On Wednesday, the A’s announced their 2025 minor league coaching assignments. Fran Riordan, Gregorio Petit and Javier Godard will return to pilot Triple-A Las Vegas, Double-A Midland and Single-A Stockton, respectively, while Darryl Kennedy will take the reins at High-A Lansing. You’ll find the A’s complete 2025 minor league staff assignments below…
Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A)
Manager: Fran Riordan
Pitching Coach: Paul Abbott
Asst. Pitching Coach: Don Schulze
Hitting Coach: Brian McArn
Asst. Hitting Coach: Kevin Kouzmanoff
Fran Riordan will be at the helm for his eighth season with the Triple-A club. 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. Paul Abbott joins the Aviators as pitching coach after serving in the same role for Double-A Midland last season and with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox from 2021-23. Abbott played in parts of 11 Major League seasons and served as a pitching coach at different levels of the Boston Red Sox organization for 13 years. Don Schulze takes on the role of assistant pitching coach with Vegas after serving four seasons as the pitching coach with High-A Lansing (2021-24) and three seasons with Single-A Beloit (2018-20). This will be Schulze’s 20th year overall in the A’s system. Brian McArn enters his 27th year in the organization and his fourth 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. Kevin Kouzmanoff will take on the role of assistant hitting coach with Las Vegas. He spent last season as hitting coach for the Lugnuts, a role he previously held with Stockton (2022-23) and Midland (2021). The former big leaguer is in his seventh year with the organization. Dave Comeau will serve as an athletic trainer in his third season with the Aviators, following eight years of experience in the Yankees and Braves systems. He was the assistant athletic trainer in 2023. Jake Routhier enters his second season with the Aviators as an athletic trainer after serving as head athletic trainer for the RockHounds in 2023. He previously held the same role for Lansing in 2022, Stockton in 2021, and in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. Steven Thayer will continue as sport performance coach with the Aviators for the second straight season, a role he held in Lansing in 2023 and in Stockton in 2022. In 2021, he worked with the Giants organization as a sports performance coach in the Dominican Summer League.
Midland RockHounds (Double-A)
Manager: Gregorio Petit
Pitching Coach: Javy Guerra
Hitting Coach: Juan Dilone
Asst. Hitting Coach: Gunnar Buhner
Gregorio Petit enters his second season as manager for Midland after serving as manager for Stockton in 2023. 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. Javy Guerra joins the A’s organization as pitching coach for the RockHounds. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 and played in parts of 11 Major League seasons, winning a World Series championship with Washington in 2019. Juan Dilone enters his second season as hitting coach after serving three seasons as assistant hitting coach for Midland. He previously spent four years as the hitting coach for Beloit after spending the prior seven years in the same role in the rookie-level Arizona League. Gunnar Buhner will serve as assistant hitting coach for Midland after spending the last two years as a hitting, infield, and outfield coach for the Dominican Summer League A’s. Eric Fasth, who served as head athletic trainer for Lansing in 2023, will enter his second season in the same role with Midland for the 2025 season. He previously served as seasonal assistant athletic trainer for Las Vegas in 2021 and as head athletic trainer in Stockton in 2022. Rachel Purcell joins the RockHounds as an athletic trainer after spending three seasons as a trainer with the Arizona A’s. Prior to that, she spent two seasons in the Texas Rangers organization. Jake Kistaitis continues in his second season as sport performance coach for Midland, a role he previously held with the ACL A’s in 2023. In 2022, he served as a strength and conditioning coach in the Dominican Republic where he oversaw the strength and conditioning program for the A’s academy.
Lansing Lugnuts (High-A)
Manager: Darryl Kennedy
Pitching Coach: Dave Burba
Hitting Coach: Ruben Escalera
Asst. Hitting Coach: Cooper Goldby
Darryl Kennedy will take the helm for the Lugnuts in 2025 after serving as assistant hitting coach for Midland in 2024, his first season with the A’s organization. Prior to joining the A’s, he served as the bench coach for the KBO Hanwha Eagles from 2021-23 and spent 12 seasons coaching at multiple levels in the Kansas City Royals organization. Dave Burba takes on the role of pitching coach with Lansing after serving as assistant pitching coach for the ACL A’s in 2024. He previously spent 13 seasons as a pitching coach at various levels of the Colorado Rockies organization, most recently as pitching coach for the ACL Rockies. Ruben Escalera enters his second season as assistant hitting coach for Lansing after spending the 2023 season as 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 29 seasons, serving as an instructor, manager and scout. Cooper Goldby joins Lansing as assistant hitting coach after spending two seasons as manager of the Dominican Summer League Athletics. He began his coaching career as the assistant hitting coach for Stockton in 2022. Noah Huff enters his second season as head athletic trainer for the Lugnuts after previously serving in the same role with Stockton (2023) and the Arizona A’s (2022) and spending the two seasons prior to that as head athletic trainer at the A’s Dominican complex. Jonathan Christensen continues as sports performance coach for Lansing for the second straight season. He previously worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Boston Red Sox in 2022 and the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023.
Stockton Ports (Single-A)
Manager: Javier Godard
Pitching Coach: Jim Gott
Hitting Coach: Ron Witmeyer
Asst. Hitting Coach: Luis Baez
Javier Godard continues as manager of Stockton for his second season after spending the 2023 season as hitting coach for Midland. Prior to that, he spent 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. Jim Gott joins the Ports as pitching coach after serving in the same role for the ACL A’s in 2024 and the DSL A’s in 2023. Ron Witmeyer enters his second season as hitting coach on the Stockton staff, a role he held with Lansing in 2023. Luis Baez enters his second season as assistant hitting coach for the Ports, his third in the A’s organization. He previously held the same role with Lansing in 2023. Audyanna Merrick continues in her second season as head athletic trainer for the Ports in her fourth year with the A’s organization. Her previous three seasons were spent with the Arizona A’s, serving as athletic trainer in 2023 after spending 2021-22 as assistant athletic trainer. Prior to that, she was an assistant athletic trainer for Grand Canyon University for the baseball and men’s volleyball teams. Rounding out the Stockton staff, Haley Marquardt takes on the role of sport performance coach after serving in the same role with the ACL A’s (2024) and the DSL A’s (2023).
ACL A’s (Rookie)
Manager: Tim Esmay
Pitching Coach: Gabriel Ozuna
Pitching Coach: Rick Rodriguez
Hitting Coach: Adam Rosales
Hitting Coach: Radhame Perez
Hitting Coach: Mike Benjamin
Coach: Craig Conklin
Tim Esmay enters his second season as manager for the ACL A’s after serving as a hitting coach in 2023. Gabriel Ozuna returns to the ACL A’s for his second stint as a pitching coach, a role he previously held for eight seasons. He served as pitching coach for the Single-A Ports during the 2023-24 seasons. Ozuna’s first seven seasons in the organization were spent as the pitching coach for the DSL A’s. Rick Rodriguez joins the ACL A’s as a pitching coach after spending the last two seasons as Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator and serving as Assistant Pitching Rehab Coordinator in 2022. He previously spent six straight seasons overseeing the pitching staff of the A’s Triple-A squad as part of four stints as the pitching coach for the A’s top affiliate (2000-02, 2004-10, 2013-14, 2016-21). Adam Rosales returns as a hitting coach for the ACL A’s for the second season after managing the club from 2021-23. The former Major Leaguer played 15 seasons of affiliated ball, including two stints with the Athletics (2010-13, 2017) before joining the A’s as a coach in 2020. In addition, Radhame Perez and Mike Benjamin will return in their roles as hitting coaches. Perez has held this role for three seasons after serving in the same role with the DSL A’s dating back to 2006. Benjamin is in his second year as hitting coach for the ACL A’s, after managing and coaching at multiple levels in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization from 2015-20. He also coached under Tim Esmay at Arizona State University from 2010-14. Craig Conklin joins the Arizona A’s as a coach after spending the last two seasons as manager for Lansing. He previously served as assistant hitting coach for Lansing (2022), Stockton (2021) and Las Vegas (2019). Conklin has spent 10 years in the A’s organization and worked for the MLB Scouting Bureau prior to joining the A’s. Rakhoon “RK” Sung continues in his second season as an athletic trainer for the A’s after beginning his career in professional baseball as an intern athletic trainer with Triple-A Rochester in the Washington Nationals organization in 2023. He will be joined in the role by Yen-Po Wang and Emily Matlock. Wang previously served as an interpreter for Taiwanese players within the organization from 2022-24. In 2021, he was an assistant athletic trainer at Fullerton College. Matlock joins the A’s as a minor league athletic trainer after spending the 2024 season as an athletic training intern with the Tennessee Smokies, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Eduardo Rivera joins the ACL A’s as sport performance coach. He previously served in similar roles within the New York Mets organization from 2023-24, including with their Dominican Summer League, Florida Complex League, and Low-A affiliates.
DSL A’s (Rookie)
Manager: Wilkin Castillo
Pitching Coach: David Brito
Pitching Coach: Pedro Figueroa
Hitting Coach: Jose Vicente
Hitting Coach: Kevin Riggs
Hitting Coach: Alex Valdez
Infield Coach: Carlos Casimiro
Coach: Manny Garcia
Wilkin Castillo takes on the role of manager for the Dominican Summer League Athletics after spending the last two seasons as a bullpen catcher for the A’s Major League team. Originally signed by the Diamondbacks in 2002, he appeared in 24 Major League games with Cincinnati (2008-09) and Miami (2019). Jose Vicente will return as a hitting coach, along with Kevin Riggs and Alex Valdez. David Brito will return as pitching coach and will be joined by Pedro Figueroa, who pitched for the A’s in 2012-13. Carlos Casimiro returns as infield coach, and Manny Garcia joins the club as a coach. Harry Wu joins the DSL A’s as athletic trainer, with Mario Clime continuing in his role of assistant trainer. Max Huberman will serve as sport performance coach, and Tomy Arias will remain in his role as assistant sport performance coach.
Director of Player Development: Ed Sprague
Special Assistant: Grady Fuson
Minor League Pitching Coordinator: Mike McFerran
Minor League Asst. Pitching Coordinator: Craig Lefferts
Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator: John Foster
Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator: Bryan Corey
Minor League Pitching Development Coordinator: Bronswell Patrick
Minor League Hitting Coordinator: Jim Eppard
Minor League Asst. Hitting Coordinator: Todd Takayoshi
Minor League Hitting Development Coach: Lloyd Turner
Minor League Infield Coordinator: Juan Navarrete
Minor League Catching Coordinator: Gabriel Ortiz
Ed Sprague enters his 10th season with the A’s and his sixth season as Director of Player Development. The former infielder’s time with the A’s also includes stints as the Assistant Director of Player Development and Coordinator of On-field Analytics, Coordinator of Instruction, and roving instructor. Grady Fuson, former Oakland A’s Scouting Director, will return for his 16th season as Special Assistant to the General Manager. He has spent 34 seasons in the Athletics organization, including seven years as Scouting Director from 1995-2001. Mike McFerran takes on the role of Minor League Pitching Coordinator after serving as the A’s Pitching Performance Coach in 2024. Before joining the organization, he was the Pitching Lab Coordinator and Director of Player Development at Wake Forest University from 2021-23, and prior to that, was the Associate Head Coach, Pitching Coach, and Recruiting Coordinator at Skidmore College from 2017-20. Craig Lefferts enters his third season as the Minor League Assistant Pitching Coordinator after spending eight seasons as Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator. Prior to that, he served 12 years as a pitching coach in Oakland’s minor league system. John Foster joins the A’s as Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator. He has spent the last seven seasons as the Major League Pitching Coach for the Chinatrust Brothers in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Born in Stockton, Foster played collegiately at Lewis and Clark State College and was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 25th round of the 1999 draft. He resides in Nosara, Costa Rica with his wife Anisha and has three kids, Autumn, Phoenix, and Rio. Bryan Corey will also serve as Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator, a role he previously held in 2021. He spent the last two seasons as pitching coach with Las Vegas and was pitching coach for the Arizona A’s from 2019-20. Corey has served as a pitching coach at various levels of the A’s organization since 2017 and was a Four Corners scout for Milwaukee (2015-16) and a Major League Advance scout for Cleveland (2013-14) prior to that. Bronswell Patrick enters his first season as Pitching Development Coordinator after spending the last two seasons as a pitching coach for Triple-A Las Vegas (2024) and the ACL A’s (2023). Originally drafted by the A’s out of high school in the 23rd round of the 1988 draft, Patrick played for 18 professional seasons and coached for 14 years in affiliated and international baseball before taking on this role with the Athletics. Jim Eppard will enter his 10th season as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator. Prior to joining the A’s in 2016, he spent two seasons as the Los Angeles Angels Assistant Hitting Coordinator and was previously a hitting coach and manager at multiple levels for the Angels and Colorado Rockies from 1994-2015. Todd Takayoshi enters his second season in the role of Minor League Assistant Hitting Coordinator, after serving as the Aviators assistant hitting coach in 2023 and the RockHounds hitting coach in 2022, 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. Lloyd Turner enters his 13th season with the organization, his third as Hitting Development Coach. He previously held the positions of Hitting Technology Coach in 2022 and Arizona A’s hitting coach in 2021. Before managing Beloit in 2019, Turner served as a minor league hitting coach for six seasons (Vermont, 2013, 2016-18 and Beloit, 2014-15). Juan Navarrete will begin his sixth season as the Minor League Infield Coordinator after spending the previous three seasons as the Minor League Defensive Coordinator. Navarrete has served the A’s development staff for over 29 seasons in various roles after a playing career that spanned 21 seasons. In 1998, Navarrete was inducted into the Mexican League Baseball Hall of Fame. Gabriel Ortiz will serve as Minor League Catching Coordinator for the sixth straight season. He spent the 2019 season as a minor league catching instructor as well as a coach with the Arizona League Athletics. The former A’s minor league catcher has been with the organization since 2014.
(Information provided by A’s Media Relations)
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