Blaze Announce 2016 Coaching Staff
Published on December 4, 2015 under California League (CalL1)
Bakersfield Blaze News Release
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Seattle Mariners have announced the projected coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates, and fans of the Bakersfield Blaze will be thrilled to learn that the theme of the 2016 selections is continuity: four of five members of the Blaze coaching staff will be back for a second season with the club.
Field Manager Eddie Menchaca, Hitting Coach Max Venable, Athletic Trainer Geoff Swanson and Performance Specialist Andy Lyon, all part of a 2015 Blaze team that finished the season on a league-best 24-12 run, will be back to pick up where they left off.
"We, as a staff, are thrilled to have so many skilled coaches and friends come back for a second year," noted Blaze General Manager Elizabeth Martin. "Eddie [Menchaca] has been with the Mariners organization for over 15 years, and he's a manager that knows how to build up young ballplayers. But more than that, he's a great person. He stresses community involvement, optimism, loyalty and pride, and these are traits that the city of Bakersfield and Kern County can enjoy when they meet the coaches and the team."
In total, Menchaca has managed in the Mariners farm system for six seasons and coached for an additional two. Eddie helmed four consecutive playoff-bound teams between 2010 and 2013, and played shortstop in the Mariners farm system for seven seasons prior.
Joining Menchaca, Max Venable will look to continue what was an incredibly impressive conclusion to the 2015 campaign. After sitting last in the California League in batting average for three months, Venable helped launch the Blaze on a 40-day span where the club hit almost 50 points higher than any month to that point. And the training staff of Geoff Swanson, the Athletic Trainer, and Andy Lyon, the Performance Specialist, will continue to provide reliable care for the young athletes on the farm.
The new Pitching Coach for the Blaze, Ethan Katz, makes his Mariners organizational debut in the hitter-friendly California League. Katz pitched professionally in the Colorado Rockies organization and coached in the Los Angeles Angels farm system.
California League Stories from December 4, 2015
- Blaze Announce 2016 Coaching Staff - Bakersfield Blaze
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