Dodgers 2023 minor league coaching staffs

Feb 7, 2023 - 9:12 PM

The Dodgers on Tuesday announced their minor league coaching staffs for 2023, with six of seven managers staying at their respective affiliates.

Managers at three of the top four affiliates are in their positions for at least a third consecutive season. Triple-A manager Travis Barbary has been in that position in Oklahoma City since 2019. Scott Hennessy has managed Double-A Tulsa since 2017. Dodgers captain of player development John Shoemaker is back to lead Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.

This is the 47th season in the Dodgers organization and 43rd as a coach for Shoemaker, and has been in so many player development roles that a third consecutive season in Rancho Cucamonga is his longest stint in one spot since managing Double-A Jacksonville from 2005-08.

The lone exception is Austin Chubb, who managed High-A Great Lakes the last two seasons but is now the Dodgers’ assistant minor league field coordinator.

Taking the helm with the Loons is Daniel Nava, who’s in his third season coaching after a seven-year playing career through 2017 that was mostly with the Red Sox but also included stops in Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Kansas City, and Philadelphia. Nava, who turns 40 in two weeks, was the bench coach last year for Rancho Cucamonga after managing the Arizona Complex League Dodgers in 2021.

Here are the coaching staffs at each minor league level (folks in new positions in italics).

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Manager: Travis Barbary
Bench coach: Chris Gutierrez
Hitting coach: Manny Burriss
Pitching coach: Doug Mathis
Pitching coach: Justin DeFratus
Head athletic trainer: Chelsea Willette
Athletic trainer: Griffin Boyte
Performance coach: Paul Fournier
Video/development associate: Harrison Schnurbusch

Doug Mathis is the newcomer at pitching coach after three years on the major league staff with the Rangers, first as bullpen coach in 2020 then co-pitching coach in Texas the last two seasons.

DeFratus was the bullpen coach the last two years in Oklahoma City, and is now a co-pitching coach with Mathis.

Chris Gutierrez was bench coach the previous two seasons in Tulsa.

Griffin Boyte was on the Great Lakes training staff in 2022.

Double-A Tulsa

Manager: Scott Hennessey
Bench coach: Juan Apodaca
Hitting coach: Louis Iannotti
Pitching coach: Ryan Dennick
Pitching coach: Durin O’Linger
Bullpen coach: Luis Vasquez
Athletic trainer: Jesse Guffey
Performance coach: Noah Huff
Video/development associate: Mikael Mogues

Apodaca was the bench coach in Oklahoma City last season, his first year as a coach. O’Linger was pitching coach in Great Lakes in 2021 and Rancho Cucamonga in 2022.

Iannotti was a hitting analytics coordinator at Camelback Ranch the last four years. This is his sixth season in the Dodgers organization.

Minor league rosters won’t be finalized until April, but in an interview Tuesday morning on The Blitz 1170 AM radio in Tulsa, Hennessey said, “We have a chance to have five 40-man guys, and that’s probably a record for Double-A.”

The five players Hennessey mentioned included top prospect Diego Cartaya and infielders Jorbit Vivas and Eddys Leonard, who ended last year in High-A Great Lakes. The other two were outfielders added to the 40-man roster in November — Jonny DeLuca and Andy Pages. DeLuca began last year in High-A and played only 25 games with Tulsa after getting promoted.

Pages spent all of 2022 in Double-A, hit .236/.336/.468 with a 102 wRC+, and just turned 22 in December.

“Andy hit I think 25 home runs last year with 80 RBI, and he didn’t get hot,” Hennessey said. “I think he has a really good chance to have a tremendous year, a breakout year, and then get to Triple-A.”

High-A Great Lakes

Manager: Daniel Nava
Bench coach: Elian Herrera
Hitting coach: O’Koyea Dickson
Pitching coach: David Anderson
Pitching coach: Richard De Los Santos
Athletic trainer: Ikuo Kato
Performance coach: Ethan Quarles
Video/development associate: Joe Manno

O’Koyea Dickson was hitting coach in Rancho Cucamonga last season, so he and Dylan Nasiatka swapped roles this year.

Trainer Ikuo Kato also joins the Loons from Rancho Cucamonga.

Richard De Los Santos was with Great Lakes last year, but as assistant pitching coach. Now he and fellow returnee David Anderson both have the title of pitching coach.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

Manager: John Shoemaker
Bench coach & hitting coach: Ronny Paulino
Hitting coach: Dylan Nasiatka
Pitching coach: Ramon Troncoso
Pitching coach: Sean Coyne
Performance coach: Taylor Miller
Athletic trainer: Akinori Maeda
Video/development associate: Ben Castiglia

Shoemaker’s three years managing in one city is not only rare for him, but for the Quakes as well. Only three others have managed Rancho Cucamonga for three straight seasons — Mike Basso (1996-98), Bobby Meacham (2002-04), and Drew Saylor (2016-2018).

“Shoe has been awesome for our fans, our community and for the players on the field,” said team vice president and general manager Grant Riddle. “We’re thrilled to have him back for a third year and can’t wait for the start of the season!”

Dylan Nasiatka is the Quakes hitting coach for the second time in three years, with a stint in the same role for Great Lakes in between.

Sean Coyne was a pitching coach in the Arizona Complex League in 2022. Ronny Paulino was in Arizona too as a hitting coach; he’s now the bench coach and hitting coach with the Quakes. Athletic trainer Akinora Maeda also made the jump from Arizona to Rancho Cucamonga this year.

Video/development associate Ben Castiglia is in his first year with the Dodgers.

Arizona Complex League

Manager: Jair Fernandez
Bench coach: Johan Garcia
Hitting coach: Danny Dorn
Hitting coach: Blake Gailen
Hitting coach: Johermyn Chavez
Pitching coach: Andres Urbina
Pitching coach: Luis Vasquez
Coach & complex coordinator: Fumi Ishibashi
Coach & baseball tech associate: Zoe Hicks
Athletic trainer: Alfredo Casillas
Assistant athletic trainer: Zoe Hicks
Performance coach: Jose Gutierrez
Performance coach: Irma Maldonado
Assistant, performance operations: Marlon Cairo
Video associate: Jade Gortarez
Video associate: Joe Nadler

Dominican Summer League

Manager: Dunior Zerpa
Manager: Cordell Hipolito
Hitting coach: Sergio Mendez
Hitting coach: Juan Diaz
Pitching coach: Roberto Giron
Pitching coach: Raidel Chacon
Pitching coach: Hector Rodriguez
Pitching coach: Eduardo Dominguez
Defensive coordinator: Pedro Mega
Senior advisor, Campo Las Palmas: Antonio Bautista
Coach: Leury Bonilla
Athletic trainer: Jorge Rodriguez
Performance Coach: Walter Lindo
Performance Coach: Rafa Sepulveda
Performance Coach: George Drullard
Physiotherapist: Walter LaChapel
Nutrition coordinator: Walter LaChapel
Video Associate: Jerry Chavarria
Video Associate: James Keller