MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

'Busty Ball' Returns in 2009

Published on November 3, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


Juan Bustabad, whose aggressive managerial style earned the nickname "Busty Ball" last season, will return for a second season as the manager of the Great Lakes Loons in 2009. He will be joined by returning pitching coach Danny Darwin and first-year hitting coach Michael Boughton.

Bustabad has compiled a career .546 winning percentage (537-446 record) and seven division titles in 12 seasons as a minor league manager with the Dodgers and Marlins. Last season, he led the Loons to a 54-85 overall record, his first losing season as a Dodgers minor league manager and the first season in which he did not finish within two games of .500. In 2007, Bustabad guided the Gulf Coast League Dodgers to a 40-15 record, advancing to the GCL Finals. It was his second straight year capturing a GCL division championship, following a 32-22 season in 2006.

This will be the third season in the Midwest League for the 47-year old, who skippered Kane County, then a Marlins' affiliate, in 1998.

A coveted player out of Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School in Florida, the Cuban native holds the distinction of twice being drafted in the first round of baseball's amateur draft. Bustabad was drafted fifth overall by the A's in 1979, then first overall by the Red Sox in 1980. He spent nine minor league seasons with the Red Sox and Dodgers, compiling a .247 with six homers, 253 RBIs and 128 stolen bases.

Darwin, a 21-year Major League veteran, returns for his second season as the Loons' pitching coach and his fourth overall season as a pitching coach in the Dodgers' organization. He currently ranks 70th on baseball's career strikeout list and 71st in games pitched. He led the National League with a 2.21 ERA in 1990, compiling an 11-4 record for Houston. Darwin won a career-high 15 games while pitching for Boston in 1993. He retired in 1998 with a career record of 171-182 playing for eight different MLB teams - the Rangers, Brewers, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Pirates, White Sox and Giants.

Boughton will make the jump to Great Lakes after serving as the hitting coach with short-season Ogden in 2008. Prior to joining the Dodgers' organization, the 33-year old was a baseball instructor in the Dallas area from 2000-07. He also served as an assistant coach at Northwood University (TX) from 2000-01. Boughton was drafted as an infielder by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 12th round of the 1996 draft and spent three seasons in minor league baseball with the Diamondbacks and Rangers, advancing as high as High-A. He played for South Bend in the Midwest League in 1997.

Zachary Hoffman will join the Loons' staff as the athletic trainer.

The Great Lakes Loons are the third-year Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.

Check out the Great Lakes Loons Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from November 3, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central