PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Jirschele Returns as Omaha Manager in 2009

Published on October 31, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


OMAHA - The Kansas City Royals announced today that Mike Jirschele will return as the Omaha Royals manager in 2009. Tom Burgmeier will again serve as the Triple-A club's pitching coach, while Tommy Gregg will move from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Omaha in his role as hitting coach. Drew Van Dam returns as trainer.

Jirschele will manage Omaha for a seventh consecutive season and tenth overall, having also skippered the team from 1995-1997. He served as Kansas City Coordinator of Instruction from 1999-2002, after spending 1998 as the Royals roving infield instructor. Jirschele also was a manager in the lower levels of the Royals organization from 1992-1994 and was named the 1994 Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year, after leading the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a Carolina League title.

In 12 seasons as a minor league manager, Jirschele's teams have posted a record of 831-793 (.512). He was selected to manage the Pacific Coast League All-Star Team in the 2006 Triple-A All-Star Game. Jirschele, who served as a coach in the 1997 Triple-A All-Star Game, played briefly for Omaha towards the end of a playing career that began in 1977 when he was a 5th-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers.

"We are very excited to have Mike Jirschele back as our manager," said Royals Vice President/General Manager Martie Cordaro. "He does a great job of not only communicating with the players, but with our front office personnel and fans. It's also terrific to have the continuity and experience of Tom Burgmeier and Drew Van Dam and we are looking forwarding to welcoming Tommy Gregg to Omaha."

Burgmeier returns to Omaha for a fourth season, after serving as pitching coach for Kansas City's Class-A club in Burlington, Iowa from 2003-2005. He spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons as pitching coach for Baltimore's Double-A affiliate in Bowie. Burgmeier was Kansas City's bullpen coach from 1998-2000, after spending the 1997 season as the Royals video scouting coordinator. He also was a pitching coach in Kansas City's minor league system from 1992-1996.

Burgmeier pitched in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons, compiling a career record of 79-55 with a 3.23 ERA and 102 saves for California, Kansas City, Minnesota, Boston and Oakland. He went 5-4 with a 2.00 ERA and 24 saves for the Red Sox in 1980 and was named to the American League All-Star Team.

Gregg will spend his third season in the Royals organization, having served as the Double-A affiliate's hitting coach the past two years. He swaps places with Terry Bradshaw, who becomes Northwest Arkansas' hitting coach in 2009 after five seasons in that role with Omaha. Gregg was the hitting coach for Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 2002-2006. For three seasons, he worked in the Atlanta Braves farm system as a coach for Class-A teams Myrtle Beach (2001) and Macon (1999-2000). Gregg spent nine seasons in the Majors with Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Florida, playing on the Braves N.L. Championship teams in 1991 and 1992.

Van Dam enters his second season in Kansas City's organization. He was a trainer in Atlanta's organization from 2002-2007, working at several levels of the Braves' farm system. Named the 2003 South Atlantic League Trainer of the Year, he received B.S. and Master's degrees in athletic training from Ohio University.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from October 31, 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.

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