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Princeton WhistlePigs

Princeton WhistlePigs Announce Coaching Staff for the 2021 Season

May 5, 2021 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Princeton WhistlePigs News Release


PRINCETON, W.Va. - The Princeton WhistlePigs announced the rest of the coaching staff today that will assist manager Patrick Anderson for the 2021 season.

"We are extremely excited to have such an experienced coaching staff joining Patrick Anderson and the Princeton WhistlePigs for our inaugural season," said General Manager Danny Shingleton.

The WhistlePigs will begin the 2021 season at home at H.P. Hunnicutt Field on June 3 as they host the Burlington Sock Puppets. Fans can view the entire 2021 schedule on the official WhistlePigs website.

Hector Mercado will join the Princeton WhistlePigs as the club's pitching coach for the 2021 season. The southpaw was selected by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the 1992 MLB June Amateur Draft and made his Major League debut less than a year later on April 4, 2000. Mercado appeared in 112 major league games during his career with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies and then spent several seasons playing internationally, in the Atlantic League, and in the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers systems before starting his coaching career. Mercado most recently served as the pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Phillies and was set to be the pitching coach for Class A Advanced Clearwater before the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mercado also spent time coaching in the Houston Astros organization from 2010-2011.

Joe Szekely returns to the Appalachian League in 2021 with over 20 years of coaching experience in the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, and Tampa Bay Rays organizations. Szekely was drafted in the second round of the 1982 MLB Draft and spent 11 seasons in the minor leagues with the Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Braves. After his playing career, he stayed on as a coach in the Braves organization for several years before joining the Royals organization as the Charleston Alley Cats manager in 2000. Szekely went on to serve as the manager for the Burlington Bees from 2001-2003 before becoming the Royals' minor league catching coordinator in 2004. From 2005-2019, Szekely served in various roles within the Rays organization, including managing the Appalachian League's Princeton Rays in 2008. A majority of his time with the Rays was spent in two stints with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, working for the team as a coach from 2009-2016 and again from 2018-2019.

Mac Seibert is set to make his coaching debut in 2021 with the Princeton WhistlePigs as the team's player development coach. Although originally selected in the 36th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres, Seibert started his professional career a year later when he was drafted in the 34th round by the Atlanta Braves out of Meridian Community College (Meridian, Miss.). The Cantonment, Florida, native spent four years playing in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, last suiting up for the Charlotte Stone Crabs during the 2019 season. Seibert is also an Appy League alumnus, having played for the Princeton Rays during the 2017 season.

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