In December the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the managers for all six of their Minor League affiliates, which translated to new skipper taking the helm with each affiliate.
On Thursday, the club announced the coaching staffs for Bill Haselman (Triple-A Oklahoma City manager), Ryan Garko (Double-A Tulsa), Drew Saylor (High-A Rancho Cucamonga), Gil Velazquez (Low-A Great Lakes), Shaun Larkin (Rookie-Level Ogden) and John Shoemaker (Arizona League Dodgers).
Along with managing the Raptors, Larkin joins the organization as the coordinator of skills development.
John Valentin, who worked as the Dodgers Major League assistant hitting coach over the past three seasons, is now the Loons hitting coach.
Los Angeles replaced Valentin and former hitting coach Mark McGwire with Tim Hyers and Turner Ward, respectively.
Coaching under Haselman with OKC will be Matt Herges (pitching coach), Shawn Wooten (hitting coach) and Luis Matos (fourth coach).
Herges and Wooten both held the same position with the Drillers last season. Matos joins the Triple-A staff after guiding the Loons to a fourth postseason appearance during his tenure as manager.
Garko’s staff includes, Bill Simas (pitching coach), Terrmel Sledge (hitting coach) and Leo Garcia (fourth coach). Simas held the same position with the Quakes in 2015 and enters his sixth season with the Dodgers organization; though this marks his first with the Double-A affiliate.
Sledge was the hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs’ Single-A Eugene affiliate last season and is in his first year with the Dodgers organization. This season will be Garcia’s second as the Drillers’ fourth coach.
Working on Saylor’s Quakes staff are, Kip Wells (pitching coach), Jay Gibbons (hitting coach) and Rafael Ozuna (fourth coach). Wells is new to the organization, while Gibbons held the same position with the Loons in 2015, and Ozuna returns for a second season as fourth coach with the Quakes.
Velazquez leads the Loons after spending last season as fourth coach for the AZL Dodgers. His staff consists of Bobby Cuellar (pitching coach), Valentin (hitting coach) and Fumi Ishibashi (fourth coach).
Cuellar was the Loons pitching coach in 2015, Valentin is in his ninth season with the Dodgers organization, and Ishibashi previously worked as the Raptors fourth coach.
Raptors pitching coach Don Alexander is new to the organization after spending the past four seasons in the same capacity for Houston’s Single-A Lancaster affiliate. Alexander enters his 25th season as a professional coach, which along with the Astros, includes time spent coaching in the Minors for the San Diego Padres. A hitting coach and fourth coach have not yet been announced.
Shoemaker’s AZL staff consists of Greg Sabat (pitching coach), Aaron Bates and Robert Fick sharing hitting coach duties. A fourth coach hasn’t yet been hired. Bates and Sabat return for a second season with the team. Fick was a roving instructor for the entire farm system last year.
