Texas Rangers Announce Complete 2024 Minor League Coordinators, Coaching Staffs
The Texas Rangers announced its 2024 minor league coordinators and coaching staff on Monday.
The Rangers' coordinator staff includes Kenny Holmberg (Field/Infield), Garrett Kennedy (assistant field/Catching), Cody Atkinson (Director of hitting), and Jordan Tiegs (Pitching).
All four full-season minor league managers return from 2023: Doug Davis (Triple-A Round Rock), Carlos Cardoza (Double-A Frisco), Chad Comer (High-A Hickory), and Carlos Maldonado (Low-A Down East).
Those teams combined for a 361-343 (.513) record in 2023, the 12th-best organizational winning percentage in MLB and sixth-best in the American League. It's the fifth consecutive full season (not including 2020) in which the Rangers posted a winning organizational record. The club and its affiliates are 1,974-1,763 (.528) in the span.
Coordinators
Kenny Holmberg returns for his third season as the club’s Field Coordinator while also maintaining Infield Coordinator duties for a ninth consecutive year. Garrett Kennedy will operate in a dual role as Assistant Field Coordinator and Catching Coordinator in 2024 after serving exclusively as Catching Coordinator in his first two seasons with the organization (2022-23). Jordan Tiegs enters his third consecutive season as the club’s Pitching Coordinator. Cody Atkinson returns as Director of Hitting and has overseen the minor league hitting program since joining the organization in October 2019. Eric Dorton returns as Hitting Coordinator for a second consecutive season, his sixth overall as an instructor in the Texas system.
Triple-A Round Rock Express
Doug Davis returns for his second season as manager at Triple-A Round Rock after leading the Express to an 89-60 (.597) regular-season record and a runner-up finish in the 2023 Pacific Coast League Championship Series (lost 0-2 vs. Oklahoma City). The former Major League catcher owns a lifetime 755-660 (.534) managerial record in 11 seasons as a minor league manager with the New York Mets (1996-2000), Toronto Blue Jays (2006-08), New York Yankees (2021-22), and Rangers (2023) organizations.
Dave Borkowski returns as Triple-A Pitching Coach in 2024 after heading a Round Rock pitching staff that posted the second-lowest ERA (4.72) in the PCL last season.
Demetre Kokoris enters his third season with the Rangers and second as the organization’s Triple-A Bullpen Coach. Hitting Coach Matt Lawson returns for a third consecutive season after joining the organization in 2022. Under Lawson, the Express offense last season ranked among the 30 Triple-A clubs in runs scored (6th, 919), walks (6th, 733), and extra-base hits (7th, 523). Chase Lambin returns as the Bench Coach for the Express, his 10th season with Texas.
Development Coach Josh Johnson returns for his sixth season in the organization and second as the Triple-A Development Coach.
Other staff members for the 2024 season include Will Whitehead (Athletic Trainer) and Jeff Mathers (Strength and Conditioning), who joins the organization after serving as a strength and conditioning coordinator in the Seattle Mariners system since 2019.
Double-A Frisco RoughRiders
Carlos Cardoza, 37, returns to manage for his second season in Frisco, following a 2023 campaign in which he skippered the RoughRiders to a 64-73 (.467) finish, his eighth season as a manager in Texas' system.
Pitching Coach Jon Goebel returns for his second consecutive season. Under Goebel, Frisco pitchers recorded the 2nd-most strikeouts among all Texas League clubs in 2023 (1,335). Hitting Coach Ryan Tuntland returns for his second season after overseeing a RoughRiders offense in 2023 that ranked among Texas League leaders in walks (1st, 680), on-base pct. (2nd, .355), and runs (4th, 733).
Kawika Emsley-Pai returns as a Development Coach in 2024, his fourth with the organization. Development Coach Tyler Wolfe enters his second season with the organization after serving as the ACL Rangers’ hitting coach in 2023.
Both Athletic Trainer Neal Ori and Strength and Conditioning Coach Brett Platts have been promoted from Down East and Hickory to the Frisco staff.
High-A Hickory Crawdads
Chad Comer returns as manager of High-A Hickory after guiding the Crawdads to a 70-55 (.560) record and postseason berth in his managerial debut. The Mansfield native is beginning his ninth season as a coach in the Rangers system (2015-19, 2021-23). In 2020, he served as the hitting coach at UT-Arlington, his alma mater. Julio Valdez has been appointed as the organization’s High-A Pitching Coach after serving in the same position with Low-A Down East in 2023
Hitting Coach Drew Sannes returns after overseeing a Crawdads lineup that produced the fewest strikeouts in the South Atlantic League last season (1,094). Jay Sullenger and Justin Jacobs maintain their positions as Development Coaches. After spending the last two seasons as the Rangers’ Rehab Athletic Trainer, Alex Silcott, 27, joins the Crawdads as Athletic Trainer.
He served as a trainer for the Rookie-level ACL Rangers in 2021 and the Orem Owlz in the Los Angeles Angels organization in 2019-20. Hickory Strength and Conditioning Coach Bryce Gist joins the Texas organization from Clemson, where he served as a Strength and Conditioning graduate assistant from Aug. 2022-Dec. 2023.
Low-A Down East Wood Ducks
Carlos Maldonado, 45, enters his second season as the Wood Ducks skipper following a 66-61 (.520) regular season finish and Carolina League Championship Series appearance in 2023.
Pitching Coach Thomas St. Clair joins the staff after spending the past two seasons as a Pitching Coach with the Rookie-level ACL Rangers. Hitting Coach Brian Pozos returns for his second season with Down East and third overall with the organization. Development Coach Wes Hunt joins the Rangers organization after assistant coaching stints at Tarleton State (2023), Campbell (2021-22), and Texas-Permian Basin (2019-20).
Development Coach Jorge Cortes joins the organization after coaching in the Arizona Diamondbacks system from 2017-23. Athletic Trainer Michael Theile was promoted after serving as a trainer with the ACL Rangers. Strength and Conditioning Coach Danny Mendoza returns for a second consecutive season after joining the staff midway through the 2023 season.
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