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The Baltimore Orioles Announce Minor League Staffs

By Chuck Boemmel

5 Apr 2001: A general view of the Baltimore Orioles logo and on deck station during the game against theBoston Red Sox at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 2-1.Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport
5 Apr 2001: A general view of the Baltimore Orioles logo and on deck station during the game against theBoston Red Sox at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 2-1.Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport /
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The Baltimore Orioles announced their minor league staff assignments on Friday.  The list represents a mix of old and new and represents another piece of the puzzle as the rebuild in Baltimore begins.

In a sure sign that spring training 2019 is drawing closer, the Baltimore Orioles finalized their minor league staffs for the upcoming season.  The announcement came via press release on Friday.  It included all levels of the system, from the Dominican Summer League all the way up to Norfolk (AAA).

In addition to the minor league staffs, the 2019 Player Development Department was announced.  Kent Qualls will now serve as the Director of Minor League Operations, taking over for Brian Graham, who was let go last November.

The naming of the minor league staff now leaves one big question to be answered during spring training, who will comprise both the 40-man and the 25-man roster for the Baltimore Orioles.

The news was also posted via social media.

The highlights of the announcement are promotions for Gary Kendall, Buck Britton and  Kyle Moore, the return of Kevin Bradshaw, and a new assignment for Alan Mills.

The Norfolk Tides (AAA) will be led by Gary Kendall who moves up after eight years in Bowie where he managed to a 570-562 (.504) record.  Mike Griffin and Butch Davis return as pitching coach and hitting coach, respectively.  Ramon Sambo moves from Aberdeen to Norfolk as the Tides new field coach.

Buck Britton moves from Delmarva to Bowie (AA) to lead the Baysox.  Britton’s record with the Shorebirds was 68-66 (.507) last season.  He will have a familiar staff to lean on as Kennie Seenstra (pitching coach) and Keith Bodie (hitting coach) both return to Bowie.

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The Frederick Keys (A-Adv.) will once again be managed by Ryan Minor, who in two seasons leading the Keys has a 126-150 (.457) record.  He will be joined by newcomers Justin Lord (pitching) and Bobby Rose (hitting).  This is a promotion for both coaches as they were both performing the same functions in Delmarva last year.

The Delmarva Shorebirds (A-Low) will be led by former Aberdeen manager Kyle Moore who was 38-37 (.507) as Ironbirds’ manager.  Joining Moore on his staff are organizational newcomers Justin Ramsey and Matt Trate, who will serve as pitching coach and hitting coach, respectively.  Both were highly-touted collegiate coaches.

Kevin Bradshaw returns to the Aberdeen Ironbirds (A-Short) for a second season as manager (2017 record: 41-34) after missing the 2018 season due to injury.  He is joined by organizational newcomers as well, pitching coach Robbie Aviles and hitting coach Tom Eller.  Eller joins the Orioles’ organization after a 12 -year career as Head Coach at Harford Community College (MD).

Finally, Alan Mills moves from the Orioles bullpen to the Gulf Coast Orioles (Rookie) where he will be the new manager.  Mills will have a lot of GCL experience to lean on as Wilson Alvarez (pitching), Milt May (hitting) and Carlos Tosca (field) all return as coaches.

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The Orioles’ minor league system is certainly in good hands with this mix of familiar faces and new additions.  The staff is an experienced one and knows the players well.  I am sure general manager Mike Elias made these assignments in order to maintain continuity as he and Sig Mejdal learn the minor league players and evaluate their talents.

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