Minor, Mattes Return; Jose Hernandez added
Salisbury, Md. – In conjunction with the Baltimore Orioles, the Delmarva Shorebirds are pleased to announce the coaching staff for the 2011 season. Ryan Minor will return for his second season as manager and his fourth season on the coaching staff. Troy Mattes is back for his second season as the Shorebirds pitching coach and his fifth in the Orioles system. The lone newcomer to the staff is 15-year MLB veteran Jose Hernandez, who takes over for Mike Devereaux as the field coach.
The three coaches that will guide the Shorebirds in 2011 have a total of 20 years of Major League Baseball experience combined. In addition, Minor (’97) and Mattes (’96) both played for the Shorebirds during the early years of the franchise.
“We are excited to have Minor and Mattes back because of how well connected they are to the history of the club and the addition of Jose Hernandez is fantastic,” said Shorebirds general manager Chris Bitters. “The wealth of knowledge that all three provide will be a huge bonus for our players and fans this year.”
Minor, 37, is back for his second season as the manager of the Shorebirds. He joined the Shorebirds staff in 2008 as the hitting coach and served two seasons in that role. In 2010, Minor was promoted to manager of the Shorebirds and led the club to a 59-81 record. Since 2008, Minor has tutored many Orioles prospects on Delmarva including: Matt Angle, Ryan Adams, Joe Mahoney, Kieron Pope and more.
After being drafted in the 33rd round of the 1996 draft by the Orioles, Minor played a starrring role on the Delmarva Shorebirds in 1997, who finished 77-65. The 77 wins by Minor’s ‘97 Shorebirds team ranks fourth in franchise history. Then 23-years old, Minor put together one of the greatest single seasons in the history of the franchise, batting .307 with 24 home runs and 97 RBIs. He also notched 150 hits and 42 doubles.
Minor catapulted up through the minor leagues and was on the Baltimore Orioles roster by the 1998 season. In three seasons with the Orioles (1998-2000), Minor played in 87 games and hit three home runs. His final season in the major leagues, 2001, was spent with the Montreal Expos. In a single-season high 55 games, he hit two home runs and drove in 13. Minor is best remembered for the September 20, 1998 night when he replaced Cal Ripken, Jr. and the consecutive games played streak came to a close at 2,632.
Minor was also a gifted basketball player at the University of Oklahoma. He ranks sixth all-time at OU in points scored with 1,946 and he was named the Big Eight Player of the Year following the 1994-95 season. Minor was selected in the second round (32nd pick) of the 1996 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mattes, 36, returns for his second season as the Shorebirds pitching coach and his fifth overall as a pitching coach in the Orioles minor league system. Under Mattes’ watch, six different Shorebirds pitchers earned promotions to Frederick last season. Mattes helped young prospects Jesse Beal and Bobby Bundy blossom into future stars. Beal was named a SAL All-Star and posted seven wins while Bundy flurished after the all-star break, posting a 3.45 ERA.
The Champaign, Illinois native and Sarasota, Florida resident spent his first three years in the Orioles system with the Bluefield Orioles. In his final year in Bluefield (2009), the pitching staff’s ERA ranked fifth in the Appalachian League at 3.84. Mattes nurtured many of the top pitching prospects in the Orioles system. In 2007, Sean Gleason finished sixth in the Appalachian League in ERA while Colin Allen finished second in the league in ERA in 2008.
Mattes pitched for the Delmarva Shorebirds during the inaugural 1996 season. He finished with a 10-9 record and a 2.89 ERA in 173.0 innings pitched. Mattes recorded five complete games during the 1996 season. The former 16th round draft pick of the Montreal Expos spent one season in the major leagues in 2001. In eight starts, he went 3-3 with a 6.00 ERA.
Hernandez, 41, will begin his first season as the field coach for the Shorebirds and his second season in the Orioles organization. Last year, he served as the field coach for the Gulf Coast League Orioles. Over his 15-year MLB career (1991-2006), Hernandez played in 1,587 career games. The former shortstop played for nine different teams over his long career; Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. His career totals include 168 home runs and 603 RBIs.
Hernandez had his finest season in 2002 with the Milwaukee Brewers when he was named to the National League All-Star team.
Will Lawhorn will serve as the Shorebirds trainer in 2011. Lawhorn was the athletic trainer for the Gulf Coast League Orioles the last two seasons.
Minor, Mattes and Hernandez will lead the Shorebirds into the 2011 season on April 5 with a special exhibition game against Salisbury University. The Shorebirds open the South Atlantic League portion of their schedule on April 7 against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
Mike Devereaux was promoted to Frederick, where he will serve in the same capacity.
For more information about the Delmarva Shorebirds, contact us by calling 410-219-3112 or by logging onto www.theshorebirds.com.
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