On Saturday, the KC Royals finally announced their 2013 minor league coaching staffs. As you might expect, there were some changes (but a few surprises).

In Triple-A Omaha, Mike Jirschele returns as manager for an 11th consecutive season. Last season, the Storm Chasers returned to the Pacific Coast League finals for a second consecutive season. Larry Carter, or LC as he is better known, finally earned a promotion to Triple-A in his 16th season with the Royals. He had been the pitching coach in Double-A for 11 seasons. Tommy Gregg returns as hitting coach for his fifth season.

Double-A NW Arkansas welcomes manager Steve Poldberg for his sixh season. Last season, the Naturals missed the postseason for the first time under him. He has two new coaches serving under him. Jim Brower is the new pitching coach, as he served in the same capacity the last two seasons with Low-A Kane County. He pitched in the big leagues beginning in 1999 and was with eight teams. Nelson Liriano is the new hitting coach in his 12th season with the Royals. Last season, he split his time as hitting coach with rookie level Surprise and then Wilmington.

Vance Wilson exchanging lineup cards on Opening Night in Wilmington in 2012.

In Wilmington, Vance Wilson returns for his second season as manager. Last season, the Blue Rocks reached the postseason for the first time since 2009 as the second half Northern Division champs (won 37 of their final 70 games). Steve Luebber (shocking to me) returns for his seventh straight season as the Blue Rocks pitching coach. The new addition is hitting coach Julio Bruno, who served in the same capacity in 2012 with Low-A Kane County. The Cougars had the fifth fewest strikeouts in the Midwest League, as they hit .250 as a team.

In its first season as a Royals Low-A affiliate, Lexington will be managed by Brian Buchanan, who managed Kane County last season. Jerry Nyman will be his new pitching coach after serving that capacity with rookie level Idaho Falls. Justin Gemoll is the new hitting coach after serving in that same capacity with Burlington (he also spent a few seasons in Wilmington).

*Here are the rest of the affiliate coaching staffs via the Royals press release:

» Continue reading “Royals Announce Minor League Coaching Staffs”

The KC Royals announced a few minor league signings late this week. One of which was a returnee.

Catcher Manny Pina, who was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha and elected free agency, decided to re-sign with the Royals. This past season after recovering from a knee injury, he hit .260 in 43 games with Double-A NW Arkansas. He was called up in September to the big leagues, but only got into one game.

The other two signings were newbies to the organization.

Ian Gac

First baseman Ian Gac has been playing professional baseball for ten years, but has yet to reach the big leagues. I had a chance to see him play for High-A Winston-Salem in 2011 (Chicago White Sox), when he was the Carolina League Player of the Year. He hit .279 with 33 homeruns and 96 RBIs.

Gac struggled with a new organization in 2012, as he hit just .247 with seven homeruns and 35 RBIs in 75 games with Double-A Mississippi (Atlanta). I expect Gac will repeat Double-A in 2013. His signing does hurt the re-signing of Matt Fields, as the Royals now have at least three first baseman for two higher level minor league spots.

The other signing was of left fielder Luis Durango, who has some big league time. He was with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2012 (Atlanta) and hit 289 in 132 games. He led the International League in stolen bases with 46.

Durango is expected to participate in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers for Panama (where he played in 2009). He is currently playing in the Venezuelan Winter League for Caribes (.324 with five stolen bases in 21 games).

I just wanted to let all of my readers know of a few changes that will be going on.

I have been given  the opportunity to write for Kings of Kauffman, a Kansas City Royals blog on FanSided. My big league coverage won’t change.

For those of you who enjoy my daily minor league recaps, those will be moving over to KoK. The majority of my minor league coverage will be moving there (though I do have something set to post on Thursday here that I think you might like). I will continue to give out the weekly awards though.

Feel free to head on over to KoK to check out my minor league coverage and keep it here for Royals coverage.

Thanks for reading!

I promised more Vance Wilson coverage today. For those of you who don’t know much about him, here’s a quick recap of his baseball career:

Judy Johnson Field in January

Wilson was drafted in the 44th round in 1993 by the NY Mets (he was a junior college All-American at Mesa Community College). He struggled a bit with injuries, but made his big league debut on April 24, 1999 against the Chicago Cubs.

He was the backup catcher and defensive replacement for Mike Piazza with the Mets. In 2002 and 2003, Wilson ranked among the top National League catchers for lowest opposing stolen base percentage (49% in 2002 which was first and 44.6% in 2003 which ranked third).

Wilson was traded to the Detroit Tigers in January of 2005 and served as Pudge Rodriguez’ backup. There, he was a member of the 2006 American League Champion Tigers. Then he needed Tommy John surgery and signed with the KC Royals as he tried to make his way back in 2009. He helped develop the Royals Double-A staff (the team is located in his hometown of Springfield, Arkansas).

» Continue reading “Patience, Umpires Keys to Wilson’s 2012 Success in Wilmington”