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On Thursday, the Twins’ minor-league affiliates announced their managers and coaching staffs for the 2023 season. Find out who will be working with the Twins minor leaguers to help them develop and advance through the organization. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily Days after the 2022 season came to an end, the Twins announced that their entire coaching staff would be returning in 2023. A couple of weeks later, they announced that Derek Shomon was being added to the roster as an assistant hitting coach. There have been several changes throughout the system, but the managers are all the same as they were a year ago. Triple-A: ST. PAUL SAINTS Toby Gardenhire returns for his third season as the Saints manager. The former Twins minor leaguer is now in his eighth season in the organization. He has a 141-138 record in his two Saints seasons. Cibney Bello joined the Twins organization eight years ago as a pitching coach. He has worked in the GCL, Low A, Double-A, and this is his third season with the Saints. Peter Larson was the Wichita pitching coach last year and joins the Saints this year. This is his fifth season in the organization. He has been a pitching coach in Low-A and also the minor-league rehab pitching coach in his time with the Twins. He joined the Twins from Fordham, but had spent a year each at the University of Albany, Siena College, and King University (TN). He pitched at Ferrum College and graduated in 2009. He spent one season pitching in the Can-Am League. Nate Spears comes to the organization from the Red Sox organization where he spent the past six years as a hitting coach. He was the High-A coach the past two seasons. He got eight at-bats with the Boston Red Sox between the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He was a teammate of Alex Hassan in 2012. He was born in Ft. Myers and went to high school in Punta Gorda. He was drafted in 2003 by the Orioles and also spent time in the Cubs, Cleveland and Phillies organizations through the 2014 season. He also spent two seasons in independent ball before retiring after the 2015 season. This will be Tyler Smarslok’s second season as the Saints defensive coach. He also filled in as manager when Toby Gardenhire missed time when his wife gave birth. Smarslok joined the Twins organization before the 2020 season (or non-season) after five years of coaching in college, including 2019 in 2019. Double-A: WICHITA WIND SURGE Ramon Borrego begins his 14th season as a manager in the Twins organization. After winning the 2018 Florida State League Championship, he moved up to Double-A and has been the Wind Surge manager that past two seasons. He signed with the Twins in 1995 and played in 405 games, all around the infield, for Twins affiliates for seven seasons. He spent part of 2002 at Triple-A Edmonton. Dan Urbina is one of the pitching coaches. He starts his fifth season in the Twins organization. This is his second season in Wichita. He had previously spent 18 seasons in the Pirates organization and three more with the Dodgers. He pitched in the Dodgers organization from 1995 through 1997, reaching Double-A. DJ Engle is another pitching coach. This is his third season with the organization but his first in Wichita. Last year, he coached in the Dominican Summer League. He came from McPherson College where he was the head coach. The hitting coach is Shawn Schlechter. Last year, he was in Cedar Rapids, and this is his fourth season with the Twins organization. He worked in the GCL in 2021. He is a Minnesota native who joined the organization in 2020 from North Iowa Area Community College. Takashi Miyoshi was the bench coach at Ft. Myers last season. This year, he’ll take that role with the Wind Surge. This is his sixth season in the Twins system. He’s worked all over including Elizabethton and time in the GCL as well. Before joining the Twins, he had been the manager of Sonoma in the independent Pacific Association. HIGH-A: CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS Former Twins utility man Brian Dinkelman returns for his fifth season as the Kernels manager, his eighth season with the Kernels. He was the Twins eighth round pick in 2006. In 2011, he hit .301 over 23 games with the Twins. Dinkelman has led the Kernels to the Midwest League playoffs in each of his seasons as manager and as a hitting coach. The rest of his coaching staff is pretty new to the organization. Jonas Lovin joined the organization recently and he will be one of the pitching coaches. He comes from Iowa Central Community College. He pitched for four seasons at Augustana before spending 2019, his final college season, at Nebraska-Omaha. The other pitching coach is former big-leaguer Carlos Hernandez. He is in his sixth year in the Twins organization. He spent the past couple of seasons with the Mighty Mussels. Hernandez made 33 starts for the Astros between 2001 and 2004. Corbin Day joins the organization this year. He is an eastern Iowa native and went to Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, Kirkwood Community College, and Mount Mercy University (Cedar Rapids) for two seasons. Former Twins catching prospect Yeison Perez is the second hitting coach. He has spent one season in the Dominican Summer League and last year in the FCL. Perez originally signed with the Mariners and spent two seasons with their DSL team. The Twins brought him on and he spent 2016 and 2017 with the Twins DSL team. In 2018, he hit .273 over 35 games with the GCL Twins. LOW-A: FT. MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS Brian Meyer returns for his second season as the Mighty Mussels manager. This is his third season in the organization. Meyer was a three-year starter at second base for Otterbein College, a Division 3 school. He remained at the school and earned his Master’s Degree while working with the baseball team as a hitting coach. He went on to coach at Tulane for five years before becoming an assistant coach at Butler. He joined the Twins before the 2020 (non) season. Rayden Sierra returns as the team’s hitting coach. He played at Broward College and then Cumberland University (TN) before playing for independent Schaumburg in 2019. He went on to coach at Volunteer State CC in Tennessee. Then he joined the Florida SouthWestern State College, a very new program in Florida. He joined the Twins organization in 2021 and has spent all three seasons with the Mighty Mussels. Joining the team as an assistant hitting coach is Luis Reyes. He comes to the Twins after one season at Texas A&M International. Before that, he had coached at the Division II level and the junior college level. He is from Venezuela but emigrated to the Stats in 2009 to play for Iowa Lakes Community College. Then his final two seasons were at Clarke University in Dubuque. Jared Gaynor returns for his second season as a Mussels’ pitching coach. He pitched two seasons at George Mason. He began coaching in 2015 at Coronado High School in Arizona. In 2016, he was hired by Arizona Christian University. In 2018, he became a coach at Richmond where he spent two years. Richard Salazar has held a variety of roles in his six seasons in the organization. The last two seasons, he was a pitching coach in Cedar Rapids. He is from Venezuela, but he went to Miami Dade College and the Orioles drafted him in 2001. He pitched for 17 seasons in Baltimore’s system, in Venezuela, and then ten years in independent ball all over the country. In 2013, he pitched in the WBC for Spain. Rookie League: FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TWINS Seth Feldman returns for his fifth season in the organization and second as the FCL Twins manager. He was the DSL manager in 2019 and 2021. The team will have three hitting coaches. They are Emilio Guerrero, Humberto Miranda, and Collin McBride. There will also be four pitching coaches. They are Anders Dzurak, Calvin Maduro, Kevin Rodriguez, and Argenis Angulo who pitched for Wichita in 2022. In addition, Andrew DiTullio will be the rehab hitting coach. Josh Tols will be the rehab pitching coach. They will work in the same facilities with their focus on players who are out for an extended IL stint. Rookie League: DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE TWINS The manager of the DSL Twins will be Rafael Martinez for the second straight season. Jairo Rodriguez played 10 seasons in the Twins organization and reached Triple-A in 2013. He worked with hitters in the DSL from 2017 through 2020. He then moved up to Cedar Rapids where he has been a coach the past couple of seasons. He returns to the DSL in 2023. Another former Twins minor leaguer, Ruben Santana, returns for his second season as a hitting coach. Jimmy Alvarez has been with the DSL staff since 2009. Erick Julio and Jesus Sanchez will be the DSL Twins’ pitching coaches. MINOR LEAGUE COORDINATORS After 25 years with the Mets organization, Kevin Morgan joined the Twins as minor-league field coordinator in 2020. He spent part of the 2021 season on the big-league coaching staff. Morgan got one at-bat for the Mets in 1997. Edgar Varela was the Twins big-league hitting coach in 2020 and 2021. He is now back for his sixth season in the organization and second straight season as the coordinator of instruction. Former big leaguer Julio Borbon is back for his second year as the assistant coordinator of instruction. A former first-round pick, Borbon played in 294 games for the Rangers, Cubs and Orioles. Justin Willard returns for his sixth season in the organization. This is his third season as the pitching coordinator. Before that he was a pitching coach in Cedar Rapids and in Pensacola. Nat Ballenberg is in his fourth season with the Twins organization. He shifts to assistant pitching coordinator after spending last season as the organization’s special projects pitching coordinator. Bryce Berg is in his fourth season with the Twins organization and second as the minor-league hitting coordinator. In 2021, he was the Kernels hitting coach. Ryan Smith was the Saints hitting coach last year. He now is the assistant hitting coordinator. In 2021, he was hitting coach in Wichita. In 2019, he held that role in Cedar Rapids. Tucker Frawley will again be the infield and catching coordinator. Former big-leaguer manager Mike Quade is back for his sixth season as outfield coordinator. He was the Rochester Red Wings manager from 2015 to 2017. Quade was the Cubs manager in 2010 and 2011. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF Vice President, and Assistant General Manager: Jeremy Zoll enters his seventh season with the Twins and fifth in this role. His focus is on the minor leagues and player development. Vice President of Hitting Development and Acquisitions: Alex Hassan is back for his sixth season with the Twins. He has been the Director of Player Development the past four seasons. Director of Player Development: Drew MacPhail takes over this role. Director of Minor League and High Performance Operations: Brian Maloney. Assistant Directors of Player Development: Tommy Bergjans, Frankie Padulo. Director of Player Education: Amanda Daley. Assistant Director of Player Development Research: Josh Ruffin. Analysts, Baseball Research: Chad Raines, Grey Wilburn. View full article

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins and their affiliates announced their managers and coaching staffs for the 2022 season. In addition, the full Player Development staff was announced. All four full-season affiliates will have their 2021 manager return to lead them again in 2022. The St. Paul Saints will be led again by Toby Gardenhire. Ramon Borrego will be managing the Wichita Wind Surge. Brian Dinkelman returns to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Brian Meyer will be again managing the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels. Player Development Staff and Minor League Coordinators Alex Hassan returns for his third season as Director of Player Development. His assistant directors will be Drew MacPhail and Tommy Bergjans. Brian Maloney starts his sixth year as the senior manager of minor league operations. Kevin Morgan was on the Twins big league coaching staff much of last season as an additional coach following the loss of Mike Bell. He is returning to the role he was hired by the Twins in 2020 to hold, Minor League Field Coordinator. Edgar Varela had been the Twins hitting coach the previous two seasons. He returns to his roots as the Coordinator of Instruction. Justin Willard will return for his second season as the Twins Pitching Coordinator. Zach Bove will be the assistant pitching coordinator. Nat Ballenberg will also be a pitching coordinator for "special projects." Bryce Berg joined the Twins organization a year ago and was the Cedar Rapids hitting coach. This year, he will be the organization's Minor League Hitting Coordinator. Tucker Frawley will take over as Infield and Catching Coordinator. They are new to those specific positions. A year ago, Donegal Fergus (hitting coordinator), Billy Boyer (infield and base running coordinator) and Michael Thomas (catching coordinator) were let go during spring training. Mike Quade returns for his fifth season as the Outfield Coordinator. St. Paul Saints Toby Gardenhire (39) returns for his second season at the Saints' helm. He was to be the Rochester Red Wings manager in the 2020 season that didn't happen. Before that, he was a manager in Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. Matt Borgschulte was the Saints Hitting Coach in 2021, but he is now one of the MLB hitting coaches for the Baltimore Orioles. Ryan Smith takes over the hitting coach duties in St. Paul. He had been with Wichita a year ago and Cedar Rapids the previous two seasons. He coached in the Arizona Fall League in 2021 as well. Cibney Bello returns to the Saints as one of their pitching coaches. It is his seventh season in the organization and second with the Saints. He will be joined by former big-leaguer Virgil Vasquez (Pirates, Tigers). He is in his eighth season as a coach in the Twins organization. Last year, he was in Wichita. Mike McCarthy was one of the team's pitching coaches in 2021, but he has joined the San Diego Padres organization in the same role. Tyler Smarslok will return as the Saints' defensive coach. He also coached first base most of the season. Wichita Wind Surge Ramon Borrego returns to the Wind Surge after they won the division title in 2021. He is in his 12th season as a manager in the organization. “We are thrilled to have Ramon back in Wichita and look forward to the season,” said Jordan Kobritz, Wind Surge CEO. “Ramon and his staff did a fantastic job developing players last season, with two Wind Surge players promoted to the Majors and several others to Triple A.” Derek Shomon was named the team's hitting coach, the role he performed in 2021 for Ft. Myers. Joe Mangiameli returns as the team's catching coach. Wichita will have two new pitching coaches in 2022. Peter Larson jumps up from Low-A Ft. Myers this year. He is in his fourth year in the organization. Dan Urbina is also in his fourth season with the Twins. He was a pitching coach in the FCL a year ago. Luis Ramirez had been one of the team's pitching coaches in 2021. He has joined the Twins big-league staff. Cedar Rapids Kernels Former Twins infielder Brian Dinkelman returns for his third season as Kernels manager. Before that, hew as the team's hitting coach. Dinkelman said, “I’m looking forward to another exciting season of baseball in Cedar Rapids. I’m excited to be back as manager of the Kernels and the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd. It should be another great season at the ballpark.” Jairo Rodriguez returns for his second season as a coach for the Kernels. It is his 15th season in the Twins organization. He played from 2007 through 2016 before joining the organization's coaching ranks. In fact, he played for the 2013 Cedar Rapids Kernels, the first year as a Twins affiliate. Shawn Schlechter moves up from the FCL as a hitting coach. Mark Moriarity and Richard Salazar will both return to the Kernels as their co-pitching coaches in 2022. Kernels General Manager, Scott Wilson, “I am very excited to have nearly the entire coaching staff back from last year. These are the coaches that took us to game 5 of the playoffs, after a year off. They are very competitive, and great with our fans. We are lucky to have this quality staff, with a couple new names, back for another year. Bring on April 8th!” Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Brian Meyer was set to be the hitting coach a year ago for the Mussels, but when Aaron Sutton retired from the coaching world before spring training, Meyer was named manager. Takashi Miyoshi, who managed the FCL Twins a year ago and has worked in Elizabethton and other roles in the organization, will be the bench coach. Rayden Sierra, hired in April of 2021, will be the hitting coach again in 2022. Former big-leaguer Carlos Hernandez will return for his fifth season in the organization, third straight year as a pitching coach for Ft. Myers. He pitched for the Astros from 2001-2004. Jared Gaynor in the other pitching coach. He is in his fourth season in the organization. “We have a development-driven staff with a lot of diversity in our backgrounds and within the game, which will help us all continue to grow,” Meyer said. “With Ray Sierra and Carlos Hernandez returning, we have experience in navigating through the demands of the league, which in turn we can help the players adjust to.” Florida Complex League Seth Feldman will be the first-year manager for the FCL Twins after managing in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) the past two years). He will have four hitting coaches. Former Twins minor leaguer Yeison Perez returns while Andrew DiTullio, Emilio Guerrero and Luis Reyes are the others. Former big leaguer Calvin Maduro and Bobby Hearn return to the FCL pitching coach role. They are joined by Erick Julio as a third pitching coach. In addition, Brad McKenney will be the team's analytics coach. Anders Dzurak will be the rehab pitching coach. Dominican Summer League Rafael Martinez will be the manager for the DSL Twins. It is his first year in the organization. Ricardo Nanita returns for his second season as a hitting coach. Ruben Santana, a middle infielder in the Twins organization from 2015-2021 will also be a hitting coach. Jimmy Alvarez will be an infield coach for the team. He has coached in the DSL going all the way back to 2009. DJ Engle will be a pitching coach for the second straight season. Kevin Rodriguez returns for his fourth season as a pitching coach. View full article