PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Announce 2005 Coaching Staff

Published on December 21, 2004 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


Frank Kremblas – who was named Southern League Manager of the Year in 2003 and the "best managerial prospect" in the same circuit this past summer – will serve as the Nashville Sounds manager in 2005 during the club's first season as the top affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The announcement was made today by Reid Nichols, the Brewers' Special Assistant to the GM/Player Development.

The former infielder will be joined by hitting coach Gary Pettis, pitching coach Stan Kyles, and trainer Jeff Paxson. The latter two served on the Brewers' 2004 Triple-A coaching staff in Indianapolis.

Kremblas – who becomes the 21st different manager in the Sounds' 28-year franchise history – has served as Milwaukee's Double-A skipper for the Huntsville Stars in each of the past three seasons and was recognized by his peers as the "best managerial prospect" in the Southern League in a 2004 Baseball America poll. The Stars finished the 2004 campaign with a 65-75 mark. Kremblas' seven-year managerial record stands at 348-340 (.506).

Other highlights include serving as the West Division manager for the 2004 Southern League All-Star Game and as a coach (along with former Sounds manager Marty Brown) for the United States team in the 2003 All-Star Futures Game in Chicago.

In his second year as Huntsville's skipper, Frank was chosen as the 2003 Southern League Manager of the Year after leading his team to a 75-63 record, the Southern League West first-half title, and the Southern League Western Division Championship. Kremblas also served as a manager in the 2003 Arizona Fall League, leading the Peoria Saguaros to an 18-16 record.

In 2002, Kremblas guided the Stars to a 70-69 record, just missing the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Frank managed High Desert in 2001, guiding the Mavericks into the second round of the California League playoffs, and in 2000 he led the Mudville Nine to a 35-35 record when he took over managerial duties after the all-star break. Prior to that, he was in the Expos' system and managed Cape Fear of the South Atlantic League in 1999 and Montreal's Gulf Coast League affiliate in 1998.

The former catcher, second baseman, and third baseman played college baseball at Eastern Kentucky University and was All-Ohio Valley Conference in both 1987 and 1988 before being selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 23rd round of the June 1989 draft. He played eight professional seasons, topping out at the Triple-A level and posting a .235 career average in 671 games.

Pettis, a five-time Gold Glove-winning outfielder during his 11-year major-league career, joins the Brewers organization in 2005 after spending the last four seasons as a major-league first base coach (New York Mets in 2003-04, Chicago White Sox in 2001-02). The speedster batted .236, swiped 354 bags, and posted a career .986 fielding percentage in 1,183 big-league games split between California, Detroit, Texas, and San Diego.

The 46-year-old native of Oakland, Calif., the California Angels' sixth-round selection in the 1979 draft, previously served as a minor-league coach for the Angels (1995) and with the White Sox (1997-2000).

Kyles, serving his fifth season in the Brewers organization, will log his second year as Triple-A pitching coach. The 43-year-old Chicago native was a fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1979 and pitched 11 seasons in the minor leagues before retiring after the 1989 season. He compiled a career 52-56 record and 3.86 ERA, including Triple-A stops at Iowa (1983), Tacoma (1985-87), and Albuquerque (1988).

His 2004 Indianapolis staff – which included International League Pitcher of the Year Ben Hendrickson (11-3, 2.02) – registered a 4.58 ERA (10th in IL). In 2003, Kyles guided Double-A Huntsville's pitching staff to the top of the Southern League, posting an impressive 3.17 ERA.

The 33-year-old Paxson has been a trainer in the Milwaukee Brewers organization since 1994 and will serve as the club's Triple-A trainer for the third consecutive year in 2005. Prior to landing in Indianapolis in 2003-04, he spent four seasons at Beloit where he earned Midwest League Trainer-of-the-Year honors in 1997. He has also worked at Ogden (‘98), Stockton (‘99), Mudville (2000), and for the Arizona Brewers (‘01-02). Prior to his work in baseball, Paxson was a trainer for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Fury of the Continental Basketball Association.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from December 21, 2004


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