Matt Walbeck To Lead 2009 Altoona Curve Field Staff
December 19, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ALTOONA- 11-year major league veteran catcher and highly-successful minor league manager Matt Walbeck will lead the Altoona Curve's 2009 coaching staff. The announcement was made today by Pittsburgh Pirates' Director of Player Development Kyle Stark.
Joining Walbeck on the Curve's brand-new 2009 coaching staff will be pitching coach Dean Treanor and hitting coach Ryan Long. Athletic trainer Thomas Pribyl will return for his fourth season with the club, while strength and conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel will return for his second season in Altoona.
Walbeck will be making his return to minor league managing with the Curve in 2009 after spending last season as the third base coach for the Texas Rangers. Previously, the 39-year old Sacramento, CA native enjoyed four highly-successful seasons as a manager in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system, posting an impressive .561 winning percentage (312-244) between Class-A West Michigan (2004-06) and Double-A Erie (2007) and leading West Michigan to Midwest League titles in both 2004 and '06.
Walbeck's last managerial position came with the Eastern League's Erie SeaWolves in 2007 and under his guidance the SeaWolves posted an 81-59 (.579) record en route to winning the E.L. South regular season championship. He was named 2007 E.L. Manager of the Year and Baseball America honored him as its 2007 Minor League Manager of the Year for all classifications. Walbeck was also recognized as the Midwest League's 2006 Manager of the Year after leading West Michigan to its second league championship in three seasons.
The switch-hitting backstop played 11 consecutive seasons in the major leagues from 1993-2003 with the Chicago Cubs (1993), Minnesota (1994-96), Detroit (1997, 2002-03), Anaheim (1998-99) and Philadelphia (2001). Overall, Walbeck hit .233 in nearly 700 career games at the big league level. One of his career highlights came in 1994 with Minnesota, when he caught Scott Erickson's no-hitter.
Dean Treanor will take over as the Curve's pitching coach after serving six of the previous seven seasons as the manager of the Florida Marlins Triple-A affiliates in Calgary (2002) and Albuquerque (2003, 2005-08). His run as the manager of the Marlins top farm club was interrupted in 2004, when he was Florida's Minor League Pitching Coordinator. Prior to joining the Florida organization, the 61-year old native of San Luis Obispo, CA served as pitching coach for Triple-A affiliates of the Los Angeles Dodgers, including two years (1999-2000) with the Albuquerque Dukes and one year with the Las Vegas 51s (2001). Treanor also spent three years as pitching coach in the Montreal Expos organization (1996-1998), including the 1997 season with the Eastern League champion Harrisburg Senators, four years in the San Diego Padres chain (1992-1995), and three years with the Cleveland Indians organization (1988-1990), including stints as a manager in 1988 and 1990.
After originally being signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1971, Treanor, a right-handed pitcher, ascended through the ranks before a shoulder injury forced him to retire in 1975 after reaching Double-A Trois Rivieres in the Eastern League.
Ryan Long will join the Pirates' organization as Altoona's hitting coach after spending the past two seasons in the same role with the Low Class-A Burlington Bees in the Kansas City Royals system. Before joining the Royals in 2007, the Houston native was a hitting coach for six seasons at various levels in the Chicago White Sox chain. A former second round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in 1991 out of high school, Long played for 10 seasons, reaching the major leagues with Kansas City in 1997. He appeared in six games for the Royals that season and collected his first big league hit off Seattle's Randy Johnson.
Among the Curve's 2008 coaching staff of manager Tim Leiper, pitching coach Brad Holman and hitting coach Brandon Moore, only Moore will return to the Pirates in 2009. He will hold the dual role of Assistant Roving Hitting Instructor and hitting coach for the State College Spikes.
The Altoona Curve open the 2009 Eastern League season April 8 at Erie. Following a week-long road trip, the Curve will host the SeaWolves in the Home Opener on Thursday, April 16 at Blair County Ballpark.
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2009 CURVE COACHING STAFF SNAPSHOTS
Matt Walbeck - Manager
Becomes the fifth manager in the 11-year history of the Curve, following Marty Brown (1999-00), Dale Sveum (2001-03), Tony Beasley (2004-05) and Tim Leiper (2006-08)... Spent 2008 as the third base coach for the Texas Rangers, his first experience as a major league coach... From 2004-07, managed in the Detroit Tigers minor league system, compiling a combined 312-224 (.561) record... Skippered Low-A West Michigan of the Midwest League for three seasons from 2004-06 and led the Whitecaps to league titles in both '04 and '06... Was MWL Manager of the Year in 2006 after leading West Michigan to its second championship in three seasons... Managed the Eastern League's Erie SeaWolves to an 81-59 record and the E.L. South regular season title in 2007... Was named 2007 E.L. Manager of the Year and was honored by Baseball America as its 2007 Minor League Manager of the Year for all classifications... Played 11 major league seasons as a catcher from 1993-2003 with the Chicago Cubs (1993), Minnesota (1994-96), Detroit (1997, 2002-03), Anaheim (1998-99) and Philadelphia (2001)... Overall, hit .233 in nearly 700 career games at the big league level... Caught Scott Erickson's no-hitter with Minnesota on April 27, 1994 vs. Milwaukee... Made major league debut April 7, 1993 with the Chicago Cubs against Atlanta... Collected first big league hit off Kent Mercker in his fourth at-bat of the game... Originally drafted by the Cubs in the 8th round of the 1987 June Draft out of Sacramento (CA) High School... Was the Cubs' Minor League Player of the Year in 1992, when he was a Double-A Southern League All-Star... Full name is Matthew Lovick Walbeck... Born October 2, 1969 in Fair Oaks, CA... Resides in Fair Oaks, CA with wife Stephenie, son Luke (8/1/98), daughter Olivia (10/13/01) and youngest child, Tatum (6/2/07)
Dean Treanor - Pitching Coach
Becomes the seventh pitching coach in Curve history, following Scott Lovekamp (1999, 2001), Bruce Tanner (2000), Bob Milacki (2002), Jeff Andrews (2003-05), Ray Searage (2006-07) and Brad Holman (2008)... Spent six of the previous seven seasons managing at the Triple-A level in the Florida Marlins system with Calgary (2002) and Albuquerque (2003, 2005-08)... Was the Marlins minor league pitching coordinator in 2004, his only season in the last seven he wasn't a manager... Was a pitching coach every season from 1992-2001, starting with four years in the San Diego Padres chain (1992-95), three seasons with Montreal (1996-98) and three with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-01)... From 1988-90, coached in the Cleveland Indians organization, including stints as a manager in 1988 at Class-A Fresno and 1990 at rookie level Winter Haven... As a player, was drafted by Cincinnati in 1971 and played until a shoulder injury ended his career in 1975, when he was playing for Trois Rivieres in the Eastern League... Worked from 1975-1988 for the San Luis Obispo, CA Police Department as an officer, undercover narcotics agent and investigator... Has two children, Kelly and Bryan... Bryan pitched from 2002-05 in the Florida Marlins minor league system... Is not related to Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor or her husband, Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor
Ryan Long - Hitting Coach
Joins the Pirates minor league system after two years as hitting coach for the Low Class-A Burlington Bees in the Midwest League... From 2001-06 worked as a hitting coach in the Chicago White Sox minor league system... In 2006, worked as the hitting coach at Advanced-A Winston-Salem in the Carolina League... Played 10 seasons of professional baseball from 1991-2000 with Kansas City, Tampa Bay and the Chicago White Sox... Played in six major league games with Kansas City in 1997, going 2-for-9 at the plate, including his first big league hit off Seattle's Randy Johnson... As a minor leaguer, hit .262 in 873 career games... Hit a career-best 20 home runs in 1996 with Double-A Wichita of the Texas League... Was originally drafted by the Royals in the 2nd round of the 1991 June Draft out of Dobie High School in Houston, TX... Full name is Ryan Marcus Long... Born February 3, 1973 in Houston... Resides in Pearland, TX with wife Olivia
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