The Cincinnati Reds have announced the coaching staff for the Dayton Dragons for the 2016 season. The Low-A affiliate of the Reds will have a new manager for the upcoming season.
The new manager for the Dragons will be Dick Schofield. He has managed the Billings Mustangs in each of the last two seasons, leading them to a Pioneer League Championship in 2014 and a playoff birth in 2015. Prior to that he was the hitting coach for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2013). He was also a hitting coach and a roving instructor in the Angels system. Schofield played in parts of 14 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1983-1996 for the Angels, Mets, Blue Jays and Dodgers.
The new pitching coach will be Derrin Ebert. He was the pitching coach alongside of Schofield with the Billings Mustangs for the last two seasons. Before that he was the pitching coach with the Arizona League Reds in 2012 and 2013. He spent part of one season in the Major Leagues, pitching for the Atlanta Braves in 1999. He pitched in the minor leagues from 1994-2005 with six different organizations and throwing 1430.0 innings in his professional career.
Luis Bolivar will return as the Dragons hitting coach for the third season. Bolivar lives in the Dayton area and played for the Dragons in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Bolivar also worked as the hitting coach for the AZL Reds in the 2013 season. He spent nine seasons in the minor leagues, eight of which were with the Reds and his last, in 2010, coming with the Atlanta Braves organization.
Corky Miller returns for his second season as the catching coach. Like last season, Miller will work with the Dragons catchers when the team is at home, but when Dayton hits the road Miller will travel to the other affiliates to work with catchers as a roving instructor. He spent parts of 11 seasons in the Major Leagues from 2001-2013. He also played in parts of 17 minor league seasons from 1998-2014.
Also within the press release from the Dragons is a note that Jose Nieves, who managed the Dragons over the last three seasons, will be the manager for the Arizona League Reds in 2016.