2009 Minor League Staff Assignments

As announced by the Dodgers today. ... Welcome back, Lenny Harris.

Albuquerque Isotopes (AAA)
Manager – Lorenzo Bundy (third season in this position)
Hitting coach – John Moses (second)
Pitching coach – Jim Slaton (second)
Athletic trainer – Greg Harrel

Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Manager – John Valentin (Inland Empire manager in 2008)
Hitting coach – Luis Salazar (third)
Pitching coach – Glenn Dishman (second)
Athletic trainer – Yosuke Nakajima

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
Manager – Carlos Subero (managed White Sox' Birmingham/AA team in 2008)
Hitting coach – Jason Wood (first – played with Florida last year)
Pitching coach – Charlie Hough (third)
Athletic trainer – TBD

Great Lakes Loons (A)
Manager – Juan Bustabad (second)
Hitting coach – Michael Boughton (first)
Pitching coach – Danny Darwin (second)
Athletic trainer – Zachary Hoffmann

Ogden Raptors (Short-season A)
Manager – Damon Berryhill (managed Rangers' Bakersfield/A team in 2008)
Hitting coach – Henry Cruz (Inland Empire 2008)
Pitching coach – Chuck Crim (was a Dodger scout)
Athletic trainer – TBD

Arizona League Dodgers (Rookie)
Manager – Jeff Carter (second)
Hitting coach – Leo Garcia (first)
Pitching coach – Casey Deskins (third)
Athletic trainer – TBD

Dominican Summer League Dodgers (Rookie)
Manager – Pedro Mega (third)
Hitting coach – Tony Mota (third)
Pitching coach – Kremlin Martinez (fourth)
Athletic trainer – Luis Santana

Coordinators
Field coordinator – Mike Brumley (managed Ogden in 2008 and served as assistant field coordinator)
Hitting coordinator – Gene Clines (second)
Pitching coordinator – Rafael Chaves (first)
Outfield/baserunning coordinator – Rodney McCray (second)
Infield coordinator – Matt Martin (third)
Catching coordinator – Travis Barbary (third)
Field coordinator, Campo Las Palmas – Antonio Bautista
Catching coordinator, Campo Las Palmas – Jose D. Martinez Hernandez
DSL assistant – George Bautista
Senior advisor to player development – P.J. Carey (was Dodgers' minor league field coordinator)
Rehab coordinator/physical therapist – Dave Rivera
Strength and conditioning coordinator – Landon Brandes
Strength and conditioning coach – Stephen Downey
Strength and conditioning coach – Yousef Zamat
Pitching instructor – Aaron Sele

Based in Glendale, Arizona
Coordinator – John Shoemaker (managed Jacksonville 2005-2008)
Pitching – George Culver (GCL Dodgers pitching coach in 2008)
Senior hitting coach – Lenny Harris (Washington hitting coach in 2008)

Comments

[Harold M Johnson]

1.  What player in the Dodgers farm system had the greatest Minor League career? (not a trivia question, I'm just curious).

[bhsportsguy]

2.  No love for Aaron Sele?

I guess Shoemaker got a promotion or at least a transfer to sunny Arizona.

[blue22]

3.  It's his 2nd season, so certainly this observation has been made, but this one amuses me:

Outfield/baserunning coordinator – Rodney McCray

http://tinyurl.com/2bugqg

[Bob Timmermann]

4.  I wish to salute the parents who named their son Kremlin Martinez.

[Jon Weisman]

5.  2 - According to Tony Jackson, it's a promotion - he's basically running the new Dodgertown.

[Jon Weisman]

6.  4 - Yeah, that was my favorite.

[Eric Stephen]

7.  Gilberto, going back to the last thread, I'm not down on Kemp or Loney by any means. They are key components of this club, and I expect them to improve in 2009 and that will be a huge boost to the Dodgers.

[Gilberto Reyes]

8.  3 Nothing like being taught by a guy who will run through walls for you.

[D4P]

9.  Damon Berryhill...? Wow. Haven't thought of him in a long time.

[Gilberto Reyes]

10.  7 I understand. Some people feel that their careers are regressing or stalling based on their 2008 numbers and I feel that it is too early to make that assumption.

[Bob Timmermann]

11.  Damon Berryhill caught Jamie Moyer in 1987.

[D4P]

12.  11
"The cir-cle o-of li-ife."

[Gagne55]

13.  Wow. It looks so strange not having AAA Las Vegas and AA Jacksonville.

[Eric Stephen]

14.  At least 13 of the coaches above are younger than Jamie Moyer.

[Gilberto Reyes]

15.  13 Albuquerque doesn't seem strange because we are just going back to the old days. I hope that they don't have to wear those bright red and yellow uniforms that the Dukes used to wear.

Chattanooga! Now that seems strange. And what is a Lookout? No more Jacksonville Fives.

[Jim Hitchcock]

16.  Wow. RIP Studs Terkel. Quite a writer. And a great character.

[underdog]

17.  16 Indeed. :-( Oddly, I was just re-watching 8 Men Out the other night, where he and John Sayles play sportswriters (Hugh Fullerton and Ring Lardner), and thought, I wonder if he's still around, and looked it up, and he was. And now he's not. Sigh.

Such an important guy in American journalism, history, writing...

--

Oh, and put me down as a fan of Kremlin Martinez. Though, shouldn't he be with the Reds?

[Eric Stephen]

18.  I hope Kremlin Martinez does a better job than the last Dominican pitching coach we had, Reichstag Johnson. Man, I hated that guy.

[Jim Hitchcock]

19.  17 He wrote his own epitaph:

"Curiosity did not kill this cat."

[Bob Timmermann]

20.  RIP, Studs Terkel

[Bob Timmermann]

21.  Sorry missed 16

[68elcamino427]

22.  Potential Free Agent Fill In's

Whattya Say???

Out Fielders (Left Fielders)
Raul Ibenez
Garret Anderson
Juan Rivera
Ken Griffy Jr.
Bobby Abreu
Milton Bradley
Manny Ramirez
Adam Dunn
Pat Burell

1B
Mark Texeria

2B/3b/SS
Orlando Cabrerra
Joe Crede
Edgar Rentaria
Hank Blalock
Casey Blake
Rafael Furcal
Orlando Hudson

Catcher
Jason Varitek
Ivan Rodriguez
Henry Blanco
Jason LaRue

Pitcher
A J Burnett
Joe Beimel
Derek Lowe
Chan Ho Park
Ryan Dempster
Brian Fuentes
CC Sabathia
Jon Garland
Darrin Oliver
Francisco Rodriguez

So the Dodgers need:
*Two infielders?
*Four bench players?
*A Back up Catcher or a Catcher with Martin as 3B/Back up Catcher?
*Two Starting Pitchers?
*Three Reief Pitchers?

Do you feel that any of the above players could fit some of the Dodgers needs?

Or are there Other Players that I have omitted and should have included?

[Kevin Lewis]

23.  Per the camera discussion in the last thread.

I am looking for a good entry level SLR that I can upgrade via the lens later on, but it will mostly be used for family events, vacations, sports, etc. Primarily indoors, though.

[Jon Weisman]

24.  "Hiroki Kuroda will donate $100,000 to the Dodgers Dream Foundation, including a portion that will benefit the team's official charity, ThinkCure."

[Kevin Lewis]

25.  I like Hiroki more and more these days.

[adrian beltre]

26.  24, 25 i really couldnt agree more. a logger at my company labeled hiroki as "hideki" kuroda, and i gave her a stern talking-to, exaggerating the negative impact of her mistake mostly because i feel like he deserves a lot more as a pitcher and in general.

[ToyCannon]

27.  15
Lookout Mountain where civil war battles were fought. It has a view of multiple states. Very cool place.

[Rob M]

28.  Damon Berryhill went to my high school. He graduated the year before I started my freshman year, but he was basically all everything. I remember going to football games and he was the star linebacker, running back and kicker as well as being a star Catcher for the baseball team.

[bhsportsguy]

29.  Dodgers filing today for free agency.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Garciaparra, Nomar (1B); Johnson, Jason (RP); Sweeney, Mark (1B)

[D4P]

30.  28
He's a veritable Darrin Erstad.

[arborial]

31.  4 it's the uplifting story of a Dominican cigar roller who orders a Russian mail order bride and after years of infertility is finally able to have a child who grows up to be the pitching coach for the Dodger's affiliate. ESPN 8 is doing a feature on the story of triumph next month.

[Marty]

32.  People should read Hard Times.

[ToyCannon]

33.  32
Is that the new name for the LA Times?

[Jim Hitchcock]

34.  32 Dangit, Marty...that led me to the Hard Times Cafe website, and now I'm really hungry.

[Eric Stephen]

35.  I guess this story will be in Jerry Maguire 2: Electric Boogaloo:

http://tinyurl.com/6fx8q6

[Jim Hitchcock]

36.  35 Wow, in one accident he hit three parked cars and knocked over a fire hydrant.

[Gen3Blue]

37.  Is it the Hard Rock LA Cafe Times?

[heyblue]

38.  RE: Post 1 - I would guess Greg Brock had the best minor league career in Dodger history, just off the top of my head. Mike Marshall (the outfielder) had pretty good minor league numbers. Paul Konerko, too.

[Tripon]

39.  http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/10/type-ab-free-ag.html

Type-A/Type-B FAs are out.

Lowe and Manny are Type-A's

Beimel, Casey Blake, Kent, Maddux, Penny, are type-B's.

[Jim Hitchcock]

40.  37 http://www.hardtimes.com/menu/index.asp

[fanerman]

41.  39 Awwwww.

[das411]

42.  so THAT's what happened to Lenny Harris!!

in other news, Chase Utley is even more awesome today than he had been. Pix of post-WS mayhem downtown and (eventually once they upload) today's ballpark ceremony here:

http://www.webshots.com/user/das411WS2008

[Tripon]

43.  http://www.ajc.com/living/content/shared-blogs/ajc/social/entries/2008/10/30/andruw_once_and_future_brave.html

Andruw Jones wants to go back to the Braves. We should let him and ask him to get out of the contract.

[bhsportsguy]

44.  43 We can't ask him out of his contract. He can talk all he wants about wanting to go back to Atlanta but there is probably no way MLB would approve a deal with the amount of cash the Dodgers would need to send for Atlanta to take him.

About the only thing the Dodgers can do would be to outright release him but they would still have to pay him all of his salary.

[Icaros]

45.  39

I wonder why Furcal isn't listed, and what type he is.

[bhsportsguy]

46.  43 I also think he is talking about after 2009.

[Jones] said it's been tough adjusting to a new team, and misses the guys from the Braves clubhouse. For now, his goal is to return to Los Angeles healthy and "finish strong."

[Tripon]

47.  45 Furcal isn't a type-A or type-B. His injury year for 2008 killed his value for SS.

Its hilarious that Edgar Renteria is a type-A. Who the heck would give up a first rounder for him?!

[fanerman]

48.  47 (frantically knocks on wood)

[Tripon]

49.  Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Johnson and Mark Sweeney all filed for free agency today, joining Manny Ramirez, Greg Maddux, Joe Beimel, Derek Lowe and Casey Blake from Thursday. That leaves Jeff Kent and Rafael Furcal and possibly Pablo Ozuna (option) as the only potential free agents yet to file. Forty-man roster is at 32, not counting 60-day DL guys.

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/

[Icaros]

50.  47

But he OPS'd 1.012!

[Icaros]

51.  OPSed?

[D4P]

52.  Yes, "OPSed" is DT parlance.

[Tripon]

53.  The longtime NFL agent Leigh Steinberg was arrested last week on suspicion of being drunk in public. Police say they got a report about a man "screaming and attempting to climb a hill" at about 8:00 p.m. on October 22, and the officers who responded to the call arrested Steinberg. Police say they smelled alcohol and Steinberg's speech was slurred, but he was not in possession of alcohol at the time.

I am imagining Scott Boras doing this, and it makes me giggle.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

[Tripon]

54.  http://rotoworld.com/

D'Backs picked up Raunch's 2010 option.

[Gagne55]

55.  43 Not that it would happen, but is it possible for a team and player to mutually agree to terminate a contract and send the player into free agency without the team responsible for the money? Does the CBA disallow this?

[bhsportsguy]

56.  55 I am going to say no, basically because A-Rod just wanted to change some of the terms of his contract regarding deferred money prior to potentially being dealt to Boston.

If I was advising Jones, I would tell him to just go to LA for 2009 and collect your money. I don't think I want to give up my commission because he wants to play in Atlanta.

[bhsportsguy]

57.  53 Steinberg has had other incidents.

Boras only seems to upset certain fans, general managers and MLB executives. I think he is just doing his job.

[superbas]

58.  22 if we can't resign manny i'd like us to focus on the infield with furcal and hudson, and starting pitching. at this point i'd pick up penny's contract.

[Gen3Blue]

59.  22 I think "Bench players" is irrelevant in the beginning. Once you fill your positions, you see who is left before you would go after bench players. For instance Pierre and Jones and Young are going to be on your bench. Also Schmoidt unless you can get him on the DL.

[Gen3Blue]

60.  38 Brock and Marshall had some amazing HR totals in Alb, and maybe in San Antonio too.

[Gen3Blue]

61.  57 Boras does only seem to upset a subset of the people that he deals with, but with young players, he only thinks about his % of contracts, and about a third of them seem to end up in miserable situations. I can't really back this up with stats., but I don't think Beltre,Jones, and a few others are really happy.

[Indiana Jon]

62.  1 38 60

Just off the top of my head, I nominate Sid Fernandez.

[68elcamino427]

63.  58
Monetarily picking up Penny's contract makes sense (9-2=7)but the muscles in the back of his shoulder are shot. Velocity with no control. He had plenty of time off this season to see if time would heal.

Example - Grab onto a fixed object with your arm at the release point. Pull back with the tips of your fingers and feel the muscles that are flexing around the perimiter of the outside of your shoulder.
Isolate the index finger, Middle finger, ring finger and thumb.
When a pitcher is throwing the ball at 92 mph the 5.9 ounce ball has the equivalant weight of about 59 pounds because of the force theat is being created by the speed of the hand attached to the ball. Pushing the ball and generating force is not the issue for Penny - he can still generate 94 mph. The issue is that he is unable to exert enough force with the muscles in the back of his shoulder to fine tune his control around the edges of the strike zone.
This is why I feel the the $7 million "bargain" is more like lighting the money on fire by giving it to Penny.

[Tripon]

64.  For the Cubs, that is a speedy leadoff hitter, preferably one who's a switch hitter or bats left-handed -- anything that would allow them to move Alfonso Soriano out of the top spot. The same need exists for the White Sox, who know they're guaranteed one major acquisition this offseason -- a healthy Carlos Quentin -- but also realize they won't go anywhere with the same slow, plodding lineup.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1252416,CST-SPT-deluca31.article

[68elcamino427]

65.  59
You are correct in that the big money is going to go to the position players and the bench is somewhat a process of elimination.
For me it is not a given that Jones or Pierre should be back. Jones is done and no amount of "cardio work" is going to help him get the bat in the right place at the right time. Peds or whatever - stick a fork in him - he's over done. Without his ridiculous "Boras" contract we wouldn't even be thinking about the gut ... er I mean the guy.

Pierre - enough has been said already.

The Dodgers have needed a reliable player at SS since the day Furcal went out of the line up. Counting on him to stay healthy for an entire season just doesn't add up any longer when considering his service time on the field during the life of his last contract with the Dodgers. I would only consider him as a part time player at second base. He creates a lot of tourqe with his swing and his lower back couldn't handle the deceleration last year. This isn't something that just "happened". This is the result of years of swings.
Just my opinion.

[bhsportsguy]

66.  61 The player is the "boss." Boras works for them for his fee.

If the player has regrets, it really isn't Boras' fault.

[Jon Weisman]

67.  I happened to re-watch the Cincinnati episode of the Brady Bunch tonight. If I were Mr. Phillips, I would really consider firing Mike. Not only was he reckless and irresponsible, but if I had seen his phlegmatic response to the crisis of the missing plans, I would have been doubly infuriated.

Of course, Mike was phlegmatic out of his own frustration with the scripts. So maybe Mr. Phillips should fire Sherwood Schwartz.

[Tripon]

68.  66 Sometimes the agent has his own agenda over what the Player wants.

Example: The Clippers and Elton Brand. It was disgusting what David Falk said and did to move Brand to the 76'ers just to prove that he was still relevant. A player trusts his agents to give him the best information available, but they don't have any safeguards if the the person they trust has their own ideas what should happen.

[68elcamino427]

69.  We used to have a big blue Dodge van.
With the three kids and a few players riding into the parking lot of the Little League field the vehicle was dubbed
"The Brady Bunch Van" by innocent bystanders.
And so it was known forever more:)

[Daniel Zappala]

70.  My next door neighbor is Mike Brady. His wife is Cindy. Which is kind of confusing.

[Eric Enders]

71.  1 38 60 62 How about Mike Piazza?

The best minor leaguer in Dodger history, going strictly by minor league performance, might be some Quadruple-A guy we've barely heard of. Actually, Tommy Lasorda wouldn't be a half-bad pick. Lifetime record of 107-57 with Montreal.

[Eric Enders]

72.  66 "The player is the "boss." Boras works for them for his fee. If the player has regrets, it really isn't Boras' fault."

In theory, you'd be right. In practice, Boras seems always to do what's best for the Scott Boras Corporation, even if that is at odds with what's best for the client in quesiton. Once you hire Boras, you basically have to do whatever he tells you. And if you dump him as your agent, he'll sue you. (see: Sheffield, Gary; Hochevar, Luke.) So in the specific case of Boras, the player actually has somewhat limited options and is by no means the "boss."

[68elcamino427]

73.  Scott Boras
So good at his job. Is he the tops in his field? Is he too good? He plays by the rules. He makes lots and lots of money.
A master of manipulating hype and hysteria.

[Tripon]

74.  73 Boras doesn't really play by the rules, he tries to subvert and tarnish them any way possible until they lose all meaning.

[68elcamino427]

75.  74
Like Barry?
Are they similar in some respects?

[Tripon]

76.  75 Barry Bonds?

Or Drew Rosenhaus?

I feel that Boras does what he does sometimes is not to help his current client, but to set the landscape for future clients.

The Pedro Alverez case was to me, basically telling teams and future clients that he is not a man to be messed with. Even as his client would have been served to get into camp as fast as possible since the Pirates gave every indication that they were going to fast track Alverez and start his major league clock. Whats the difference between a few hundred thousand in a bonus that Alverez could make in his first year of arbitration? Now, he's set back and might not be called until the end of 2009, esthetically under Priates control for at least one more year than he had to be, and one more year away from free agency, where he can make his real money.

[caseybarker]

77.  So, do you think Brad Penny paved his way out of LA with his fight at the Key Club last night?

[68elcamino427]

78.  75
The gutty former minor league second baseman would do such a thing? On purpose?
Your comment is very good.
Wonder how many similar "chess moves" could be brought to light?
They can't be pinned on him. Only inferred.

[Tripon]

79.  77 Only if he broke his pitching hand. If he did, the Dodgers could use that as an excuse to not pay for Penny's buyout. Saying that Penny's action shows that he has regard for himself and his future employment, so why should the Dodgers be made to invest in any more time or money in Penny?

[scareduck]

80.  57 - Boras only seems to upset certain fans, general managers and MLB executives. I think he is just doing his job.

Sure, if by "just doing his job" you mean "misrepresenting the capabilities of his clients".

[scareduck]

81.  72 - In theory, you'd be right. In practice, Boras seems always to do what's best for the Scott Boras Corporation, even if that is at odds with what's best for the client in quesiton.

Bingo.

[underdog]

82.  Happy Halloween everyone!

So in response to Steve Henson's piece this week about Phillies fans, he prints some emails he received in kind. Some of which basically prove his point. And Dodger fans are also mentioned here as a defense of Phillies fans, which is the main reason I bring it up.

http://tinyurl.com/6ns5r4

And now I'm sugar-crashing from candy overdose, so I'm off to slumberland.

[underdog]

83.  Hrm, that tinyurl didn't work. Well, you can find it here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/

[Linkmeister]

84.  Hey! Chuck Crim! He was a really good pitcher for UH from 1980-1982! He was on the same team as Derek Tatsuno, who won 20 one of those years. The only time UH got to the CWS was in 1980, I think.

[68elcamino427]

85.  Scott Boras
Perfect Halloween fodder as the clock strikes midnight.

[Eric Stephen]

86.  The initial hoops AP poll is out. UNC is a unanimous #1. Here are the Pac-10 teams:

4) UCLA
15) ASU
18) USC (I am surprised they are this high)
35) Washington
41) WSU
44) Arizona
52) Stanford

No votes for Cal or the Oregon schools.

[Eric Enders]

87.  84 Crim was the guy who scouted and signed Andrew Lambo for us.

[Eric Enders]

88.  86 A lot of those votes were probably cast before Arizona lost their best incoming freshman, Jeff Withey, yesterday. The ship continues to sink. Stanford will definitely finish ahead of them and I'm thinking Cal and Oregon will too.

And hey, I just found out that Oregon finally started a baseball team for this coming season. Were they the last holdout in the Pac-10?

[Benjamin Miracord]

89.  67 Remember that Cincinnati episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati"?

Wait, there was more than one??

[Benjamin Miracord]

90.  119H2+18Ca(CN)2+6NaAlF4+12FeSO4+6MgSiO3+6KI+2H3PO4+12PbCrO4+24BrCl+6CF2Cl2+24SO2 = 12PbBr2+12CrCl3+6MgCO3+6KAl(OH)4+12Fe(SCN)3+2PI3+6NaSiO3+18CaF2+110H2O

You do the math.

[Dodgers49]

91.  Yankees Looking at All Options, Including Ramirez

http://tinyurl.com/6s9tg5

[D4P]

92.  I just found out that Oregon finally started a baseball team for this coming season. Were they the last holdout in the Pac-10?

Oregon used to have a baseball team, but cut it (sometime in the early 90s, I believe).

[Eric Stephen]

93.  The 2nd of 3 Dave Roberts to play for the Padres was an Oregon Duck.

http://tinyurl.com/673ud2

[Ken Noe]

94.  Perhaps Penny simply is frustrated by FOX's decision to delay Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse." As if Whedon and FOX haven't danced this dance before.

[LAT]

95.  If I am Frank I sit back and let Manny/Scott exhaust themselves. If someone is stupid enough to give them what they want this early while their demand is so high there is nothing the Dodgers can do about it. If Frank makes an early bid, Boras will just use it against the others and the Dodgers. Let someone else narrow the paramiters of a deal and then Frank should move in and do a little better.

[Bob Timmermann]

96.  Oregon used to have a baseball team, but cut it (sometime in the early 90s, I believe).

Actually, it was all the way back in 1982.

[Eric Stephen]

97.  Looking at the Dodgers' free agent rankings, I think the most draft picks they will receive as compensation is 6:

Type A (2 each)
Lowe, Manny

Type B (sandwich pick each)
Beimel, Blake

I don't think the Dodgers will offer arbitration to Kent or Maddux*, for fear they would accept, and if they are going to offer arbitration to Penny they would just pick up his option.

*I think if Maddux comes back, the two sides will work on a deal for something less than the $10m Maddux received in 2008 (since he would probably receive somewhere near that in arbitration). For Maddux, it's either SD or LA, and the Padres don't look to be adding costly players right now.

[Eric Stephen]

98.  Also, if the Yankees end up being the super shoppers they are rumored to be, the Dodgers' compensation for Manny may be reduced greatly.

Elias Scores
Tex 98.889
CC 98.110
Manny 93.438

If the Yankees sign all three players, the Dodgers would receive a sandwich pick (between rounds 1 & 2) plus the Yankees' 3rd round pick (instead of 1st).

[LAT]

99.  For anyone contemplating children, try for boys. This morning is my younger daughters Bat Mitzvah and let's just say there is enough drama in my tiny house to light up the entire City.

As the only memeber of my family that doesn't wear make-up or do my hair, I hope I survive.

[Jon Weisman]

100.  99 - Some might say you should try for boys who prefer sports to Hebrew school, but perhaps that's short-sighted. Good luck, LAT.