While Triple-A Oklahoma City, Double-A Tulsa and High-A Rancho Cucamonga did not see any changes to their respective coaching staffs for the 2017 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced new managers for Low-A Great Lakes and Rookie-level Ogden.
Jeremy Rodriguez will guide the defending Midwest League champion Loons, and Mark Kertenian takes over as manager of Ogden. They replace Gil Velazquez and Shaun Larkin, respectively. Rodriguez becomes the Loons eighth manager since the team’s inception and their fifth in five seasons.
He spent the past two seasons as manager of the San Diego Padres’ Dominican Summer League team. Rodriguez was selected by San Diego in the 16th round of the 2011 Draft, and played in parts of five Minor League seasons (2011-15) with the organization.
Other changes to the Loons staff include the hiring of Connor McGuiness as pitching coach and Aaron Bates taking over as hitting coach. Fumi Ishibashi returns as fourth coach for a second season and 10th overall with the Dodgers organization.
McGuiness was previously a pitching coach in the collegiate ranks at Emory University (2013-15) and The Catholic University of America (2016). Bates enters his third season with the organization, having spent the first two as hitting coach for the Arizona League Dodgers.
In 2016, the Loons rode a late surge into the playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history. They advanced past the first two rounds behind clinching victories on the road, then won their first Midwest League title at home.
As for Ogden, Kertenian takes over after coaching at Florida International University (2015-16), the University of Nevada (2013-14) and Cal State Northridge (2001-10). Kertenian coached Dodgers Minor League infielder Edwin Rios at FIU in 2015. Rios was selected by Los Angeles in the sixth round of the 2015 Draft.
Bobby Cuellar, who was the Loons pitching coach in 2016, now assumes the same role for the Raptors. Pedro Guerrero returns as fourth coach, and the Dodgers have yet to announce Ogden’s hitting coach.
Shoemaker will manage the AZL Dodgers for a second consecutive season as he enters his 41st year with the organization, and 24th as a Minor League manager. Shoemaker has been part of the Dodgers organization since he was selected in the 35th round of the 1977 Draft.
In 2015, Shoemaker was named the Dodgers Captain of Player Development. His AZL staff also sees the return of pitching coaches Steve Andrade and Greg Sabat, and fourth coach Dom Jose. Sabat is also working as the Dodgers’ rehab coordinator.
Keyter Collado enters his sixth season in the organization and second as the manager of the Dominican Summer League Dodgers Team 1. He led the club to a 42-27 record in the DSL South division in 2016.
Austin Chubb takes over as DSL Dodgers Team 2 manager, becoming the first American skipper in the history of Campo Las Palmas. Chubb was a co-hitting coach with Ogden this season. He was a Minor League catcher with the Dodgers from 2014-15.
Luis Meza and Roberto Giron return for their second and fourth seasons, respectively, as the pitching coaches for the DSL Dodgers, while Sergio Mendez and Jair Fernandez will be the hitting coaches. Humberto Miranda (hitting coordinator), Pedro Mega (defensive coordinator) and Antonio Bautista (coach) also return to the Campo Las Palmas staff in 2017.
