LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates for the 2019 season:
Triple-A Oklahoma City Season with Dodger Organization (as coach)
Manager – Travis Barbary 25th
Pitching Coach – Bill Simas 9th
Hitting Coach – Scott Coolbaugh 1st
Coach – Jeremy Rodriguez 3rd
Double-A Tulsa
Manager – Scott Hennessey 3rd
Pitching Coach – Dave Borkowski 2nd
Hitting Coach – Adam Melhuse 2nd
Coach – Pedro Montero 3rd
Single-A Rancho Cucamonga
Manager – Mark Kertenian 3rd
Pitching Coach – Connor McGuinness 3rd
Hitting Coach – Dustin Kelly 2nd
Coach – Elian Herrera 1st
Single-A Great Lakes
Manager – John Shoemaker 43rd
Pitching Coach – Luis Meza 3rd
Hitting Coach – Justin Viele 3rd
Coach – Jason Bourgeois 1st
Rookie-advanced Ogden
Manager – Austin Chubb 4th
Pitching Coach – Dean Stiles 2nd
Hitting Coach – Seth Conner 2nd
Coach – Cordell Hipolito 1st
Rookie-level AZL Dodgers
Manager – Jair Fernandez 4th
Pitching Coach – Stephanos Stroop 1st
Hitting Coach – Jarek Cunningham 3rd
Coach- Chris Gutierrez 2nd
Dominican Summer League Dodgers
Managers –Keyter Collado/Fumi Ishibashi 7th/9th
Pitching Coaches – Ramon Troncoso/Roberto Giron 2nd/6th
Hitting Coaches – Johermyn Chaves/Sergio Mendez 1st/4th
Coaches – Pedro Mega/Antonio Bautista/Dunior Zerpa 19th/12th/2nd
Two Dodger minor league managers return, while new skippers are in place for Triple-A Oklahoma City, Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Rookie-advanced Ogden, Rookie-level AZL and the Dominican summer league team. John Shoemaker will manage the Loons in his 43rd season in the Dodger organization, Travis Barbary will become the skipper for the OKC Dodgers, Mark Kertenian will become the manager for the Quakes after leading the AZL Dodgers to the Arizona Rookie League Championship, and Austin Chubb will lead Rookie-advanced Ogden after spending four seasons as one of the Dominican summer league managers.
Barbary enters his first season as the manager for Triple-A Oklahoma City and Bill Simas will remain on the OKC Dodgers staff as pitching coach, while Scott Coolbaugh and Jeremy Rodriguez start their first seasons with OKC. Coolbaugh had a four-year Major League career with Texas, San Diego and St. Louis and the Binghampton, NY native served as hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles for the last four seasons. Rodriguez, 29, enters his third season with the Dodgers and his first year with OKC after spending the last two seasons as the Ogden skipper. The Southern California native played in parts of five minor league seasons (2011-15) in the San Diego organization after being selected by the Padres in the 16th round of the 2011 Draft out of California State University, Bakersfield.
Hennessey, 48, enters his third season with the Drillers after leading the club to the Texas League Championship for the first time in 20 years last season. Prior to being named the skipper, Hennessey served as an amateur scout in the Dodger organization from 2007 to 2016. Dave Borkowski will also remain on staff as the pitching coach for his second season. Prior to joining the club in 2018, the former Major Leaguer spent the past eight years as a pitching coach in the Astros’ system (2010-17) and was also the pitching coach for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League in 2013. Borkowski appeared in 181 big league games (21 starts) over seven seasons, going 13-20 with a 5.87 ERA with the Tigers (1999-2001), the Orioles (2004) and the Astros (2006-08). Adam Melhuse will round out the staff as he joins the club as the newest hitting coach. Melhuse spent 2018 as the hitting coach for OKC, was the manager for the Los Angeles Angels’ Single-A Burlington Bees (2016-17) and was an advanced scout with the Chicago Cubs. The Santa Clara, California, native and former UCLA Bruin played eight Major League seasons (2000-08) with the Dodgers, Rockies, Athletics and Rangers, appearing in 311 games and hitting .234 with 24 home runs and 98 RBI.
Kertenian, 38, enters his third season with the organization and will manage the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes after managing the AZL Dodgers in 2018 and the Ogden Raptors in 2017. Connor McGuinness returns for his third season as pitching coach with the club while Dustin Kelly returns for his second year as the hitting coach.
Shoemaker, 62, will embark on his 43rd season in the Los Angeles organization and 26th season as minor league manager. Drafted by the Dodgers in the 35th round of the 1977 draft, Shoemaker has been with the club ever since, as a player (1977-80), manager, coach and coordinator and, in 2015, he was appointed as the Dodgers’ “Captain” of Player Development. Meza enters his fourth season with the Dodger organization as a pitching coach and his first year with the Loons after spending 2018 with the AZL Dodgers. Justin Viele enters his third season with the Dodger organization and his first year with Great Lakes.
Chubb, 29, begins his fourth season with the Dodger organization and his first year at the helm of Rookie-advanced Ogden. Chubb spent the last two seasons as the manager for the DSL Dodgers 2. In 2017, Chubb became the first American manager in the history of Campo Las Palmas and prior to becoming the skipper, he entered the coaching ranks as Rookie-advanced Ogden’s hitting coach. Dean Stiles enters his second year with the Dodgers as the pitching coach, and Seth Conner begins his second year coaching with the Dodgers. The 25-year-old Missouri native played five minor league seasons in the Blue Jays organization (2011-14, 16) and posted a .244 batting average with six home runs and 76 RBI in 187 career games.
Jair Fernandez begins his third season with the Dodgers organization and first as a manager for the AZL Dodgers. Fernandez spent the past two seasons with Single-A Great Lakes as the hitting coach. Stroop embarks on his first minor league coaching position after serving as a pitching coach for Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. Cunningham will enter his third season as the AZL Dodgers hitting coach. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of high school and played eight seasons as second and third baseman.
Collado and Ishibashi enter their seventh and ninth seasons in the Dodger organization, respectively. Giron enters his sixth season as the pitching coach, while former big leaguer Ramon Troncoso returns for his second season as pitching coach. Troncoso spent five years in the Majors (2008-11, 2013), including four seasons with the Dodgers (2008-11), going 8-8 with six saves and posting a 3.92 ERA in 175 relief appearances. Mendez will return for his fourth season, Mega in his 19th season, Zerpa in his second, and Bautista will also return to the Campo Las Palmas staff in 2019.
In 2018, Dodger affiliates posted a .547 (452-374) combined winning percentage, which was the best among MLB clubs, with the club’s top six affiliates advancing to the postseason. Double-A Tulsa (Texas League), Single-A Rancho Cucamonga (California League) and the Arizona League Dodgers all won their league championships.
No explanation for why Hasselman is out in OKC. I did hear he is going to manage Rancho while their manager serves a suspension. Hasselman did a great job at OKC and was well respected by his players. I get that Barbary has been in the organization a long time, but Hasselman was a good influence on young players. Maybe he is out because he felt stung at not being named to the Major league staff with all the openings they had this year. Where ever he goes I am pretty sure he will be successful.
Unless you play fantasy football and kiss butt, Friedman will not help you.
Haselman staying with org as hitting coach/roving instructor.
Maybe he didn’t like OKC?
I agree with you, Michael. I think he should have been promoted to the dodger’s 3rd base coaching position on the big club. Maybe he was not all in agreement with the stats Freidman so values? One of the best, talented and successful minor league coaches.
I think I speak with everyone that we are all relieved to see Coach – Pedro Montero back with Tulsa for a 3rd season. this probably puts us over the top for success this season in LA. Good job, Friedman you are making clutch decisions this off season.
Does anyone know if Jason The Wonder Spoog will be back as the Quakes mascot this season.? Another key to Dodgers success will come down to Spoog