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CarL Down East Wood Ducks

Wood Ducks Set Coaching Staff 2023

January 18, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Down East Wood Ducks News Release


Kinston, N.C. - The Texas Rangers released the coaching staff for the Down East Wood Ducks that will be arriving in Kinston for the 2023 season.

Carlos Maldonado has been appointed Down East's manager for the 2023 campaign, the first full-season managerial assignment of his career. The Venezuela native led the ACL Rangers to a 32-22 (.592) record and playoff berth in 2022, this after managing the Dominican Summer League Rangers to a combined 91-36 (.717) over his first two seasons (2019, 2021) as a skipper at the professional level. Maldonado previously served as a coach on the Wood Ducks' staff in 2018 following two years as a player/coach at Frisco. Pitching Coach Julio Valdez joins Maldonado's staff after serving in the same role with the Arizona Complex League Rangers (2022) and Dominican Summer League Rangers (2020-21) over the last three years. Newcomers Brian Pozos (Hitting Coach) and Nick Janssen (Development Coach) were both promoted to the Low-A staff after filling the same roles in 2022 with the ACL Rangers. Ruben Sosa (Development Coach) joined the Texas organization in August of last year after retiring from a professional playing career which dated back to 2011. The 32-year-old Dominican Republic native was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and spent six seasons in the minor leagues with the Houston (2011-14), Los Angeles-AL (2015), and Kansas City (2017) systems.

Neal Ori (Athletic Trainer) moves up to Down East after spending the last two years on the support staffs of the ACL (2022) and DSL Rangers (2021). Brett Platts (Strength and Conditioning) joins the organization after serving as Strength and Conditioning coach at the Dominican Academy of the Chicago Cubs last season.

Here is the full list of the Down East Wood Ducks 2023 Coaching Staff:

Manager: Carlos Maldonado

Pitching Coach: Julio Valdez

Hitting Coach: Brian Pozos

Development Coaches: Nick Janssen & Ruben Sosa

Athletic Trainer: Neal Ori

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brett Platts

The Wood Ducks are kicking-off opening day on April 6th against theKannapolis Cannon Ballers at with first pitch at 7:00 pm.

Fans can purchase tickets on woodducksbaseball.com, by calling the Wood Ducks Team Offices at (252) 686-5164 or in the Wood Ducks Team Offices located at Grainger Stadium. Follow the Wood Ducks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok!

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Carolina League Stories from January 18, 2023


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.

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