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 Greenville Drive

Drive Hot Stove Event Kicks-Off 15th Anniversary Season on February 3rd

January 28, 2020 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, SC - With the start of the Greenville Drive's 15th Anniversary Season at Fluor Field less than three months away, the team announced that they will host their annual Hot Stove event at the ballpark on Monday, February 3rd in the Champions Club presented by Hubbell Lighting. The event will open to Drive ticket plan holders at 5:30 PM with access to the public beginning at 6:00 PM.

The special guests for this year's Hot Stove event are Red Sox Executive Vice President and Assistant General Manager Raquel Ferreira, Red Sox Vice President of Player Development Ben Crockett, Drive manager Iggy Suarez, who returns to Greenville for his third year, and Bob Kipper, an Upstate native who will once again return to his post as the Drive's pitching coach.

The Hot Stove event is complimentary for fans to attend, with food and beverages provided throughout the evening. The Drive will also have new merchandise items for the 2020 season on display and available for purchase. The event will feature Drive Owner and President Craig Brown, as well as Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko, welcoming fans and giving them a first-look at what to expect at Fluor Field for this special anniversary season - including specialty jerseys, giveaways, and Community endeavors at the ballpark!

Ferreira and Crockett will provide an in-depth look into the state of the Red Sox organization from the major leagues to the minor leagues, while Suarez and Kipper will preview the 2020 Drive season on the field. The group will also participate in a Q&A session with all guests prior to the conclusion of the event.

"The Red Sox player development system plays a crucial role in the success of the major league club and Raquel, Ben, Iggy and Bob all play extremely important parts in making Boston's player development system the very best in all of baseball," said Brown. "These four first-class individuals also play a huge role in shaping the roster of talented young players we will see in Greenville this summer. We are excited to welcome them to Fluor Field as we approach the 2020 season."

Entering her 22nd year with the Red Sox in 2020, Ferreira is the highest-ranking woman in all of baseball, after being elevated to Executive Vice President and Assistant General Manager last August. Over her extensive career with the Red Sox, Ferreira's work has been focused on overseeing baseball operations budgets and the club's major and minor league operations. She actively oversees the daily operations for the team's major league clubhouse, as well as the daily operations for the organization's six minor league affiliates, handling issues for all minor league players and staff. In addition, Raquel heads the club's player immigration program and was instrumental in establishing the Boston Red Sox Rookie Development program, which began in 2004.

Crockett is beginning his ninth year in charge of Boston's Player Development program, and his 14th season in the organization. During his tenure with the Red Sox, Crockett has played a critical role in the development of many of Boston's homegrown talent, including 2018 American League Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts, and 2018 World Series heroes Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez, Matt Barnes and many more.

Suarez will serve as the Drive's manager for the third straight year in 2020. The 38-year old has guided a strong group of Red Sox prospects over the last two seasons, including the organization's top prospect, Triston Casas, in 2019. During Suarez's two-year tenure in Greenville, the Drive have sent nine players to the South Atlantic League All-Star game, with Casas, Thad Ward, Devlin Granberg, Logan Browning and Jordan Wren each earning a spot on the roster in 2019. Casas was also a South Atlantic League Postseason All-Star last season, while Denyi Reyes was the league's Pitcher of the Year in 2018 with Suarez at the helm.

Prior to joining the Drive, Suarez managed the Lowell Spinners, Boston's short-season affiliate, for two seasons. He led the Spinners to 47-29 record and the New York-Penn League's Stedler Division title in his first season as manager in 2016. His coaching career began in 2015 as the hitting coach in Lowell. A 24th round selection by the Red Sox from Texas State in 2003, he was a fan favorite over seven seasons in the Boston organization, while reaching AAA-Pawtucket in 2009.

The 2020 season will be Kipper's seventh season as Greenville's pitching coach. He returned to Greenville in that role in 2018, and he served in the same roles from 2005-2006 as well as 2008-2009. The 54 year-old served as the Red Sox bullpen coach in 2002, and has also held stints as the pitching coach in AAA-Pawtucket from 2015-2017, as well as in AA-Portland from 2010-2014.

A former first round pick (8th overall) by the California Angels in 1982 out of high school, Kipper spent eight seasons in the major leagues, with seven of those coming with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His best season came in 1989 with the Pirates, where he logged a 2.93 ERA in 52 appearances out of the bullpen.

"The Drive's Hot Stove event is the perfect time to get our organization and our fans ready for the upcoming season at Fluor Field, and welcoming Ben, Raquel, Iggy and Bob to Greenville is the perfect way to build up the excitement even more," said Jarinko. "These four have played very different, but important, roles in the massive success the Red Sox organization has enjoyed over the past few years, and we hope our fans will join us for this night to celebrate the past, present and future of the Drive organization."


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