SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

Colbrunn to Return for Third Season as RiverDogs' Hitting Coach

Published on December 23, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


CHARLESTON, SC -- The New York Yankees have announced that former big leaguer Greg Colbrunn will return as hitting coach for the Charleston RiverDogs.

Colbrunn, who resides in the Charleston suburb of Mt. Pleasant, will begin his third season as the RiverDogs' popular hitting coach. The former infielder spent 13 seasons in the major leagues with stints with Montreal, Florida, Minnesota, Atlanta, Arizona, Colorado and Seattle. He won a World Series ring playing for the Diamondbacks in 2001 when the team upset the New York Yankees, who had won the previous three World Series titles from 1998-2000.

"I am extremely happy to be back with the Yankees and the RiverDogs for my third season, and my family and I remain happy to be in Charleston," said Colbrunn. "We [The RiverDogs] have made marked improvement at the plate over the last few seasons, and I'm hopeful the progression will continue this year."

"We are very happy to have Greg return to the RiverDogs," said General Manager Dave Echols. "He is very popular with the players and our fans have come to appreciate his hard work with our hitters. And the fact that he lives here is only a plus."

A lifetime .289 hitter in 992 major league games, Colbrunn made an immediate impact on the RiverDogs in his first season as a coach in 2007, helping guide third baseman Mitch Hilligoss to a league-record 38-game hitting streak that lasted from April 17 to June 2.

"Having Colby come back takes a lot of pressure off me and the hitters because he keeps them relaxed and aggressive at the plate," said Manager Torre Tyson. "He's been there and done that at the highest level possible and lets our hitters know what it takes to get to the big leagues."

That track record continued to improve last season as the RiverDogs' offense finished second in the South Atlantic League in team average (.265), runs (705), hits (1,254) and was one of only three teams in the loop to club more than 100 home runs (109).

The team also featured two bats that finished in the top ten in the league in average in catchers Jesus Montero (.326, 2nd) and Austin Romine (.300, T-9th). The 19-year-old Montero, whose batting average currently ranks as the highest career clip in RiverDogs history, led the SAL and ranked second in all of Minor League Baseball in base hits (171), which also ranks second in single-season RiverDogs history. He ended up fourth in the league in doubles (34), which ranks fifth all-time in a single season in RiverDogs history.

First-baseman Brandon Laird enjoyed an outstanding campaign as well slamming 23 home runs, which not only ranked third in the league but also tied for fourth in single-season RiverDogs history with Wes Bankston, a current member of the Oakland Athletics who hit 23 long balls in 2004. Colbrunn, a Cypress, Calif. native also concluded last season with a .499 slugging percentage, good for fifth in the SAL.

Last week the Yankees announced that Torre Tyson would be returning for his third consecutive year as the RiverDogs manager and that pitching coach Jeff Ware would also return. The 26-time World Champions added former big leaguer Sherman Obando as the squad's first base coach.

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South Atlantic League Stories from December 23, 2008


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