Red Sox announce 2014 minor league coaching staffs

The Red Sox announced the field staffs for the minor league affiliates on Wednesday, with a chain promotion among the minor league managers. The breakdown for each team is as follows:

Triple-A Pawtucket

Manager: Kevin Boles (pictured)

Pitching Coach: Rich Sauveur

Hitting Coach: Dave Joppie

Trainer: Jon Jochim

Coach: Bruce Crabbe

Boles has been a manager in the Boston system since 2008, joining the Red Sox after stints coaching in the Marlins, Royals and Twins organizations. After managing the Greenville Drive from 2008-2009, and the Salem Red Sox in 2010, Boles has spent the last three years leading the Portland Sea Dogs. The 38-year-old coach has a career 797-786 record over 13 seasons, and won an Arizona League title with the Royals in 2003. He will replace Gary DiSarcina, who left to become the third base coach for the Los Angeles Angels.

Sauveur will return for his seventh season with the PawSox, and he will be in charge of the highly-touted pitching staff slated to open next season in Pawtucket. Joppie returns for a second season as hitting coach, while Jochim is back for his fifth season as PawSox trainer. Crabbe, who managed the Spinners last season, will join the PawSox staff, though his role is currently unidentified. 

Double-A Portland

Manager: Billy McMillon

Pitching Coach: Bob Kipper

Hitting Coach: Rich Gedman

Trainer: Brandon Henry

McMillon earned the promotion after leading Salem to a Carolina League championship in 2013. McMillon spent 2010-2011 managing the Drive and 2012-2013 managing Salem, compiling a 299-257 record. He made the South Atlantic League finals in his first season as a manager, and won his first championship this past season. This will be Kipper's fifth consecutive year serving as pitching coach for the Sea Dogs, and seventh overall. Gedman will be in his second year as hitting coach, and Henry will be back for a third season with the Sea Dogs.

High-A Salem

Manager: Carlos Febles

Pitching Coach: Kevin Walker

Hitting Coach: U.L. Washington

Trainer: David Herrera

Febles played parts of six seasons in the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals, and the Red Sox hired him in 2009 to be the hitting coach for Salem. After two seasons in Salem, Febles was promoted to manager of the Lowell Spinners for the 2011 season, and he was quickly bumped up to be the manager of the Drive for the 2012 season. After two seasons in Greenville, Febles is climbing the ladder once again. Moving up with Febles is Washington, who spent last year as hitting coach in Greenville. Walker will return for his fourth season with Salem, and Herrera will be in his third year.

Low-A Greenville

Manager: Darren Fenster

Pitching Coach: Paul Abbott

Hitting Coach: Nelson Paulino

Trainer: Satoshi Kajiyama 

Fenster was a three-time All-American shortstop at Rutgers University, and posted a .362 on-base percentage in five seasons in the Royals minor league system, but he never made it to the major leagues after suffering a career-ending knee injury in 2005. After the injury, Fenster joined the Rutgers staff from 2005-2011, and he also spent time coaching in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Fenster was hired by the Red Sox in 2012 to be the hitting coach for the Greenville Drive, and in 2013 he was promoted to manager of the GCL Red Sox, where he led the team to a 35-25 record and an appearance in the league finals.

Paulino was the hitting coach for Salem last season, so he and Washington effectively swapped roles for 2014. This will be Abbott's second season with Greenville, while Kajiyama will be in his first season with the team after spending last year in Lowell.

Short-Season-A Lowell

Manager: TBD

Pitching Coach: Walter Miranda

Hitting Coach: Noah Hall

Trainer: Nick Faciana 

With Crabbe moving up to Pawtucket, the managerial position is currently vacant. It is the only minor league coaching position that is still up in the air. Miranda and Hall each return for the second straight year, while Faciana joins the Red Sox organization for the first time. He has spent the last three seasons as the athletic trainer for Double-A Akron in the Cleveland Indians organization.

Rookie - Gulf Coast League (GCL) Red Sox

Manager: Tom Kotchman

Pitching Coach: Dick Such

Hitting Coach: Raul Gonzalez

Trainer: Mauricio Elizondo

Coach: Dave Tomlin

Kotchman served as a coach for the GCL Red Sox last season in addition to his role as a scout for the Red Sox, and now he will return to managing. It is his first time managing a Red Sox affiliate since 1983 when he spent two years managing the Winter Haven Red Sox in the Florida State league. He has won eight league titles in his 34 years of managing, and his son Casey has played parts of 10 years in the major leagues, including the 2009 season with the Red Sox. Kotchman also served as a scout for the Angels, signing Howie Kendrick and Jeff Mathis. Such, Gonzalez, and Elizondo will be back for a second season in the GCL, while Tomlin returns for his fourth season as coach in the GCL. Tomlin was also the manager of the GCL club from 2006-2010.

Rookie - Dominican Summer League (DSL) Red Sox

Manager: Jose Zapata

Pitching Coach: Amaury Telemaco

Pitching Coach: Oscar Lira

Bench Coach: Junior Zamora

Coach: Wilton Veras

Coach: Aly Gonzalez

Coaching Assistant: Claudio Sanchez

Trainer: Guillermo Hinojosa

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Antonio Diaz

No changes here, as the entire staff from 2013 will be returning.

Photo Credit: Kevin Boles by Kelly O'Connor

Tweet