Rockies announce 2023 player development and minor league coaching staff

On Friday afternoon the Colorado Rockies formally announced their Organizational Staff, as well as the Minor League Coaching Staff for all affiliates, for the 2023 Major League and Minor League Baseball season. Save for a small handful of positions marked “TBD,” all positions appear to be finalized.

Organizational Staff

Hitting Coordinator Darin Everson appears to no longer be with the team after holding that role starting in 2018. There is no current Hitting Coordinator announced.

The Rockies’ new Catching Coordinator is former player Dustin Garneau. Garneau was originally drafted by the Rockies as a 19th rounder in 2009, and made his big league debut for the club in 2015. He played parts of three seasons with the Rockies before becoming a journeyman with several other organizations. He returned to the Rockies organization in 2021 to play with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes for 11 games before being traded to the Detroit Tigers. In 2022 he played 7 games for the Tigers before announcing his retirement following the end of the season.

Marcel Lachemann has rejoined the Rockies organization as a Special Assistant for Player Development. A former pitcher himself, Lachemann was a pitching instructor for the Rockies from 2000-2001, and worked as a special assistant to former general manager Dan O’Dowd from 2003-2011. Lachemann’s brother Rene also used to work with the Rockies organization from 2008-2016.

After announcing his retirement earlier this week, Scott Oberg has taken a position with the Rockies front office as a Special Assistant for Player Development and Scouting. Oberg worked with the player development and scouting teams in 2021 and 2022 after being sidelined by blood clots in his pitching arm. Oberg was drafted by the Rockies in 2012 and made his big league debut for the team in 2015. Oberg has a career 3.85 ERA over five MLB seasons with 234 total strikeouts and was a hero of the 2018 Wild Card team.

Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes

With the promotion of Warren Schaeffer to the Rockies’ big league third base coach, Pedro Lopez has been named Manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes. Lopez was the bench coach for the ‘Topes in 2022 and the hitting coach in 2021. Lopez originally joined the Rockies before the 2020 season after working as a coach in the Mets and Rangers organizations.

Replacing Lopez as Bench Coach is Bobby Meacham. Meacham played shortstop for the New York Yankees and spent time in the minor leagues with several other teams. He briefly worked in the Rockies organization in 1993 and again in 2005. Most recently Meacham was a coaching assistant for the Philadelphia Phillies working under skipper Joe Girardi. He was fired along with Girardi during the 2022 season.

Former left-handed MLB pitcher Chris Michalak has been named the Isotopes’ new Pitching Coach for 2023 after the Rockies parted ways with longtime organizational coach Frank Gonzales. Gonzales is now the manager for the Pioneer League’s Northern Colorado Owlz. Michalak played parts of five seasons with various teams, but had the most success with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2001. Michalak was a minor league pitching coach with the Washington Nationals organization from 2010-2017, and has also spent time with the Miami Marlins as their minor league pitching coordinator.

The Isotopes currently do not have a Physical Performance Coach listed after parting ways with Phil Bailey after the 2022 season.

Double-A Hartford Yard Goats

The only major change for the Yard Goats staff is the promotion of Coy Coker to be their Trainer. Coker has been an athletic trainer with the Rockies organization since 2018 and was the Trainer for the High-A Spokane Indians last season.

High-A Spokane Indians

Robinson Cancel replaces Scott Little as the Manager for the Spokane Indians after the Rockies fired Little at the end of the 2022 season. Cancel was previously the manager of the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies, where he brought them to back-to-back playoff berths in their first two years as a Rockies affiliate.

Joe Mikulik has been named Bench Coach for the Indians. Mikulik is a former minor league player that joined the Rockies organization as the hitting coach for the Grand Junction Rockies in 2021 and was most recently the manager for the Pioneer League’s Rocky Mountain Vibes last season. Mikulik is somewhat infamous for his tirades against—and subsequent ejection by—minor league umpires.

The Spokane Indians have yet to name a Trainer to replace Coy Coker following his promotion to Double-A Hartford.

Low-A Fresno Grizzlies

With the promotion of Robinson Cancel to High-A Spokane, bench coach Steve Soliz has been promoted to Manager. Soliz joined the Rockies in 2019 as the manager of the Short-A Boise Hawks and was set to coach with the Lancaster Jethawks in the cancelled 2020 minor league season. Prior to joining the Rockies he coached 16 years with the Los Angeles Angels in various roles following his major league career.

Cesar Galvez will be Bench Coach for Soliz as he continues to build his already extensive coaching resumé at the young age of 31. Galvez played in the minor leagues for the Rockies organization as an infielder from 2010-2017 with a career line of .255/.325/.286After his career ended he joined the Short-A Boise Hawks as a hitting coach in 2018 and 2019, and was a coach for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats in 2021. Galvez was the bench coach for the Arizona Complex League Rockies last season.

The Grizzlies have yet to announce a Physical Performance Coach.

Arizona Complex League Rockies

Julio Campos replaces Cesar Galvez as Bench Coach out at the Arizona Complex. Campos was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2000 but never made it out of A-level ball. He worked as an infield instructor at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy until 2012 when he joined the Rockies as a scout in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Campos managed the DSL Rockies second team in 2018 and 2019, winning DSL Manager of the Year in his first season. He took a break from scouting to be the Area Scouting Supervisor for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. He returned to coaching in 2021 as the bench coach for the High-A Spokane Indians.

Dominican Summer League Rockies

Erick Aristy replaces Edgardo Rivera as the DSL Rockies’ Video Assistant and Clubhouse Manager.

The DSL Rockies have not named a Physical Performance Coach after parting ways with Raldy Herrera after the 2022 season.

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Purple Row will update this article as more information becomes available.