The Double-A Tulsa Drillers announced manager Scott Hennessey’s coaching staff for the 2022 season, which features a mixture of new and familiar faces.
Among the holdovers are hitting coach Brett Pill and bench coach Chris Gutierrez, who each return for their second season with Tulsa. Newcomers include pitching coach Ryan Dennick, bullpen coach Luis Vasquez, performance coach Brandon Golden, trainer Jesse Guffey and video associate Devon Wright.
Pill became the Drillers’ hitting coach in 2021, and under his tutelage the team finished fourth in home runs at the Double-A level. As a player, Pill appeared in 111 games across three seasons with the San Francisco Giants before spending three years in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
The 2022 season marks Gutierrez’s fifth overall with the Dodgers organization and second as Drillers bench coach. Prior to becoming a coach, Gutierrez played nine Minor League seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, L.A. Angels, Dodgers and Miami Marlins.
After serving as High-A Great Lakes’ pitching coach last season, Dennick now fills the same role for the Drillers. He pitched professionally for seven seasons, including a brief stop with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 and stint with Tulsa the following year.
Vasquez takes over as the Drillers bullpen coach after previously pitching for the team in 2019. He most notably struck out the final batter in the division clinching victory that sent Tulsa to its third straight appearance in the Texas League Championship Series.
Golden enters his second season as a performance coach in the Dodgers organization and first with the Drillers. He served in the same capacity at Camelback Ranch last year.
Guffey will be the Drillers trainer in what marks his fifth overall season with the Dodgers. He spent the 2021 season with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and has previous experience working in the Reds organization.
Wright will serve as the Drillers video associate in what marks his first year in the Dodgers organization.
The Drillers open their season in Wichita on April 8 and they will play their home opener on April 12 against Amarillo.
Hennessey ‘looking forward’ to being back with Drillers
Hennessey has been at the helm as Drillers manager since the 2017 season. Over that span he has collected 258 wins, which ranks sixth in team history.
Hennessey’s 16 career postseason victories is good for second in Drillers history, trailing only Al Vincent, who won 23 playoff games from 1948-1951.
“I am looking forward to being back with the Drillers this season,” Hennessey said in a statement.
“Tulsa is a great city with a rich baseball history, and the fans are always so supportive. We should have a talented team again this season that will make for another exciting summer at ONEOK Field, and I cannot wait to get started.”
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