MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Announce 2011 Coaching Staff

Published on December 7, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


DAYTON, OH -The Dayton Dragons announced their 2011 coaching staff today, as assigned by the Cincinnati Reds.

Former Major League second baseman Delino DeShields (first name pronounced da-LINE-oh) will join the Dragons as manager in 2011. Tony Fossas, a veteran of 23 years in professional baseball, will return for his third season as the Dragons pitching coach. Former Major League infielder Alex Pelaez will serve as the Dragons hitting coach. Tyler Steele will return for his third season as athletic trainer. Andrew Walters is back for his third year as strength and conditioning coach.

DeShields will enter his third season in the Reds organization in 2011. He served as manager of the Billings Mustangs in 2010, managing many of the players expected to play in Dayton next summer. The Mustangs finished with a winning record of 38-37 under DeShields' leadership in 2010 despite seeing nine players promoted to higher levels of the organization over the course of the Pioneer League season. DeShields was the hitting coach at Billings in 2009.

As a player, DeShields spent 13 years in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs. He finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting with the Expos in 1990. His best season came in 1997 with the Cardinals when he batted .295 with 11 home runs, 55 stolen bases, and a league-leading 14 triples. DeShields finished in the top three in the league in stolen bases six times during his career (10 times in the top eight) and ranks among the top 50 all-time in career stolen bases with 463. He batted .290 or higher in five different seasons of his big league career.

DeShields' managers during his playing days included Tommy Lasorda, Tony LaRussa, and Felipe Alou among others while his teammates included Cal Ripken, Jr., Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Will Clark, Harold Baines, Gary Carter, Orel Hershiser, Dennis Eckersley, Larry Walker, and still active Reds reliever Arthur Rhodes. DeShields and Fossas were teammates for the entire 1997 season with the Cardinals.

DeShields was originally signed as a first round draft pick in 1987 (12th overall selection) by the Expos out of Seaford High School in Delaware. He was slated to play college basketball at Villanova (point guard) before selecting a career in baseball. DeShields' oldest son, Delino DeShields, Jr. was the eighth overall selection of the first round in the 2010 draft and signed with the Houston Astros.

Fossas began his professional baseball coaching career with the Dragons in 2009 and has been instrumental in the development of several young pitchers. He worked as the personal mentor to fireballing left-hander Aroldis Chapman last winter and throughout spring training, 2010. He also tutored Donnie Joseph, who began the 2010 season with the Dragons and went on to win the Reds 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. In 2009, Fossas worked with Matt Fairel, who represented Dayton in the Midwest League All-Star Game before becoming one of the top winners in the Reds organization in 2010. Nine different pitchers from Fossas' Dragons 2010 staff were promoted during the season. Fossas enjoyed a 12-year Major League playing career that began at age 30 in 1988 with Texas. Fossas pitched in 567 Major League games during his career.

Pelaez (pronounced puh-LY-uz) joins the Dragons for the first time in 2011 as he enters his third season as a hitting coach in the Reds organization. He worked with DeShields in 2010 when he served as the hitting coach at Billings. Pelaez was the hitting coach with the Gulf Coast League Reds in 2009. He played in the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres in 2002 as a third baseman. He spent eight years in the Minor Leagues from 1998-2005, posting a career batting average of .292 while topping the .300 mark four times. He was an all-star selection in three seasons and spent his last four years at the Triple-A level. He closed out his playing career with the Reds Louisville affiliate. Pelaez played at San Diego State University where he was a two-time all Western Athletic Conference selection and was a teammate of former Reds pitcher Aaron Harang.

The Dragons will open their 12th season in the Midwest League on April 7, 2011 against the Bowling Green Hod Rods at Fifth Third Field.

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