Minor Named Manager For 2010 Season
January 11, 2010 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release
SALISBURY, Md. - In conjunction with the Baltimore Orioles, the Delmarva Shorebirds are pleased to announce the coaching staff for the 2010 season. Ryan Minor, who played for the Shorebirds in 1997 and has been the hitting coach for the last two seasons, is the new manager. Replacing Minor as the field coach is the 1995 NLCS Most Valuable Player, Mike Devereaux. The new pitching coach is Troy Mattes, who played for the Shorebirds during the inaugural 1996 season. Aaron Scott, the 2009 South Atlantic League Trainer of the Year, returns for a second straight year. A combined 17 years of Major League Baseball playing experience will guide the Shorebirds in 2010. Additionally, both Minor ('97) and Mattes ('96) played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium for the Shorebirds.
"We are beyond excited to a have a coaching staff that is linked to both the major leagues and the early years of the Shorebirds," said General Manager Chris Bitters. "Ryan Minor is very deserving of the promotion and I am confident that he will do an outstanding job in 2010."
Minor, the 11th skipper in Shorebirds history, will begin his first year as a manager in Minor League Baseball in 2010. Over the last two seasons in Delmarva, Minor has excelled as the hitting coach for the Shorebirds. Under Minor's direction in 2008, the Shorebirds finished with a team batting average of .261, third best in the South Atlantic League. In 2009, Minor helped hone the skills of some of the top prospects in the Orioles organization. Ron Welty blossomed, leading the Shorebirds with a .290 batting average. Joe Mahoney increased his batting average by 55 points from 2008 to 2009 (.222 -.278). Minor helped usher five position players to Frederick by seasons end.
Minor, now 35-years old, transitioned into coaching in 2006. Minor was named the hitting coach for the Delmarva Shorebirds in 2008.
"I'm thrilled especially because it's my first year as a manager and I get to work in front of my friends and family in my hometown of Salisbury," said Minor. "I feel like I've come full circle since I've played here, been a coach here and now I'm going to be the manager."
Devereaux, 46, enters his first season as the field coach for the Shorebirds. The Casper, Wyoming native played seven big league seasons for the Baltimore Orioles (1989-1994 & 1996). His best season with the Orioles came in 1992, when he hit .276 with a career high 107 runs-batted-in. Devereaux also finished with a career high 11 triples vaulting himself to a seventh place finish in the MVP voting.
After being granted free agency in 1994, he was signed by the Chicago White Sox and traded in the '95 season in the Atlanta Braves. Devereaux had one of his finest big league seasons with the Braves. He finished the regular season with a .299 batting average and 11 home runs. In the NLCS against the Reds, Devereaux hit .308 with a homer and five RBIs en route to being named the NLCS MVP.
In 1995, Devereaux was granted free agency and was quickly signed again by the Orioles. In 1996, he played in 127 for the Orioles, who advanced to the ALCS against the Yankees.
Troy Mattes, 34, will begin his first season as the pitching coach for the Shorebirds and his fourth in the Orioles organization. Mattes served in the same role for the Bluefield Orioles the past three seasons.
Similar to Minor, Mattes also has very close ties to the Delmarva Shorebirds. After being selected in the 16th round of the 1993 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos, he progressed to the Delmarva Shorebirds during the inaugural season in 1996. As a 20-year old, he anchored the pitching staff with Javier Vazquez. Mattes posted a 10-9 record with a stellar 2.86 ERA in 27 starts for the Shorebirds. Mattes recorded five complete games and three shutouts. For perspective, only one pitcher (Ryan O'Shea) tossed a complete game in 2009 and no pitcher registered a shutout.
The Champaign, Illinois native did an excellent job with the Bluefield Orioles pitching staff last season. The staff ranked fifth in the Appalachian League in ERA (3.84). Further, two of his pitchers ranked in the top ten in the league. Vito Frabizio was sixth in the circuit with a 2.86 ERA and Justin Moore was seventh in the league with a 3.11 ERA. Under Mattes' watch, the relievers also excelled. In 20 appearances, Sam Taveras went 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA while Joshua Dowdy went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in nine appearances.
The new coaching staff will lead the Shorebirds into the 15th Anniversary Season, which begins on April 8th. The Shorebirds ring in the home portion of the schedule on April 16th against the Hagerstown Suns.
The Delmarva Shorebirds are owned and operated by 7th Inning Stretch, LLC, which also manages the Stockton Ports (Advanced-A, Oakland Athletics) and the Everett Aqua Sox (Short-Season, Seattle Mariners).
South Atlantic League Stories from January 11, 2010
- Drive To Host Intern Fair And Seasonal Job Fair - Greenville Drive
- Minor Named Manager For 2010 Season - Delmarva Shorebirds
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.
