Jeff Gardner Named Reno Aces Eighth Manager in Franchise History as 2025 Coaching Staff Announced by the Arizona Diamondbacks

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Jeff Gardner Named Reno Aces Eighth Manager in Franchise History as 2025 Coaching Staff Announced by the Arizona Diamondbacks

January 14, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Reno Aces News Release


RENO, Nev. - The Reno Aces will have a new skipper in the dugout at Greater Nevada Field for the 2025 season. Jeff Gardner was named the club's eighth manager in franchise history, as announced by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Gardner replaces Blake Lalli, who managed the Aces for three of the past four seasons and tallied a 237-186 record while leading the BLC-Nine.

"We are excited to welcome Jeff Gardner as the eighth manager in the history of the Reno Aces franchise. His extensive experience and enthusiasm for the game will endear him to our fans as he upholds our tradition of excellence at Greater Nevada Field," said Reno Aces President Eric Edelstein. "This coaching staff is ready to continue our championship caliber history and make the 2025 season an unforgettable experience in Aces history."

The Aces have retained the core of last year's coaching staff, which saw the team reach the Pacific Coast League postseason for the second time in the past three years. Pitching Coach Jeff Bajenaru, Pitching Coach Doug Drabek, and Bench Coach Shawn Roof are returning.

The newest additions to the Reno Aces' coaching staff are Hitting Coach Terrmel Sledge and Coach Jaime Del Valle.

Paul Porter will be Reno's athletic trainer for his second straight season. He will be joined by Assistant Trainer Connor Oates and Strength and Conditioning Coach Ryan Harrel, who, following their promotion from Double-A Amarillo, enter their first seasons as members of the team's support staff.

Jeff Gardner - Manager

The 2025 season marks Gardner's first as a manager within the Diamondbacks organization as he enters his 12th working within Arizona's system. For the previous three years (2022-24), he was Arizona's Quality Control Coordinator and, before that, was an Advanced Scout from 2014-21. Before joining the Diamondbacks, he had a 13-year career (1993-2005) as an Advanced Scout and Minor League Manager within the San Diego Padres system. From 2001-03, he managed Short-Season Eugene and Class-A Lake Elsinore. Selected by the Houston Astros in 1984, Gardner signed with the New York Mets and played four seasons as an infielder in Major League Baseball with the Mets, San Diego Padres, and Montreal Expos.

Jeff Bajenaru - Pitching Coach

Bajenaru, who begins his 15th season within Arizona's system, will oversee the Aces' arms as one of the club's pitching coaches for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. During his three-year MLB career, he appeared in 14 games and won a World Series ring in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox.

Doug Drabek - Pitching Coach

Drabek will embark on his fourth season in the "Biggest Little City" as the club's bullpen coach, possessing one of the longest resumes in Aces history. Since 2010, the Victoria, Tex. native has been a pitching coach within the Diamondbacks organization. Last season, he saw Reno's pitching staff earn the most regular season wins in franchise history. The 1990 Cy Young Award winner played with the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. He earned 155 wins and over 1500 strikeouts during his 13 years in the majors.

Shawn Roof - Bench Coach

Roof returns for his second year as bench coach for the Reno Aces and enters his 10th within the Diamondbacks organization. Before joining Reno's staff in 2024, Roof enjoyed a six-year stint managing at three levels within Arizona's farm system, including three years (2021-23) at Double-A Amarillo. Following a selection in the 33rd round of the 2007 MLB Draft, the Louisville, KY native completed a six-year professional career within the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins organizations.

Terrmel Sledge - Hitting Coach

Sledge embarks on his first season as Hitting Coach for the Reno Aces and third overall within the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. For the past two seasons, he was in the same role for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, where he was a member of the team's 2023 Texas League Championship and helped guide the club to the most home runs in the league in back-to-back seasons. During his MLB playing career (2004-07), he was an outfielder for the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres. He also enjoyed a five-year stint playing professionally in Japan (2008-12) with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Yokohama BayStars.

Jaime Del Valle - Coach

Del Valle joins the Aces coaching staff for his first season at the Triple-A level and his fourth within the Diamondbacks organization. Last season, he served as the Bench Coach for the California League postseason-clinching Visalia Rawhide. In 2023, he registered a 34-21 record as the Arizona Complex League Dbacks Red team manager, who also made it to the ACL playoffs. Del Valle enjoyed a four-year career as a Chicago White Sox system catcher from 2008-11.

Since 2021, the Aces have seen excellence on the field with four straight winning campaigns, including a Pacific Coast League Championship in 2022 and a franchise-best 88 victories in 2023.

The Reno Aces will open the 2025 season on the road in Las Vegas on Friday, March 28th. They will make their home debut at Greater Nevada Field on Tuesday, April 1st, hosting the Tacoma Rainiers, the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, at 2:05 p.m. PDT.

Season memberships for the 2025 season are available via RenoAces.com by texting "MEMBER" to 21003 or calling (775) 334-7000.

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