Kozuch

Strength and Conditioning Coordinator: Paul Jones

Latin America and Complex S&C Coordinator.: Cesar Gutierrez

Minor League Affiliate Medical Coord.: Marty Brinker

Complex Medical & Rehab Coordinator: Scott Thurston

Minor League Equipment Coordinator: Tim McKechney

Asst. Minor League Equipment Coordinator: Shane Rossetti

Language Education Coordinator: Lenore Sanchez

DURHAM (TRIPLE-A - INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE)

Manager: Morgan Ensberg

Hitting Coach: Kenny Hook

Pitching Coach: Brian Reith

Bench Coach: Reinaldo Ruiz

Bullpen Coach: Brett Ebers

Assistant Hitting Coach: Tyler Ladendorf

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Steve Chase

S&C/BB Performance Science: Riley Welch

Process & Integration Coach: Mathew Bennett

Athletic Trainer: Kris Russell

Athletic Trainer: Tsutomu Kamiya

Clubhouse Manager: Pat Phelan

MONTGOMERY (DOUBLE-A - SOUTHERN LEAGUE)

Manager: Kevin Boles

Hitting Coach: Paul Rozzelle

Pitching Coach: Steve Merriman

Bench Coach: German Melendez

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Austin Teets

Athletic Trainer: James Ramsdell

BOWLING GREEN (HIGH-A – SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE)

Manager: Rafael Valenzuela

Hitting Coach: Braxton Martinez

Pitching Coach: Jim Paduch

Bench Coach: Perry Roth

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Garrett Hudson

Athletic Trainer: Ruben Santiago

Clubhouse Manager: Jacob Osborne

CHARLESTON (LOW-A – CAROLINA LEAGUE)

Manager: Sean Smedley

Hitting Coach: Brett Schneider

Pitching Coach: Levi Romero

Bench Coach: Ronnie Richardson

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Giovanni Caraballo

Athletic Trainer: Halee Williams

Clubhouse Manager: John Horaz

FCL RAYS (FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE)

Complex Programming & Fundamentals Coordinator: Frank Maldonado

Manager: Héctor Giménez

Hitting Coach: K.C. Judge

Hitting Coach: Hez Randolph

Hitting Coach: Alejandro Segovia

Pitching Coach: Henry Bonilla

Pitching Coach: Jose Gonzalez

Rehab Pitching Coach: Doc Watson

Bench Coach: Esteban Gonzalez

Coach: Jim Morrison

Coach: Leandro Francisco

Coach: Julio Zorrilla

Coach: Chris Roberson

Coach: Manny Castillo

Process & Development Coach: David Lianes

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Victor Cruz

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Andrew Mitchell

Physical Therapist: Sarah Clay

Physical Therapist: Colleen Hamman

Athletic Trainer: Kyndell Crowell

Athletic Trainer: Nick Faciana

Athletic Trainer: Brianna Tovar

Athletic Trainer: Halee Williams

Clubhouse Manager: Steve Berhalter

Clubhouse Manager: Cesar Guillen

Minor League Clubhouse & Nutrition Assistant: Sean Jones