Braves Minor League Coaching Staffs For 2021 Season
The Atlanta Braves minor league coaching staffs were announced piecemeal Tuesday. For fan convenience, the staffs are as follows:
Triple-A East Gwinnett
Manager: Matt Tuiasosopo
Pitching Coach: Mike Maroth
Hitting Coach: Carlos Mendez
Coach: Wigberto Nevarez
Tuiasosopo is a fast riser in the Braves system and is seen as an up-and-coming coach. He was a member of the alternate site coaching staff last year and is now the youngest manager in Gwinnett history. Maroth is also considered a bright mind in Braves development, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a chance as a major league pitching coach at some point. Mendez is a longtime Braves minor league coach getting his first opportunity at Gwinnett. Nevarez has risen quickly alongside Tuiasosopo as a coach.
Double-A South Mississippi
Manager: Wyatt Toregas
Pitching Coach: Dan Meyer
Hitting Coach: Einar Diaz
Toregas is a newcomer to the Braves organization after working in the Pirates system. He has risen quickly in development circles after starting as an advance video guy for the Pirates several years ago. Meyer is well-known to Braves fans and those within prospect and development circles. He’s in his first year with Mississippi and should continue to rise as a pitching coach. Diaz worked on the major league staff of the Orioles for several seasons before joining Gwinnett as a coach in 2019.
High-A East Rome
Manager: Kanekoa Texeira
Pitching Coach: Bo Henning
Hitting Coach: Danny Santiesteban
Coach: Angel Flores
Coach: Bobby Moore
Texeira, a former Brave, has earned another promotion to manager after previously holding the role of Rome’s pitching coach. He’s another younger manager who could rise in development. Henning was hired in 2020 and will be in his first season as a pitching coach in affiliated ball. He’s a more contemporary addition as an owner of a baseball academy and a former coach at the college and collegiate summer league levels. Santiesteban previously was hitting coach at Florida and will stay at the same level. Flores last worked with the GCL team and gets a bump up. Moore is a fixture in the organization and at Rome as a versatile and experienced coach.
Low-A East Augusta
Manager: Michael Saunders
Pitching Coach: Elvin Nina
Hitting Coach: Mike Bard
Coach: Myles Schroder
Saunders is another young manager who is seen as a promising coach. Baseball fans should know his name from his major league days as a former All-Star. He was set to manage Danville in 2020. Nina is also young and a newcomer to the Braves org after working with pitchers at Pittsburgh’s spring complex in 2019. Bard is another college hire with experience at schools like Kansas and Texas Tech. He also has pro coaching experience as an assistant hitting coach with Colorado. He was slated to coach hitters at Rome in 2020. Schroder was actually a GreenJacket in 2012 and played as recently as 2019 in independent ball.
More than enough time has passed for the new Braves player development staff to make its mark on the coaching staffs. You will notice a theme of promising young coaches at all four levels and at different positions. Some are holdovers, like Meyer, Texeira and Moore, but the vast majority are young and considered bright minds in development. You will also notice a couple recent additions from different ranks, like Henning and Bard, which is becoming more common at the pro level as orgs identify coaching talent regardless of level. It marks an eye toward the future for Braves development.
I have yet to see a central announcement from the Braves on their coaching staffs like they’ve always done in the past. That announcement always included other coaches like instructors, rovers and analysts. I’m in the dark on that until I do more digging. Those positions are vital for development, so I’ll try to find them.
On that note, the Braves’ new PD staff is not what you’d consider forthcoming on information. They’re one of only five orgs not allowing any outside look or evaluation at the alternate site or workouts, continuing that decision from 2020. While some orgs have publicized and celebrated the development side of their operations with dedicated Twitter accounts, announcements, videos, etc., and even some teams are opening alternate site scrimmages to fans this year, the Braves tend to keep everyone in the dark when it comes to development and prospects.
That is certainly their right. They don’t owe anyone anything when it comes to prospect and development access. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen made a good point the other day when he said barring access to the alternate site and workouts turns video and information into tradable assets. It’s a perfectly reasonable approach.
At any rate, it’s good to see the coaching staff announcements. It’s another thing we can cross off the list as we turn an eye toward minor league opening day May 4.