Victor Estevez is coming off a successful first season in Carolina that saw his Mudcats go 69-62 while finishing second overall in the Carolina League North standings. The Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic born Estevez is entering his second straight season with the Mudcats and his 11th overall in the Brewers organization. He previously spent six seasons managing the Rookie level Dominican Summer League Brewers before his arrival with the Mudcats. Estevez also served two seasons as the organization’s Dominican Summer League field coordinator. A former infielder, Estevez played four seasons (2007-2010) of professional baseball in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. He is the cousin of Enrique Cruz, who played for the Brewers in 2003. Estevez earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Universidad del Caribe in 2020.
Former 2016 Mudcats pitcher Michael O’Neal returns to Carolina as pitching coach for the 2023 season. O’Neal comes to Carolina from Double-A Biloxi where he spent the 2022 season as a coach with the Shuckers. Overall, the Columbus, Ga. native is entering his fourth season as a coach in the Milwaukee system. O’Neal was a development coach with High-A Wisconsin in 2021 and was additionally assigned to Carolina as a developmental coach ahead of the 2020 season. Before joining the Brewers, O'Neal was an assistant coach at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (2019-2020) and also worked as a pitching trainer for Driveline Baseball. He played collegiately at the University of Auburn.
J.J. Reimer enters his first year as hitting coach of the Mudcats after spending the 2022 season as a coach with Double-A Biloxi. From Dubuque, Iowa, Reimer additionally finished 2022 as a coach with Triple-A Nashville during the Sounds’ International League playoff run. Reimer played collegiately at Western Illinois and spent three seasons as an assistant coach of the Northern Iowa softball team before joining Biloxi last season.
Former 2018 Mudcats pitcher Jorge Ortega takes over as Carolina’s bullpen coach after first joining the Carolina staff as a coach in 2022. The Caracas, Venezuela born Ortega is in his fourth season as a coach with the Brewers and his second with Carolina.
David Valdez enters his first year with the Mudcats and his first year within the Milwaukee organization. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native was a hitting coach with the State College Spikes of the MLB Draft League last season. He was also the head baseball coach at Bunker Hill (Mass.) Community College from 2017 through 2022.
Myles Fish enters his first season as athletic trainer with the Mudcats and his second overall in the Milwaukee system. A native of Wauwatosa, Wis., Fish was most recently the assistant athletic trainer with the Sounds in 2022.
Brooke Deeringer has been a Certified Athletic Trainer since May 2021. She graduated from Northern Illinois with her bachelor’s degree in athletic training, and is currently working towards her master’s degree in exercise science from Campbell University. Prior to coming to the Milwaukee Brewers, Deeringer worked as a Graduate Assistant at Campbell University. She has spent most of her career working with football and co-ed cheerleading, but also enjoys working baseball and gymnastics. Deeringer was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, but currently lives in North Carolina.
Jonah Mergen begins his seventh straight year with the Mudcats and 13th overall in the Milwaukee organization. A native of McFarland, WI, Mergen has also worked with the Greeneville Astros and in the strength and conditioning departments at NC State University, UW-La Crosse and the National Strength and Conditioning Association World Headquarters. He first graduated from St. Ambrose University with a dual degree in exercise science and Spanish in 2007, before receiving his master’s from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in human performance in 2009.