ApL Princeton WhistlePigs

Princeton Rays Announce 2007 Coaching Staff

November 29, 2006 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Princeton WhistlePigs News Release


Jamie Nelson, who is the all-time career managerial victories leader for the Princeton franchise of the Appalachian League, will return for his fifth consecutive season in 2007 as manager of the Princeton Devil Rays.

The news concerning Nelson, and also the names of the additional P-Rays' 2007 coaches, was made public by Princeton General Manager Jim Holland in an announcement on November 29. Nelson's coaching staff this coming summer will feature one returning member and one new face to the Appalachian League respectively in the form of hitting coach Rafael Deleon and pitching coach Marty DeMerritt.

"I don't know what more positive things can be said about Jamie Nelson in this community that hasn't already been said before. He is a great teacher that makes the atmosphere fun but at the same time the players will work hard for him. He also knows what it is like to operate a team on my end of this business and as such, he appreciates our fans. I consider all of us very fortunate to continue to have him in our dugout," said Holland, who added that Nelson has always been a fan favorite here.

Nelson, 47, has won 108 career games to date as the Princeton skipper, good for first place in the operation's franchise history and 21st among all managers in the Appalachian League's 50-year history. He has led the P-Rays to three of the last four Mercer Cup titles, the trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Princeton regular season series versus their cross-county rivals, the Bluefield Orioles. In addition to Nelson's time here as manager, he also was in Princeton previously in 2000 as the team's hitting coach when his prize student was current Tampa Bay outfield star Rocco Baldelli. He spent his time between his two stops in Princeton as a hitting coach for the Tampa Bay Class A affiliate that was then located in Charleston, SC. His previous professional managing experience was in several independent leagues from 1994-1998. He had a 12-year professional playing career in the minor leagues with seven organizations: Mets (1978-80), Mariners (1981-1983), Brewers (1984-85), Royals (1987), Yankees (1988), Angels (1989), and Twins (1990). He also appeared in 40 major league games in 1983 as a catcher for the Seattle Mariners.

Also returning to Princeton in the role of hitting coach for the second straight year is Deleon, a 42-year old native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He served as a manager, coach, and scout with Tampa Bay's Dominican Republic operations from 1996-2001. Deleon previously worked as a coach for the Dominican Summer League entry for the Yankees (1993-95) and the Mets (1992) and also served in the Dominican Republic for the Montreal Expos in 1990-91. He played minor league baseball for three years (1986-88) with the Tigers, Athletics and Cubs in the Dominican Summer League.

P-Rays pitchers in 2007 will fall under the tutelage of DeMerritt,53, who was also the major league pitching coach for the 1989 National League champion San Francisco Giants. He also served as pitching coach in a major league capacity with the 1987 and 1991 Giants as well as the 1999 Chicago Cubs. This coming summer will be his seventh season in the Rays organization and was highlighted by his 2002 Class A Bakersfield Blaze pitching staff that led all levels of minor league baseball with 1,281 strikeouts. In addition to the Rays, Giants, and Cubs, he also has coached in the minor leagues for the Marlins and Pirates, where he was Pittsburgh's minor league pitching coordinator in 2000. He also served a year in 1990 as a coach for Samsung in Korea. As a player, he was originally selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the June, 1971 draft and pitched for eight seasons in the minor leagues with the Cardinals, Brewers, and Astros.

Princeton will begin its 20th season of Appalachian League play, it's 11th as a Devil Rays affiliate, in June of 2007. Persons needing more information on the P-Rays may contact the team either by e-mail at raysball@sunlitsurf.com or by telephone at (304) 487-2000.

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Appalachian League Stories from November 29, 2006


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