Phillies Announce 2026 IronPigs Coaching Staff
IL Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Phillies Announce 2026 IronPigs Coaching Staff

Published on February 6, 2026 under International League (IL)
Lehigh Valley IronPigs News Release


Allentown, Pennsylvania - The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Phillies, have announced their coaching staff for the 2026 season.

Anthony Contreras (Manager, 5th season) returns to manage the IronPigs for a fifth consecutive season, becoming the longest tenured manager in franchise history after he already became the winningest manager in club history last season. Returning alongside Contreras is Chris "Tank" Adamson (Bench Coach, 3nd season), pitching coach Phil Cundari (Pitching Coach, 2nd season), Adam Lind (Hitting Coach, 2nd season), Andrew Dodgson (Athletic Trainer, 4th season), Keita Isaji (Athletic Trainer, 2nd season), and Bruce Peditto (Strength and Conditioning, 2nd season). Newcomers to the staff include David Howell (Coordinator, Pitching Development & Assistant Pitching Coach), Ray Ricker (Position Coach), and Grant Drachman (Strategy Associate). Jason Ross, continues as Manager, Clubhouse Services and Team Travel while Todd Dilbeck remains as Mental Performance Coordinator. New to the club, Lilly Araujo takes over as Performance Dietician and Reid Koepnick will serve as Video & Technology Associate.

Anthony Contreras, Manager

Contreras begins his fifth season at the helm of the IronPigs, now the longest tenured manager in club history. Steering the club since 2022, Contreras is the all-time winningest manager in 'Pigs history, now with 319 wins in Lehigh Valley and is now the longest serving as well surpassing Dave Brundage in both regards. In 2025, Contreras led the 'Pigs to a franchise record 87 victories, narrowly missing out on a playoff berth. The 'Pigs got off to the best 60-game start in franchise history at 43-17 while numerous key contributors (Otto Kemp & Mick Abel among them) made Major League debuts. Prior to his arrival with the IronPigs in 2022, the Los Gatos, California native spent the previous seven seasons as a manager within the San Diego Padres minor league system. In his playing days, Contreras was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round of the 2005 MLB Draft out of San Jose State. Contreras spent his first three seasons in the Giants system before joining the Padres organization for six years, advancing as high as Triple-A in 2010 (Portland) and Tucson (2011-'13). He finished his playing career with a .257 batting average, 177 doubles, 22 home runs, and 281 RBIs in 729 games.

Chris "Tank" Adamson, Bench Coach

Known as Tank to all, Adamson continues as bench coach for the IronPigs, having filled the same role since 2024. This will be Adamson's sixth season in the Phillies organization as a coach. He was slated to manage the BlueClaws in 2020 before the cancellation of the MiLB before managing the team in 2021. He then skippered the FCL Phillies in 2022 and then returned to Jersey Shore in 2023 serving as bench coach. Born in Sydney, New South Wales Australia, Adamson played collegiately at Angelo State from 2008-2010 and then professionally for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League from 2011-2015, totaling 123 games. He pulled double duty during his final two seasons as a catcher and bench coach for the club before he transitioned to fulltime bench coach during the 2016-2017 season. He was promoted to manager of the Bite (now Giants) in 2017-2018 and still retains that role through the 2025-2026 ABL season where Adelaide won their third championship in four seasons.

Phil Cundari, Pitching Coach

Cundari returns for his second year as Pitching Coach with the club after filling the same position with the Reading Fightin' Phils in 2024. This will be Cundari's fourth season in the Phillies organization, previously completing a post as pitching coach for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in 2023. In 2025, Cundari helped guide Mick Abel to IL Pitcher of the Year, while shepherding the staff to a franchise record 87 wins. He previously spent three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, including the final two with Toronto's Vancouver Canadians. Cundari is from Cliffside Park, New Jersey, and was an All-American pitcher at Seton Hall. Cundari was selected in the fourth round of the 1985 Draft by the Oakland Athletics and pitched in Oakland's minor league system until 1988. returned to Seton Hall to finish his bachelor's degree in social work in 1989 before earning a master's degree in psychiatric social work from Rutgers University in 1990. Cundari has ample experience at the collegiate level as well, coaching at his alma mater Seton Hall beginning in 1999 and served there 18 years. He then moved on to Rutgers University in 2017 and remained there thru 2019.

David Howell, Coordinator, Pitching Development & Assistant Pitching Coach

Howell joins the IronPigs as an Assistant Pitching Coach while also serving as Coordinator, Pitching Development for the Phillies organization. Howell most recently held the post of Pitching Development/Lead Lab Analyst for the Phillies, joining the organization prior to the 2025 season. Howell worked as an Assistant Pitching Coach for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2023 & 2024 seasons. Prior to joining the Blue Jays he was an intern at Driveline Baseball and Director of Player Development, Director of R&D and Assistant Pitching Coach at LSU Shreveport. Howell graduated from the University of Minnesota in December 2018.

Adam Lind, Hitting Coach

Lind comes back to Lehigh Valley for his second year as hitting coach. Under the guidance of Lind in 2025, the 'Pigs set numerous offensive franchise records including: Most BB, single-game: Rafael Lantigua, August 19, Most HBP, single-game: Otto Kemp, 4, April 22, Most HBP, season: Otto Kemp, 19, Batting average, season: Justin Crawford, .334, Walks, season: Gabriel Rincones, Jr., 80, OBP, season: Justin Crawford, .411, Most H, season, team: 1290, Highest OBP, season, team: .363, Most HBP, season, team: 93. Justin Crawford and Otto Kemp each were named to the IL Post-season All-Star team as well. Lind made his coaching debut in 2024 with the BlueClaws after a 12-year big league career in which he hit 200 home runs including six seasons with at least 20 homers. He played for Toronto from 2006-2014 followed by one year each with Milwaukee, Seattle, and Washington. Lind was drafted in the 3rd round by the Blue Jays in the 2004 MLB Draft out of the University of South Alabama. Lind won the 2009 Sliver Slugger Award for DH after mashing 35 homers and driving in 114 runs with a .932 OPS.

Ray Ricker, Position Coach

Ricker comes to the IronPigs for his first year as Position Coach with the club after spending 2024 & 2025 as an Assistant Complex Coordinator for the Phillies in Clearwater. Ricker was a position coach with Reading in 2023, coached with Clearwater in 2022, and was an FCL coach in 2021. He was the head baseball coach at Post University from 2014 to 2020 and served seven years prior to that as an assistant coach at the school.

Andrew Dodgson, Athletic Trainer

Dodgson begins his eighth season as an athletic trainer in the Phillies organization and fourth season with the IronPigs. Prior to joining the IronPigs in 2023, Dodgson spent the 2022 season with the Reading Fightin Phils (AA) and previously was with Jersey Shore in 2020 and 2021. Dodgson's first two seasons with the Phillies organization was in 2018 and 2019 with the Gulf Coast League Phillies (Rk). Dodgson has degrees in athletic training from the University of South Florida and sports management from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Keita Isaji, Athletic Trainer

Isaji continues alongside Dodgson to form the 'Pigs Athletic Training tandem, now in his second year with Lehigh Valley. Isaji is in his sixth season in the Phillies organization, all spent at different levels. Prior to 2024 with the BlueClaws, Isaji was with the FCL Phillies in 2023, DSL Phillies in 2022, and his first year with the Phillies was 2021. He has previously worked in the Rangers, Athletics, and Dodgers organizations. Born in Gifu, Japan, he earned a degree from Long Beach State (CA) and a master's degree from Middle Tennessee State (TN).

Bruce Peditto, Strength and Conditioning Coach

Peditto returns to the IronPigs for a second season after three years in the same role with Reading. Peditto has worked within the Phillies organization since 2017. He spent 2019 and 2021 with the High-A Jersey Shore Blue Claws and joined Reading for the 2022 season. Peditto previously worked as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Peddie School in New Jersey from 2015-17. Peditto graduated from DeSales University in 2015 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport and Exercise Science where he was also a member of the Lacrosse team.

2026 Lehigh Valley IronPigs Coaching Staff

Manager: Anthony Contreras

Bench Coach: Chris Adamson

Pitching Coach: Phil Cundari

Coordinator, Pitching Development & Assistant Pitching Coach: David Howell

Hitting Coach: Adam Lind

Position Coach: Ray Ricker

Mental Performance Coordinator: Todd Dilbeck

Athletic Trainer: Andrew Dodgson

Athletic Trainer: Keita Isaji

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Bruce Peditto

Performance Dietitian: Lilly Araujo

Manager, Clubhouse Services & Team Travel: Jason Ross

Strategy Associate: Grant Drachman

Video & Technology Associate: Reid Koepnick

Follow the IronPigs on Twitter at @IronPigs and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/LHVIronPigs.

The IronPigs are presented by Capital Blue Cross.

Check out the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from February 6, 2026


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.

OurSports Central