Ahead of the upcoming report dates for Spring Training in a few weeks, the New York Yankees have announced the coaches and managers that will be leading the farm system in 2023, and there’s quite a change throughout the organization.
Announcing the 2023 coaching staffs for our full-season Minor League affiliates: pic.twitter.com/tuNs8PzdWL
— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) February 3, 2023
AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Shelley Duncan (Photo courtesy of SWB RailRiders)
As we had previously reported, former Yankee Shelly Duncan will helm the AAA affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Pitching coach Graham Johnson returns for a second season in SWB, as does hitting coach Trevor Amicone. Defensive coach Jose Javier will start his seventh season with the Yankees, but his first in Scranton after holding the position in 2022 with the High-A affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades. Javier is replacing Raul Dominguez who has gone to AA Somerset to manage the team. The RailRiders’ other defensive coach, Lino Diaz has gone to Single-A Tampa to hold the same position there.
AA Somerset Patriots
Somerset Patriots Manager Raul Dominguez (Photo courtesy of Somerset Patriots)
With the previous manager of the Patriots, Dan Fiorito, to assume a roving hitting coach role with the Yankees, long time coach within the Yankees organization, Raul Dominguez, will take over the leadership of the AA affiliate. This will be the 17th season with the Yankees for Dominguez, who spent the previous two seasons with the AAA Scranton team as defensive coach. This will be his first time in a full-season managerial position after spending 8 years managing the GCL/DSL affiliates. Former Single-A Tampa pitching coach Grayson Crawford moves up to the AA level for his second year with the organization and Jake Hirst is back for his second year as hitting coach and fifth with the Yankees farm system. Also back for his second year with Somerset is defensive coach Aaron Bossi, his third with the Yankees after a year with High-A Hudson Valley in the same role.
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Sergio Santos (John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)
The ‘Gades get an almost new coaching staff after 2022 manager Tyson Blaser became the catching coordinator with the Red Sox farm system for the 2023 season. Former FCL Yankees manager Sergio Santos moves up to Hudson Valley to manage the High-A affiliate, joined by one of his former pitching coaches from the FCL Yankees, Preston Claiborne. The previous hitting coach, Rob Benjamin, becomes the new defensive coach as Kevin Martir goes up to Hudson Valley from Tampa as their hitting coach. A new addition to the farm system staff, Derek Woodley joins the Renegades as defensive coach with Benjamin. Woodley was previous with Defiance College of the D-III Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) as head coach for the past 15 years.
Single-A Tampa Tarpons
Manager Rachel Balkovec with OF prospect Spencer Jones at 1B (John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)
The Single-A Tampa Tarpons also get an almost new coaching staff as well. Tampa manager Rachel Balkovec is back for her second year in charge of the Tarpons, and her fourth overall with the Yankees. Pitching coach Gerardo Casadiego joins the Tarpons from AA Somerset after having held that role with Hudson Valley in 2021. Moving to the Tarpons for his first full season, Rick Guarno joins Tampa in his second season with the organization as hitting coach. Guarno was previously the hitting coach for the FCL Yankees. Lino Diaz joins Michel Hernandez as defensive coaches in Tampa. Diaz enters his eighth season with the Yankees system, but first with Tampa as he was with AAA Scranton in 2022 in the same defensive coaching role. Hernandez enters his eleventh season with the Yankees in a coaching role and seventh with Tampa.
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