Dodgers Announce Full 2026 Loons Coaching Staff
MWL Great Lakes Loons

Dodgers Announce Full 2026 Loons Coaching Staff

Published on February 5, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - The Great Lakes Loons, in conjunction with the nine-time World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, are excited to announce the team's 2026 coaching staff.

Jair Fernandez will manage the Loons for a third straight season, and 2025 Loons hitting coach Kevin LaChance returns. Richard de Los Santos, who served as a Loons pitching coach from 2022 to 2024, is back with Great Lakes.

Brandon Bailey along with Ramon Troncoso, served as a pitching coach for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, then a Low-A Dodgers). The 2025 Quakes led the California League in strikeouts with 1329 in 132 games, en route to a regular-season South Division title. Bailey is in his second year as a coach in the Dodgers organization and will be the Loons 2026 pitching coach.

The 31-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the then-Oakland Athletics in 2016. He pitched five games with the Houston Astros in 2020. The right-hander threw in five seasons in the minors with his last appearance in 2023. Bailey has a master's degree in sports coaching from the University of Northern Colorado.

Richard De Los Santos is back in Midland. In 2025, De Los Santos was a pitching coach for the ACL Dodgers in the Arizona Complex League. From 2022-24, De Los Santos worked alongside David Anderson as pitching coach for the Loons. All three seasons, Great Lakes pitching had 1260+ strikeouts, including a franchise record 1398 in 2022.

The Dominican-born De Los Santos had a nine-year minor league career as a right-handed pitcher, mostly in the Tampa Bay system. He played a portion of the 2005 season for the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays in Battle Creek, who would be purchased in 2006 by the Michigan Baseball Foundation and become the Loons in 2007.

Kevin LaChance begins his third year as a coach within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and his second consecutive, with the Loons. In 2025, the Great Lakes offense set single-season franchise records with 688 walks and 265 stolen bases across the 130-game season. LaChance was a 10th-round draft selection of the Dodgers in 2016. He played with the Ogden Raptors in 2017, a championship year in the Pioneer League, and in 33 games across four Arizona Diamondbacks affiliates in 2019.

Michael Hermosillo has been named the Loons outfield/baserunning coach for the 2026 season. Hermosillo played 103 games in the bigs, 56 with the Los Angeles Angels from 2018-2020 and 47 with the Chicago Cubs from 2021-2022. The Mesa, AZ native was a 28th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. He spent 10 seasons in the minors, manning the outfield for the Burlington Bees, the former Midwest League affiliate of the Angels in 2015 and 2016.

Marco Hernandez, the Loons' 2026 bench coach, was utilized as the bullpen catcher for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2025. The Venezuelan-born catcher was signed by the Dodgers in 2015. He played 224 games across six minor league seasons, two stints with Rancho in 2021-2022. Hernandez finished his playing career in 2023 with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association.

Rounding out the staff are Jose Capellan (Coach/Bullpen Coach), Kupono Decker (Development Associate), and Walter Lindo (Performance Coach). Akinori Maeda (Athletic Trainer) returns as the head athletic trainer and will be joined by Alfredo Casillas (Athletic Trainer) in 2026.

The Loons begin their 19th season on Friday, April 3rd at Dow Diamond against the Fort Wayne TinCaps (High-A San Diego Padres). The first pitch is at 6:05 p.m. ET.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.

Check out the Great Lakes Loons Statistics

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