CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Buddy Bailey Returns to Lead Pelicans

Published on February 7, 2022 under Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The Chicago Cubs in conjunction with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans are pleased to announce that Buddy Bailey will return to manage the Birds in his 34th season as a minor league manager. Bailey owns 2,202 regular season victories, the most among active minor league managers. His clubs have reached postseason play eight times, including three of the last five seasons dating to 2016. In 2021, he guided the Pelicans to a second ‚¬Âplace finish in the Low ‚¬ÂA East South Division with a 59 ‚¬Â61 record.

Bailey managed at South Bend in 2019 following three campaigns as manager for Myrtle Beach from 2016 ‚¬Â18.

During Baileyʹs 2016 ‚¬Â18 stint with the Pelicans he recorded 216 wins, collected three half ‚¬Âseason Southern Division Championship titles, one Southern Division Championship title, and the Carolina League Championship title in 2016. The number of former Pelicans who played under Bailey during that same 3 ‚¬Â season stint and have since gone on to make their MLB debut now totals 23. Additionally, the #46 American Sign Language jersey worn by Bailey on the Pelicansʹ inaugural Deaf Awareness Night was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown in October of 2018 and remains on display today.

Clayton Mortensen will also return to Myrtle Beach for his second season as the Pelicans' Pitching Coach. 2022 also marks his second year as a coach in the Minor League system. Mortensen spent the 2019 as the pitching coach for the Idaho Falls Chukars of the Pioneer League. Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season, he was slated to return to the post where the team would have defended their 2019 Pioneer League title. Mortensen was drafted by St. Louis in the first round (36th) of the 2007 draft and spent five years at the major league level playing for St. Louis, Oakland, Colorado, and Boston.

Hitting Coach Steven Pollakov joins the Pelicans for his first season in Myrtle Beach and his third with the Cubs organization. He will also serve as the Dominican Republic Hitting Analytics Assistant Coordinator in 2022. Previously Pollakov served as the Minor League Hitting Coach for the Arizona Complex League Cubs. Prior to his time with the Cubs, Pollakov served as a hitting apprentice in the Houston Astros farm system in 2019, integrating technology and biometrics into hitting programs. In 2018, he served as a catching coordinator in the Boston Red Sox Dominican Republic Academy. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016 by the Chicago White Sox, Pollakov received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a European Languages Certificate in Spanish from the University of Hawaii in 2015. He is a graduate of Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois.

Jovanny Rosario joins the Birds as the Bench Coach for 2022 after serving as the Hitting Coach for the Dominican Summer League Cubs in 2021. This marks his eighth season with the Cubs. Rosario, originally from Santo Domingo, DR, was drafted by the Dodgers in 2006. His minor league career spanned eight seasons and nine leagues.

The Athletic Trainer for Myrtle Beach will be Nick Roberts. 2022 is his second with the Cubs organization, having served as the Athletic Trainer for the Arizona Complex League Cubs last season. Nick, originally from Orlando, FL, is a 2019 graduate of Florida State University where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Athletic Training.

Mark Weisman rounds out the 2022 staff as the Strength and Conditioning Coach. This will be his first with season with the Cubs organization. Previously Weisman served as a Sports Performance Coach with SPEAR Training Center. A native of Buffalo Grove, IL, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Health and Human Physiology from the University of Iowa. He earned his Master of Science in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University of Pennsylvania.

The Pelicans' 2022 season will begin on April 12 against the Augusta GreenJackets. Season tickets are available now. For more information visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, call (843) 918 ‚¬Â6000, or visit the Pelicans Front Office.

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Carolina League Stories from February 7, 2022


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