Reds minor league coaching/staff updates

[Reds Fanatic]

This is from Trent:

Class A Dayton manager Donnie Scott will join the Reds' coaching staff tonight...he'll stay with the team through the Cubs series next week...Class AAA manager Rick Sweet will join the staff in San Francisco.

In other player development news, the Reds announced they will not renew the contracts of assistant director of player development Grant Griesser, field coordinator Tim Naehring, extended spring training coordinator/roving instructor Rick Burleson, roving hitting instructor Jim Hickman, outfield/baserunning coordinator Lynn Jones, Billings coach Ricardo Cuevas or Chattanooga manager Jayhawk Owens...Chattanooga pitching coach Grant Jackson is retiring.

[Reds Fanatic]

This is from John Fay about the Naehring firing:

I thought Naehring did a good job in his seven years with the Reds. I think the problem was the player development staff didn't have much to work with. To wit: There are very few players the Reds released that ended up being successful elsewhere.

Just spoke with Naehring: "I didn't see this coming. I heard two weeks ago that Wayne (Krivsky) was unhappy with some things on the minor league level. I didn't think it would come to this. But I'm not stupid. I know anything can happen."

Naehring wouldn't go into specifics as for the reasons he was fired.

"I don't want to get into because I'll snap. I know what kind of job I did. I had a good relationship with my boss, Terry Reynolds. He was appreciative of the job I did. We had a very good year on the minor league level. I'm proud of what Jay Bruce was able to accomplish."

Naehring, the LaSalle High and Miami grad who played eight years for the Boston Red Sox, said he wasn't sure what he will do next, but that he's already gotten phone calls from other organizations

[AmarilloRed]

A lot of shakeup on the minor league staff. I would be interested to hear why Krivsky made these moves.

[RedDevil]

What will Rick Sweet be doing with the club when he joins them in San Fran?

[BEETTLEBUG]

Same as Donnie Scott is doing now Pitch batting practice.

[texasdave]

His job is to dive into McCovey Cove if and when Adam Dunn launches one out of the stadium.

[JaxRed]

One would suspect that Scott would be the frontrunner for AA job

[Unassisted]

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_115621.asp

Cincinnati Reds Management Expected To Name New Chattanooga Lookouts Manager Soon
posted October 22, 2007

Cincinnati is set to name a replacement for Lookouts manager Jayhawk Owens who was released by the Reds following the 2007 season.

Chattanooga will also have a new pitching coach. Last year's coach, Grant Jackson, has retired.

The Reds are in the process of filling the positions that opened up when they fired eight player development people in early September. But farm director Terry Reynolds confirmed that they club will not be hiring eight people to fill openings.

The biggest change will be in the number of roving instructors. The Reds had three roving hitting instructors last year and two roving pitching instructors. This season they�ll go with one of each. They�ll also reduce the number of coaches for Triple-A Louisville from four to three.

The Reds fired Owens, assistant farm director Grant Griesser, field coordinator Tim Naehring, roving instructor Rick Burleson; roving hitting instructor Jim Hickman; outfield/baserunning coordinator Lynn Jones; and Billings coach Ricardo Cuevas. The club also announced that Chattanooga pitching coach Grant Jackson is retiring.

"We haven�t filled anything yet," Reynolds said. "We�re in the early stages of interviewing right now. We hope to have everything done by Nov. 1."

The Reds were looking within their system as well as outside to fill the positions.

The Reds had to shift things around a bit for instructional league, which roving infield coordinator Freddie Benavides coordinates with Donnie Scott and Kelly managing the team in games.

[Unassisted]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/serv...es/?id=3561230

Dragons Return Entire Field Staff for 2008
11/19/07 - Midwest League (MWL) Dayton Dragons

Dayton, OH - After a three year absence, Donnie Scott's return to the Dayton Dragons dugout in 2007, as manager was a successful one as he led the Dragons to a 78-62 overall record. Under Scott, the Dragons won the first half Midwest League Eastern Division title and earned a birth in the MWL Playoffs for the first time since 2002. The Cincinnati Reds have announced that Scott will return to lead the charges as Dragons Manager in 2008 and for the first time in team history all three field staff positions remain in tact with the return of Pitching Coach Doug Bair, Hitting Coach Darren Bragg and Athletic Trainer Jimmy Mattocks.

Under Scott, the Dragons posted a 44-26 first half record to win the Eastern Division, setting a franchise record for most wins in a half of baseball. Scott managed the Eastern Division in the MWL All-Star game and had plenty of company, as he was joined by Bair, Bragg and eight Dragons who were voted to the game. Juan Francisco, Justin Turner, Chris Valaika comprised three-fourths of the starting infield and pitcher Sean Watson became the first Dayton pitcher to get the starting nod in an All-Star Game. The Dragons 78 wins overall were an 18 game improvement from 2006 and was the second most in team history behind the 82 win season by the 2001 team.

The 2008 season will be the former Major League catcher's 19th season with the Cincinnati Reds as a player, manager or coach. He is the winningest manager in Dragons franchise history with a 294-264 regular season record. In four seasons as Dragons manager, Scott has led Dayton to the post season on three different occasions (2001, 2002 and 2007) and has an overall managerial record with the Reds in 10 minor league seasons of 600-430. Scott spent five seasons with the Billings Mustangs, winning Pioneer League Championships in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997. Before returning to the Dragons in 2007, Donnie managed the Sarasota Reds of the Florida State League in 2006.

A former second round draft choice of the Texas Rangers (1979), Scott played parts of four different seasons in the Major Leagues. The former catcher played in the "Bigs" in 1983 and 1984 with the Rangers, 1985 with Seattle and 1990 with Cincinnati, appearing in 173 major league games during his career.

The 2008 campaign will mark the third season as a Reds pitching coach for Bair, his second with the Dragons. The Dragons team ERA of 3.41 in 2007 was the lowest in franchise history and was good for fifth best in the 14-team MWL. Originally from Defiance, Ohio, Bair pitched collegiately at Bowling Green State University and was a second round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971. He made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 1976 and would pitch in the big leagues for 15 seasons, including three full seasons and parts of a fourth with the Cincinnati Reds (1978-1981). Bair has two World Series Rings from his playing days: one each with the St. Louis Cardinals (1982) and the Detroit Tigers (1984). The well traveled right hander appeared in 584 Major League games (579 in relief) with seven different major league clubs (Pittsburgh, Oakland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toronto) and compiled a 55-43 record with a 3.63 ERA. He saved 81 games, including a career high 28 with the '78 Reds.

Bragg is back for his second season as the Dragons Hitting Coach in 2008 and his second as a Reds Minor League Hitting instructor. Under Bragg's tutelage, the Dragons hit .263 as a team in 2007, good for third best in the MWL and the club's 106 homers ranked second. A 22nd round selection of the Seattle Mariners in the 1991 Free Agent Draft, he made his Major League debut in 1994 with the Mariners. Bragg appeared in the post season on three occasions, with the Red Sox in 1998 and the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and 2003. In 916 games spanning 11 Major League seasons with 10 different teams (Seattle, Boston, St. Louis, Colorado, NY Yankees, NY Mets, Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Diego); Bragg hit .255 with 46 home runs and 269 runs batted in.

The Dragons will open up the 2008 Midwest League season at Great Lakes on Tuesday, April 3rd. The home opener for the Dragons at Fifth Third Field will be Monday, April 7th versus the Fort Wayne Wizards, affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The first pitch on opening night is scheduled for 7:05 PM; with the game being broadcasted live on WING AM 1410 ESPN Radio, also via the Dragons web site at www.daytondragons.com, as well as a live television broadcast.

[JaxRed]

Saw where entire Bats staff is back also