Colorado Rockies minors: Albuquerque Isotopes name John Shelby hitting coach

The Albuquerque Isotopes announced the final member of their coaching staff on Thursday afternoon, filling the role of hitting coach with organizational newcomer John Shelby, according to a report from MiLB.com. This will be Shelby's first season with the Rockies' organization after spending the previous five years with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Before becoming a coach, Shelby enjoyed eleven years in the Major Leagues that included World Series titles in 1983 and 1989 as a member of the Orioles and Dodgers, respectively. He slashed .239/.281/.364 at the big league level over that time frame, logging 3,090 big league plate appearances to go along with 3,491 more in the minor leagues.

He retired from the game in 1991 and began his coaching career two years later as the manager of the Butte Copper Kings. Beginning in 1994, he spent 12 seasons with the Dodgers' organization, making three different managerial stops in the minor leagues before becoming the first base coach for the big league club in 1998, a role he held in Los Angeles until 2005.

In the time between the Dodgers and most recently the Brewers, Shelby served as the first base coach for the Pirates and the Orioles, too. During his time in Milwaukee, Shelby served as an outfield instructor and oversaw defense at the big league level.

Now, he'll join manager Glenallen Hill's staff in Albuquerque, replacing Dave Hajek, who took a job as the new head baseball coach at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs earlier this winter.