Hops Announce 2017 Field Staff
January 5, 2017 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
The perennial Northwest League powerhouse Hillsboro Hops will be led in 2017 by Shawn Roof, making his managerial debut. A pair of former major leaguers will be on staff with Mike Parrott returning for his second season as pitching coach and Franklin Stubbs joining the Hops as hitting coach. Jorge Cortes also joins the Hops' coaching staff and Hillsboro native Ben Petrick returns for his fifth year as consultant. The announcements were made Thursday by Hillsboro's parent club, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Roof spent last season-his first in the D-backs chain-as a coach with Class-A Kane County in the Midwest League, after two years (2013-14) as a coach in the Orioles system and one year (2015) as an assistant coach at Indiana University. A former infielder, he was the Detroit Tigers' 33rd-round draft choice in 2007 out of the University of Illinois. He spent five years in the Tigers chain (2007-11) and one with the Twins (2012), topping out with Triple-A Toledo in 2010. He comes from a deep baseball family-his uncle Phil Roof played 15 years in the major leagues and managed 16 seasons in the minors; Shawn's father Gene played parts of three seasons in the majors with St. Louis and Montreal; and his brothers Eric and Jonathan have also played minor-league baseball.
"Ever since I finished playing it was a goal of mine to manage, and what better place to start managing than for the Hops - said Roof. "There is a great tradition of winning in Hillsboro and I look forward to continuing that tradition. Former Hops players all say it's the best place to play. Everything I've heard, from the front office, to the field, the town, and especially the fans, everyone talks about how amazing their experience was. I am really looking forward to getting up there, putting on a Hops jersey, and seeing what it is all about. I also love seeing all the pictures and posts with the hashtags, #AllHoppedUp."
"Everything we hear about Shawn has been excellent," said Hops General Manager K.L. Wombacher. "He is an upbeat guy who had to fight for his spot every step of the way. He should do well relating to our players."
A full-length interview with new manager Shawn Roof can be found here.
The previous two men to make career managerial debuts while with the Hops each won the Northwest League title during his first season-J.R. House in 2014 and Shelley Duncan in 2015.
Parrott, who led the Hops pitching staff to the third-lowest ERA in the NWL in 2016, returns for his second season as Hops pitching coach after 14 years with Arizona's Triple-A affiliates in Tucson and Reno. This will be his 20th year in the D-backs chain. He had a 14-year playing career, highlighted by five seasons in the major leagues with the Orioles and Mariners. He was Seattle's Pitcher of the Year in 1979, when he went 14-12 with a 3.77 ERA.
Stubbs joins the Hops after spending his first year in the Diamondbacks organization as hitting coach with Rookie-level Missoula in the Pioneer League. This will be his 21st season as a professional coach. Stubbs played 10 years in the major leagues with the Dodgers (1984-89), Astros (1990), Brewers (1991-92) and Tigers (1995). He won a World Series ring with the 1988 Dodgers, going 5-for-17 (.294) with two doubles and two RBIs during the Dodgers' five-game series win over the A's.
Cortes, a native of Colombia, worked last season as a coach for the Diamondbacks' Dominican Summer League affiliate. He spent 16 seasons (1999-2014) as an outfielder in professional baseball, the first 10 in the Pirates, Astros and Cubs organizations, and the final six-plus years in foreign and independent leagues.
Petrick, a lifelong Hillsboro resident, is the only person to be in a Hillsboro uniform every season of the club's existence. A second-round draft selection of the Colorado Rockies out of Glencoe High School in 1995, he spent parts of five seasons in the major leagues with the Rockies and Detroit Tigers.
Shelley Duncan, the Hops' manager the past two seasons, has been promoted to manage the Diamondbacks' Advanced-A California League affiliate in Visalia.
The Hillsboro Hops open the 2017 season on Thursday, June 15 in Everett. Opening Night at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro will be Tuesday, June 20 against South Division-rival Salem-Keizer. Season tickets, mini-plans and flex plans are now available at www.hillsborohops.com, or by calling 503-640-0887.
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