Colorado Rockies: Triple-A Albuquerque and Double-A Hartford announce coaching staffs

The Colorado Rockies have yet to announce the minor league coaching staffs for all of their minor league teams but both of their top minor league teams have announced their coaching staffs for 2019.

Between the Rockies Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Isotopes, and their Double-A team, the Hartford Yard Goats, five out of the six coaches are returning to their 2018 posts.

In Albuquerque, Glenallen Hill is returning as the team’s manager in 2019, which will be his 5th season at the helm of the team in Albuquerque. He also managed the team in their final season in Colorado Springs so this will be his 6th season managing the Rockies Triple-A team. Entering 2019, though, he has not had a winning season as manager and he has a record of 317-395 (.445 winning percentage).

Prior to being the Rockies Triple-A manager, he was the Rockies first base coach for six seasons and he spent time as a manger and hitting coach in the lower levels of the Rockies organization. He also played in parts of 13 seasons in the major leagues.

Joining him for the second straight season in Albuquerque are hitting coach Tim Doherty and pitching coach Brandon Emanuel. Both will be entering their second year at Albuquerque. Doherty was the Rockies Double-A hitting coach in 2017 and the Twins Triple-A hitting coach for two seasons prior to that.

As the Isotopes noted in their press release, in 2012, he was the Red Sox assistant hitting coach to none other than Dave Magadan, who happens to be the Rockies new hitting coach at the major league level. Emanuel spent three years as the Rockies Advanced-A ball pitching coach prior to being promoted to Albuquerque. He also spent three seasons in the Angels organization prior to that, also as a pitching coach.

Offensively, the Isotopes were second in the Pacific Coast League in batting average (.285), fourth in on-base percentage (.347), and second in slugging percentage (.469) so it is easy to see why Doherty is returning.

The Isotopes pitching staff was the issue for the team in 2018, though, as they were 14th of 16 PCL teams in ERA (5.34), 15th in shutouts (2), 14th in hits allowed (1393), 14th in WHIP (1.53), 8th in walks (464), and 10th in strikeouts (1081).

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Double-A Hartford

For Hartford, they announced their coaching staff late last week. Returning are manager Warren Schaeffer and hitting coach Lee Stevens. The one newcomer will be pitching coach Steve Merriman.

Schaeffer, who will turn 34 by the end of the month, has spent his entire 12 year professional career in the Rockies system (6 each as a player and coach/manager). In 2019, it will be his 5th straight season as a manager and his second in Hartford.

Stevens, 51, will also return for his second season in Hartford and his seventh as a hitting coach in the Rockies organization. Prior to Hartford, he spent one season in Advanced-A ball Modesto and four seasons in Rookie-ball Grand Junction. He also spent parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues with the Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, Cleveland Indians, and then-named California Angels, amounting to 1,012 games in the majors.

Under him, the Yard Goats were 11th in the Eastern League in batting average of 12 teams (.245), 11th in OBP (.312), and 7th in slugging percentage (.385).

Joining them in 2019 will be new pitching coach, Steve Merriman. Merriman, 51, replaces Mark Brewer as the team’s pitching coach. However, Brewer still could be in the lower minor leagues for the Rockies in 2019 as none of the Rockies lower minor league coaches or minor league coordinators have been announced as of the publication of this article.

Merriman, according to Baseball Cube, has spent time as a minor league pitching coach in the Royals and Diamondbacks minor league systems. He also spent two seasons as a coach collegiately for the Michigan Wolverines.

Hartford was 10th in the Eastern League in ERA (4.38), 7th in WHIP (1.38), 10th in walks (426), and 11th in strikeouts (1031).

Stay tuned for other minor league coaches as they will likely be revealed in the coming days.