Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers today announced the instructors, managers, coaches, and staff for all minor league affiliates in 2010.  Steve Buechele, who made his managerial debut with High-A Bakersfield in 2009, has been named manager of Double-A Frisco.  Former Frisco manager Mike Micucci has been promoted to field coordinator, joining several others in the organization to receive internal promotions, including Jayce Tingler, Bill Richardson, Jeff Andrews, and Jason Hart.
 
Buechele, 48, led Bakersfield to its first playoff appearance in eight years, as the club compiled a 24-5 record over the final 29 regular season contests.  The Blaze won its first round playoff series to advance to the semifinals, where the team lost to eventual champion San Jose after pushing it to a decisive Game 5.  Bakersfield was 75-65 for the year.
 
Buechele had an 11-year major league career from 1985-95, including 7 seasons with the Rangers.  He was the club’s 5th round selection in the 1982 June draft.  Buechele played 835 games at third base for Texas, still 2nd-most in team history behind only Buddy Bell (901 games).  Prior to a trade to Pittsburgh in 1991, he compiled a .991 fielding percentage at third base for Texas, a figure which is still a major league record at the position.  Before joining the team’s player development staff, he worked pre- and postgame shows with Fox Sports Southwest and also assisted the Rangers Alumni Legacy Program.  He still resides in Arlington.
 
A look at the 2010 staff (changes from 2009 underlined in italics):
 
         Oklahoma City (AAA)                         Frisco (AA)                                        Bakersfield (High-A)              
         Manager      Bobby Jones                  Manager     Steve Buechele                Manager     TBA
         Pitching       Terry Clark                      Pitching     Jeff Andrews                    Pitching     Dave Chavarria
         Coach          Scott Coolbaugh            Coach        Brant Brown                     Coach        Jason Wood
         Trainer         Jason Roberts                Trainer       Chris Gorosics                 Trainer       Jacob Newburn
         Strength      Ric Mabie                       Strength     Luke Chichetto                 Strength     Eric McMahon
 
         Hickory (Low-A)                                 Spokane (Short-A)                             Arizona (Rookie)                               
         Manager      Bill Richardson                Manager     Tim Hulett                        Manager     Jayce Tingler
         Pitching       Brad Holman                  Pitching     Justin Thompson              Pitching     Ryan O’Malley
         Coach          Jason Hart                      Coach   Brian Dayette/Josue Perez      Pitching     Jose Jaimes
         Trainer         Jeff Bodenhammer         Trainer       Carlos Olivas                   Coach        Hector Ortiz
         Strength      Ryan McNeal                  Strength     Ed Yong                          Coach        Oscar Bernard
                                                                                                                           Trainer       T.J. Nakagawa
 
            Roving Instructors                                                   Other Staff                                
            Field Coordinator                     Mike Micucci            Medical Coordinator                 Matt Lucero
            Pitching Coordinator                Danny Clark              Rehab Coordinator                   Brian Bobier
            Hitting Coordinator                  Mike Boulanger         Strength & Conditioning          Napolean Pichardo
            Infield Coordinator                   Spike Owen              Mgr., Cultural Enhancement     Bill McLaughlin
            Outfield/Baserunning Coord.    Wayne Kirby             Mgr., Minor League Complex   Chris Guth
            Roving Hitting Instructor          Luis Ortiz                  Asst. Equipment Manager        Russ Oliver
            Rehab Pitching Coordinator     Keith Comstock                                                        
            Special Asst., Player Dev.        Mark Connor                                                             
            Special Asst., Player Dev.        Harry Spilman                                                           
 
Micucci will be in his first season as field coordinator after leading Frisco to a 72-68 record in 2009.  He has spent the past four seasons as a manager in the Texas organization.  Micucci served five years as a coach in the Chicago Cubs organization before joining the Rangers.  The team’s other coordinators remain the same, including Danny Clark (pitching), Mike Boulanger (hitting), Spike Owen (infield), and Wayne Kirby (outfield/baserunning).  Mark Connor, the team’s former pitching coach, and Harry Spilman remain on staff as special assistants in player development.
 
The staff remains the same at Oklahoma City, where Bobby Jones returns for his 23rd season as a coach or manager in the Texas organization.  It would be the seventh time in the past eight years to manage the RedHawks.  Jones’ 1354 career wins rank among the leaders for active minor league managers.  Terry Clark returns for a second season at Triple-A after spending the previous three years with Frisco.  He is in his fifth season in the Texas organization after five years as a pitching coach in the Cleveland organization.  Scott Coolbaugh will be with Oklahoma City for the second straight year after two seasons with Frisco.  He previously spent five seasons as a coach in the Arizona organization.
 
In addition to new manager Buechele, pitching coach Jeff Andrews returns for his first full season at Frisco.  Andrews began last year in the same role with Spokane, but joined Frisco on May 20.  Next year will mark his 25th season as a minor league instructor.  Andrews also served as the major league pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008.  Former big leaguer Brant Brown returns for his second season with Frisco after spending 2007 and 2008 at Bakersfield.
 
The new manager at Bakersfield is still undetermined.  Returning to the club are pitching coach Dave Chavarria and coach Jason Wood.  This will be Chavarria’s 10th season in the Texas system, his fourth on the Blaze staff.  Wood saw brief action in the big leagues with Florida in 2008, but joined the coaching ranks this past season.  He had an 18-year pro career as a player.
 
Hickory features a new manager and hitting coach.  Bill Richardson has been promoted to lead the Hickory affiliate.  Richardson has spent the past two seasons as the Texas manager in the Arizona League, having served a year on that coaching staff in 2007.  He was a long-time high school coach in Southern California.  Brad Holman returns as Hickory pitching coach, his second season in the Texas system.  He previously coached in the minors for Pittsburgh (2008) and Seattle (2002-07).  Former Ranger Jason Hart has been promoted to be hitting coach at Hickory.  Hart has spent the past two seasons with coaching assignments at both the Low-A level and in the Arizona League.
 
Former big leaguer Tim Hulett returns for his fourth season as manager of Spokane.  In 2008, he led the club to the Northwest League championship.  Justin Thompson, who was named Spokane pitching coach on June 9, returns for his second season as a professional coach.  An All-Star in 1997, the 36-year-old Thompson was acquired by the Rangers in the Juan Gonzalez trade with Detroit on Nov. 2, 1999.  After enduring several disabled list stints, he returned to make 2 appearances with Texas during the 2005 season.  Hitting coach duties at Spokane will be split by Brian Dayette and Josue Perez.  Dayette is in his sixth season in the Rangers system, while Perez will be in his fifth campaign in the organization.
 
In the Arizona League, Jayce Tingler has been promoted to manager after three seasons assisting operations with the club’s academy in the Dominican Republic.  He was manager the past two years in the Dominican after spending a year as a coach there.  Tingler was a 10th round selection by Toronto in the 2003 June draft and played four minor league seasons after a standout career at the University of Missouri.  Joining Tingler as a new member of the Arizona staff is pitching coach Ryan O’Malley, who began last year as a player in the White Sox system before joining the coaching ranks mid-season.  O’Malley made 2 starts for the Cubs in 2006, the only big league appearances of his eight-year pro career.
 
Also new to the Arizona staff are pitching coach Jose Jaimes and hitting coach Oscar Bernard, both of whom have spent time as coaches at the Rangers’ academy in the Dominican Republic.  Also new to the Arizona staff is former big leaguer Hector Ortiz, who was manager at Hickory last year.  This will be his fourth season as a coach in the Texas system.
 
The organization has also finalized coaches for the Dominican Summer League, under the direction of manager Kenny Holmberg.  It will be Holmberg’s first year as manager for the Dominican Rangers, his second year overall at the club’s academy in that country.
 
Dominican Summer League
         Manager     Kenny Holmberg              Coach        Guillermo Mercedes          Coach        Osvaldo Oliva
         Coach        Alexis Infante                   Coach        Jesus Ovalle                    Strength     Eduardo Thomas
         Pitching     Pablo Blanco                   Coach        Ryley Westman
 
– RANGERS –

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