The Los Angeles Dodgers announced their training staff for the 2016 season, which will be led by new head athletic trainer Neil Rampe. He replaces former vice president of medical services Stan Conte, who resigned last October after spending nine seasons with the organization.
The Dodgers lost another member of their training staff one month later when Nancy Flynn Patterson announced she was resigning from her post as the club’s assistant athletic trainer.
Nathan Lucero and Thomas Albert join the Dodgers organization as assistant athletic trainers.
Meanwhile, strength and conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel returns for a fourth season, physical therapist Steve Smith enters his fifth season, and massage therapist Yosuke “Possum” Nakajima returns for a second season.
Rampe spent the past eight seasons as the Arizona Diamondbacks manual and performance therapist. Prior to that, he was he was at the University of Arizona for five years (2003-07), where he served as the associate director of performance enhancement.
A Kalida, Ohio native, Rampe earned two bachelor’s degrees in athletic training and physical education with a strength and conditioning emphasis, from the University of Findlay in May 2000. He then received a master’s degree in applied kinesiology with a sport and exercise science emphasis from the University of Minnesota in 2002.
Lucero spent 23 years in the Houston Astros organization, with the past seven coming as Astros head athletic trainer. Lucero received the Texas League Trainer of the Year award in 2000 for his work with Triple-A Round Rock Express.
Prior to taking over as head athletic trainer in 2009, Lucero was the Astros’ strength and conditioning coordinator from 2007-08. His time in the Houston organization includes 14 years spent with their Minor League affiliates prior to joining the Major League club.
Albert spent the past four seasons as the Cleveland Indians rehab coordinator. He also worked as an athletic trainer for the Harlem Globetrotters from 2002-08.
The Dodgers are coming off one of their most injury-plagued seasons in recent memory. The main culprit was hamstring injuries, though Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu were lost to respective season-ending arm surgeries.
