Padres Announce Minor League Coaching Staffs

The Padres have finalized their coaching staffs for 2016 in the minor league ranks, with lots of moving around and shifting in the ranks. They will end up with new managers at every level of their chain from short-season A up to AAA. Former major league catcher Rod Barajas moves up to manage AAA after managing AA San Antonio last season.

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In AA, Phil Welman joins the Padres to manage in San Antonio. This will be Wellman’s 17 season as a minor league manager, most recently managing in the LA Angels of Anaheim organization in 2014.

In High-A Lake Elsinore Francisco Morales gets promoted from Fort Wayne where he managed last year to lead the squad. Former Padre players Glendon Rusch and Xavier Nady remain on the coaching staff as pitching and hitting coaches respectively.

Speaking of Fort Wayne, Anthony Contreras moves up from Short Season A Tri City which made it to the playoffs. No change there in the pitching and hitting coaches from last year as Lance Burkhart and Burt Hooton remain.

The Padres minor league affiliates had some good success last year, with AAA El Paso making it to the PCL Championship before losing to Fresno. The Padres have added even more talent into the system this year and you can expect to see that success start percolating from the bottom up again this season.

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Of course last year Pat Murphy started the year as the AAA Manager before promoted to interim manager after the firing of Bud Black. He has now taken a job in Milwaukee. With the Padres changing managers as well at the major league level in Andy Green, there are certainly a lot of changes rippling down the organization chart as A.J. Preller begins full year 2 as the General Manager. We will keep you updated on the minor league front all season long as the Padres build for the future.