Tuesday, November 18, 2014
[size=150] PHILLIES ANNOUNCE 2015 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF [/size]
The Phillies have finalized their player development staff for the 2015 season, Joe Jordan, director, player development, announced today. Newcomers include former major league catcher Pat Borders and pitcher Brian Sweeney.
At triple-A Lehigh Valley, Dave Brundage and Ray Burris both return as manager and pitching coach, respectively, along with coaches Sal Rende and Mickey Morandini. Brundage and Burris will be back for their third seasons with the affiliate while 2015 will be Rende’s 12th year with the Phillies organization and ninth, overall, at his current position. Morandini returns for his fifth year on the player development staff and second with Lehigh Valley.
Dusty Wathan is back for his eighth season with the Phillies and fourth straight as double-A Reading’s manager. Dave Lundquist returns for his third year at Reading as pitching coach while Frank Cacciatore rejoins Reading as a coach after spending last season with single-A Clearwater.
Clearwater will have an entirely new staff with Greg Legg as manager and Rob Ducey and Steve Schrenk filling out his coaching staff. Legg previously managed the Clearwater club over the 2005-06 seasons. Ducey will begin his second year with the Phillies, having spent 2014 with Reading, while 2015 will mark Schrenk’s 12th as a minor league pitching coach with the Phillies and his fourth in Clearwater.
Lakewood will also see a new staff as Shawn Williams, who managed Williamsport in 2014, gets promoted to helm the BlueClaws. Nelson Prada moves to Lakewood as a coach after spending last season as Clearwater’s manager and Aaron Fultz returns as Lakewood’s pitching coach, a role he previously held in 2013.
Borders joins the Phillies organization for 2015 as the manager for single-A Williamsport. He was part of the 1992 and 1993 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays, including being named MVP of the 1992 World Series. Borders’ coaching staff will consist of Eddie Dennis, who was hired during spring training of 2013 and pitching coach Les Lancaster, who joined the Phillies in 2011.
The rookie-level Gulf Coast Phillies staff will see the return of manager Roly deArmas and coach Rafael DeLima. The 2015 season with be deArmas’ 12th as manager of the GCL Phillies and ninth straight. DeLima will start his 16th year as a member of the Phillies player development staff and his third consecutive season at his current position. Sweeney will join them as the pitching coach. He appeared in 73 games over four seasons for the Seattle Mariners (2003 & 2010) and San Diego Padres (2004 & 2006) and posted a 3.38 ERA in his major league career.
The coordinator staff returns mainly intact. Doug Mansolino (field), Andy Tracy (hitting), Chris Truby (infield), Andy Abad (outfield/baserunning) and Ernie Whitt (catching) all return with the addition of Rafael Chaves as the pitching coordinator. Carlos Arroyo, who enters his 39th year with the Phillies, will resume his previous role of roving pitching coach after working as the coordinator this past season.
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Press Releases provided courtesy of the Phillies, Media Relations. Thanks, guys!
