by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
January 24, 2023
The A’s announced their 2023 minor league coaching assignments on Tuesday. Fran Riordan and Bobby Crosby will return to pilot Triple-A Las Vegas and Double-A Midland, respectively, while Craig Conklin will helm High-A Lansing and former A’s infielder Gregorio Petit will take the reins at Single-A Stockton. You’ll find the A’s complete 2023 minor league staff assignments below…
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS (Triple-A)
Manager: Fran Riordan
Pitching Coach: Bryan Corey
Hitting Coach: Brian McArn
Asst. Hitting Coach: Todd Takayoshi
Fran Riordan will be at the helm for his sixth season as the skipper of the A’s Triple-A affiliate. In 2019, Riordan led Las Vegas to a first-place finish in the PCL South division with an 83-57 record and was named the Pacific Coast League manager of the year. Bryan Corey joins the Vegas staff as pitching coach after spending the 2022 season as pitching coach for Stockton. He served as assistant pitching rehab coordinator in 2021 and has also served as a pitching coach with the Vermont Lake Monsters (2017), Stockton (2018, 2021), and AZL A’s (2019-20). Brian McArn enters his 25th year in the organization and his second as hitting coach for the Aviators. He spent the 2021 season as assistant hitting coach for Las Vegas after spending the previous three seasons as the Stockton hitting coach. Todd Takayoshi will serve as the Aviators assistant hitting coach after spending 2022 as Midland’s hitting coach, his first year with the A’s organization. He previously spent time as a hitting coach in the Reds and Angels organizations and served as assistant minor league hitting coordinator with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2013-15. Shane Zdebiak returns for his third season with Las Vegas and will serve as athletic trainer after spending three seasons as Stockton’s athletic trainer and two seasons with Beloit. Before joining the A’s, he worked for the Mariners from 2014-15. Dave Comeau joins the Aviators as assistant athletic trainer following eight years of experience in the Yankees and Braves systems. Matt Mosiman will continue to serve as Aviators sport performance coach for the second season after spending one year with Midland, two seasons with Stockton and six overall with the organization.
MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS (Double-A)
Manager: Bobby Crosby
Pitching Coach: Chris Smith
Hitting Coach: Javier Godard
Asst Hitting Coach: Juan Dilone
Bobby Crosby enters his third season at the helm of the Midland RockHounds. The former infielder played in the Major Leagues for eight seasons, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2004 for the Oakland A’s. Chris Smith continues in his role as pitching coach for the second straight season after spending the previous season with Stockton. The former Major Leaguer appeared in 77 games, going 1-4 with a 5.71 ERA. He finished his playing career in 2017 with the Oakland A’s. Javier Godard will take on the role of hitting coach for Midland after spending the previous two seasons in the same role with Lansing. The infielder played in 224 games in the A’s organization before joining the Stockton coaching staff in 2019. Juan Dilone enters his third season as assistant hitting coach for Midland. He previously spent four seasons as the hitting coach for Beloit after spending the prior seven years in the same role with rookie-level Arizona. Jake Routhier will serve as head athletic trainer for the RockHounds after serving in the same capacity for Lansing in 2022, Stockton in 2021, and in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. Rounding out the staff is Connor Hughes as sport performance coach, his second season with Midland and his fifth in the A’s organization.
LANSING LUGNUTS (High-A)
Manager: Craig Conklin
Pitching Coach: Don Schulze
Hitting Coach: Ron Witmeyer
Asst Hitting Coach: Luis Baez
Craig Conklin takes on the role of manager for Lansing after spending the 2022 season as assistant hitting coach. He previously served as assistant hitting coach for Stockton and has spent eight years in the A’s organization. Conklin worked for the MLB Scouting Bureau prior to joining the A’s as an area scout. Don Schulze enters his third season with the Lansing staff as pitching coach after serving in the same role for Beloit for the previous three seasons. This will be Schulze’s 18th year overall in the Oakland A’s system. Ron Witmeyer joins the Lansing staff as hitting coach. Luis Baez joins the A’s organization as assistant hitting coach for the Lugnuts. Eric Fasth, who served as head athletic trainer for Stockton in 2022, will take on the same role with Lansing for the 2023 season. He previously served as seasonal assistant athletics trainer for Las Vegas in 2021. Steven Thayer will serve as sport performance coach, a role he held in Stockton in 2022. In 2021, he worked with the Giants organization as a sports performance coach with the Dominican Summer League.
STOCKTON PORTS (Single-A)
Manager: Gregorio Petit
Pitching Coach: Gabriel Ozuna
Hitting Coach: Kevin Kouzmanoff
Hitting Coach: Ruben Escalera
Gregorio Petit will take the helm in Stockton, his first year as a manager in the A’s organization. He was signed by the A’s in 2001 and made his Major League debut with Oakland in 2008. After an 18-year professional career, Petit began his managerial career with Double-A Corpus Christi in the Astros organization, a role he held through the 2022 season. Gabriel Ozuna will join the Ports as pitching coach after spending the last eight seasons in the same role with the Arizona A’s. He spent his first seven seasons in the organization as the pitching coach for Oakland’s Dominican Summer League club. Kevin Kouzmanoff will continue in his role as hitting coach for the Ports after spending the 2021 season in the same role with the RockHounds. The former big leaguer is in his fifth year with the organization. Ruben Escalera will also take on the role of hitting coach with Stockton. He previously served two stints as the A’s rookie-level hitting coach, most recently for seven seasons from 2016-22. The Puerto Rico native has been with the A’s for 28 seasons, serving as an instructor, manager and scout. Noah Huff joins the Ports as head athletic trainer. Prior to this role, he spent last season in the same role with the Arizona A’s and the two seasons prior to that as head athletic trainer at the A’s Dominican complex. Nathaniel Penaranda rounds out the Stockton staff as sport performance coach after spending two seasons in the same role with the Arizona A’s. He previously spent three years as a sports performance specialist for Grand Canyon University, where he oversaw strength and conditioning for three varsity sports.
ARIZONA ATHLETICS (Rookie)
Manager: Adam Rosales
Pitching Coach: Bronswell Patrick
Hitting Coach: Radhame Perez
Hitting Coach: Tyler Jeske
Hitting Coach: Tim Esmay
Adam Rosales will manage the Arizona Athletics for the third straight season. The former Major Leaguer played 15 seasons of affiliated ball, including two stints with the Athletics (2010-13, 2017). Bronswell Patrick joins the Arizona A’s as pitching coach. Radhame Perez, Tyler Jeske, and Tim Esmay join the Arizona A’s as hitting coaches. Franklin Font will take on the role of infield coach for the A’s after managing at Stockton last season. He previously spent 20 seasons in various coaching roles with the Chicago Cubs organization. From 2013-20, he served as a Major League staff assistant following a one-year stint as assistant hitting coach with the Major League team. Audyanna Merrick enters her third year with the Arizona A’s, taking on the role of athletic trainer after serving as assistant athletic trainer from 2021-22. She previously served as an assistant athletic trainer for Grand Canyon University for the baseball and men’s volleyball teams. Rachel Purcell will serve as assistant athletic trainer after spending the last two seasons in the Texas Rangers organization. Jake Kistaitis rounds out the staff as sport performance coach.
DOMINICAN ATHLETICS (Rookie)
Manager: Cooper Goldby
Pitching Coach: Jim Gott
Pitching Coach: David Brito
Hitting Coach: Gunnar Buhner
Hitting Coach: Jose Vicente
Cooper Goldby will take the helm as manager of the Dominican Summer League Athletics. Jim Gott and David Brito will serve as pitching coaches. Gunnar Buhner and Jose Vicente will serve as hitting coaches. Carlos Casimiro will serve as infield coach, and Rafael Fortunato will be the outfield coach. Joe Trujillo joins the Dominican A’s as athletic trainer. Tomy Arias and Kevin Hernandez will serve as sport performance coaches.
Director of Player Development: Ed Sprague
Special Assistant: Grady Fuson
Minor League Hitting Coordinator: Jim Eppard
Minor League Pitching Coordinator: Gil Patterson
Minor League Asst. Pitching Coordinator: Craig Lefferts
Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator: Rick Rodriguez
Minor League Asst. Pitching Rehab Coordinator: Steve Connelly
Minor League Infield Coordinator: Juan Navarrete
Minor League Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator: Steve Scarsone
Minor League Catching Coordinator: Gabe Ortiz
Hitting Development Coach: Lloyd Turner
Pitching Development Coach: Dan Hubbs
(Information provided by A’s Media Relations)
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