2023 Indians Field Staff

Indianapolis:

Named as Indianapolis manager prior to the 2022 season. ... Led the Indians to a 74-75 record during his first season as Triple-A manager and finished tied for fourth in the 10-team International League West. ... Finished with a 41-34 record at home, the 21st winning record in Victory Field history. ... Recorded the most wins in Triple-A (28) from July 23-Sept. 9 thanks to a season-best 17-10 record in August.

Managerial career prior to Indianapolis:

Led Double-A Altoona to a 58-59 record in 2021, dropping to below .500 after being 10 games above that mark on 8/5 (44-34). ... Was announced as High-A Bradenton's manager prior to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season. ... In 2019, led Single-A Greensboro to a 79-59 record and a third-place finish among all 14 South Atlantic League teams; was his first winning season as a manager. ... Served as manager of Rookie-Advanced Bristol from 2017-18, his first managerial role. ... Improved from a .258 winning percentage in 2017 to a .456 winning percentage in 2018. ... Has produced a 185-204 record in four seasons as a minor league manager.

Coaching career:

Served as a player-coach for Indianapolis in 2016; the team went 70-74 under manager Dean Treanor that season. ... Awarded the Chuck Tanner Award at spring training in 2015, an award given annually since 2011 by the Pirates Player Development department to someone on the minor league staff who best exemplifies Tanner's optimism, work ethic and leadership. ... Coaching career began in 2014 with Single-A West Virginia and continued in 2015 with Altoona.

Playing career:

Signed by Cincinnati as a non-drafted free agent on 11/15/00. ... Made his professional debut with the VSL Reds in 2001. ... Named Cincinnati's minor league Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the Florida State League midseason All-Star team in 2005. ... Made his MLB debut with the Reds on 9/7/05 vs. Milwaukee and became the first player from his hometown of Guatire, Miranda, Venezuela to play in the majors. ... Was a spring training invitee for the Pirates in 2008-09. ...Appeared in 19 total games for Indianapolis across parts of three seasons (2009, 2011-12).

Personal:

Resides in Guatire, Miranda, Venezuela with his wife, Mariafernada Lara, who is a former gymnast for the Venezuelan Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. ... Has one daughter, Vanessa (16) and one stepdaughter, Jenifer (13).

Indianapolis:

Was named as Indianapolis' pitching coach prior to the 2022 season and led the staff to a franchise-record 1,256 strikeouts. ... Coached the Indians to their first no-hitter since 2012 on 4/13 at St. Paul, with RHPs Chase De Jong (7.0ip), Austin Brice (1.0ip) and Yerry De Los Santos (1.0ip) combining for the feat.

Coaching career prior to Indianapolis:

Ended the 2021 season as Double-A Mississippi's interim manager and was named the Double-A South Manager of the Year while leading his team to a league title. ... Was named as Mississippi's pitching coach in 2021 and ended the season as the interim manager. ... Was named as High-A Florida's pitching coach in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season. ... Was named Coach of the Year in the South Atlantic League in 2016 while serving as pitching coach for the league champion Single-A Rome Braves. ... Promoted to being Atlanta's MiLB rehabilitation coordinator, a new position, in 2015. ... Began his coaching career as the pitching coach for Rookie-Advanced Danville Braves in 2014.

Playing career:

Selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft by Atlanta. ... Made his MLB debut at New York (NL) on 9/14/04. ... Played in stints with Atlanta (2004), Oakland (2007-08) and Florida (2009-10). ... Made a career-high 71 appearances in 2009 and won his first major league game on 6/12/09 at Toronto. ... Picked up his first career save on 6/24/09 vs. Baltimore. ... Went 3-9 with two saves and a 5.46 ERA (69er/113.2ip) in 103 career MLB games. ... Appeared on the mound with Indianapolis in 2011, the final year of his playing career, and posted a 7.45 ERA (16er/19.1ip) in 14 games.

Personal:

Resides in North Stonington, Conn. with his wife Bryant and three children, Greyson (10), Charlee (7) and Bennett (3). ... Played college baseball at James Madison University, where he was a member of the Dukes' 2002 NCAA Tournament Team. ... Also led Kingsway Regional (Woolwich Township, N.J.) High School to the 1999 South Jersey Group II final.

Coaching career prior to Indianapolis:

Served as Altoona's pitching coach for the 2022 season and led the staff to the least home runs allowed in the Eastern League (129) and fourth-lowest ERA (3.97, 1,196.0ip). ... Led a staff that featured three of Pittsburgh's current top 10 prospects (Baseball America) prior to their respective promotions to Indianapolis: No. 4 Luis Ortiz, No. 5 Quinn Priester and No. 9 Mike Burrows. ... Served as pitching coach for the GCL Pirates (2018) and High-A Bradenton (2019); was named Bradenton's pitching coach in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the minor league season. ... Began his professional coaching career with the West Virginia Power in 2017. ... Spent two years (2015-16) running the Rawlings St. Louis Prospects Baseball Club, a high school and youth baseball organization which focuses on the development of young athletes and provides training and exposure to assist in achieving their goals of getting to the next level.

Playing career:

Selected by Cincinnati as a third baseman in the 47th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft but did not sign. ... Selected by St. Louis as a right-handed pitcher in the 35th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. ... Spent three seasons pitching in the Cardinals' farm system. ... Ended his playing career in 2013 after a seven-week spring training stint with Texas and a brief cameo in the Frontier League.

Personal:

Resides in Bradenton, Fla. with his wife Taylor and three children, Andrew III (8), Brooklyn (6) and Addison (4). ... Pitched for two years at Arkansas State University after being converted from an infielder to a pitcher. ... Is the son of former major league pitcher Andy Benes and the nephew of former major league pitcher Alan Benes. ... Received his degree in sports management from Arkansas State following his playing career.

Indianapolis:

Named as Indianapolis' hitting coach prior to the 2022 season for his first year coaching in professional baseball and led an offense that ranked first among International League teams with 44 triples, one shy of tying a Victory Field era record.

Instructional career prior to Indianapolis:

Has owned and operated Gold Standard Athletics, an indoor training facility in Dubuque, Iowa, since 2013. ... Began his career as an instructor with an undergraduate assistant role at the University of Southern California (2011-12) and later served as an assistant at the University of Dubuque. ... Served as the assistant coach of the USA Baseball 18U national team in the summer of 2013 and captured the 2013 IBAF World Cup and Gold Medal in Taiwan.

Playing career:

Selected by Detroit as the third overall pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft; was also selected by Atlanta in the second round (62nd overall) in the 1996 First-Year Player Draft but did not sign. ... Made his MLB debut on 7/18/00 vs. Cincinnati. ... His nine-year major league career included stints with Detroit (2000-04), Tampa Bay (2005), Houston (2006-07) and Oakland (2009). ... Singled off Eric Milton for first MLB hit on 9/19/01 at Minnesota and connected off Milton for his first home run on 10/3/01. ... Played in a career-high 109 games and hit a career-high 19 homers with the Tigers in 2004.

Personal:

Resides in Dubuque, Iowa with his wife Shanda and two children, son Solen (18) and daughter Soraya (14). ... Is a 1996 graduate of Mt. Carmel (Calif.) High School, where he was a High School USA Today first-team All-American his senior season. ... Played baseball at the University of Southern California, where he was Collegiate Baseball's preseason Player of the Year in 1999. ... Was a two-time Team USA member and a catcher on the 1998 College World Series Champion team that also featured pitcher Barry Zito and players Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane.

Indianapolis:

Named as Indianapolis' Integrated Baseball Performance Coach prior to the 2022 season, a new position in Pittsburgh's farm system. ... Served as Indy's first base coach for most of the season, assisting in the team recording the fifth-most stolen bases in the International League (157) and its most since leading the league in 2015.

Coaching career prior to Indianapolis:

Spent 2021 as a development coach with Single-A Bradenton. ... Named as a hitting coach for the DSL Dodgers prior to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, his first year coaching in affiliated baseball. ... Began his coaching career in the collegiate ranks, serving as director of player development for the California State University, Northridge baseball team in 2019 following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Cal State/Dominguez Hills.

Playing career:

Selected by Chicago (AL) in the 24th round (716th overall) of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft and made his professional debut with Great Falls in the Pioneer League. ... Reached High-A Winston-Salem in 2017, his final season playing affiliated baseball, and played in a career-high 116 games. ... Made six appearances with Lake Erie in the independent Frontier League in 2018.

Personal:

Resides in Chatsworth, Calif. with his wife, Erin and newborn daughter, Olivia. ... Played for the Philippines National Team and went 3-for-7 with a home run and three RBI during the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. ... Former infielder played baseball at Cal State/Dominguez Hills and compiled a .357 batting average, 39 doubles, nine home runs and 90 RBI in 130 games in his four seasons (2013-16).

Indianapolis:

Named as Indianapolis' strength and conditioning coach prior to the 2017 season.

Strength and conditioning coaching career prior to Indianapolis:

Spent the 2020 campaign at Pittsburgh's Alternate Training Site in Altoona. ... Previously worked with Double-A Altoona in 2014 and 2016, High-A Bradenton in 2015 and Single-A West Virginia in 2013. ... Spent six years in the collegiate ranks prior to entering Minor League Baseball; was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida International University for two years (2011-12) and worked at Central Connecticut State University from 2008-11. ... Served as a strength and conditioning coach intern during the summer of 2008 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. ... Also served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Appalachian State University from 2006-08. ... Began his strength and conditioning coaching career at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in summer of 2006.

Personal:

Is a certified and registered strength and conditioning coach by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a member of the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coach Society. ... Is a 2008 graduate of Appalachian State University, where he received a master's degree in exercise science. ... Also a 2005 graduate of East Carolina University, where he received a bachelor's degree in exercise science. ... Resides in Clay, N.Y., with his wife Erin and two sons, Carter (9) and Weston (6).

Indianapolis:

Named as Indianapolis' athletic trainer prior to the 2022 season.

Professional career prior to Indianapolis:

Spent 2021 with Double-A Altoona and worked with the Peoria Javelinas during the Arizona Fall League. ... Spent 2019 with Short-Season A West Virginia and also worked with the Gigantes del Cibao in the 2019 Dominican Winter League. ... Was named the Appalachian League Trainer of the Year with the Bristol Pirates in 2018. ... Spent two years (2017-18) working at the Pirates academy for the DSL and instructional leagues. ... Was an athletic trainer intern with Boston for part of 2015.

Personal:

Graduated from Messiah College in May 2015 with a bachelor's degree in athletic training.