February 21, 2023 – Appalachian League (ApL) News Release
Chapel Hill, NC – Over the past few weeks, teams in the Appalachian League have announced their managers for the 2023 season. That group includes his four brand new faces with a combined experience of over 150 years in professional baseball. Former Major League Baseball manager John McLaren will join the league for the first time in the new summer college ball format alongside Dennis Cook, Bill Kineberg and Kevin Boles. Defending the 2022 Appalachian League his champion and Manager of the Year, Kingsport’s Mike Ginn is the star of his group of six skippers returning for 2023.
“We are very pleased to welcome such a high-quality group of experienced baseball players to lead our 2023 Appalachian League team,” said Brian Graham, executive director of the Appalachian League.
“For players, the combination of former major league managers, major league players, great college coaches and seasoned professional baseball players will make the Appalachian League a special place to play.”
Here’s a breakdown of the 10 Appalachian League managers for the 2023 season:
Bluefield Ridge Runner – John McLaren
McLaren began his professional career with then-member club Appalachian League in Covington, Virginia. He played seven of his seasons in the minors and reached Triple-A level after being selected by the Houston Astros in the seventh round of the 1970 draft. After his retirement, McLaren joined the Blue Jays as a scout, and from 1986 he spent eight years as the organization’s manager before serving as Toronto’s third base coach until 1990. He also coached the Boston Reds bullpen for the Sox (1991), Cincinnati third base for the Reds (’92), Tampa Bay he coached the Rays for bullpen (2003-05), and catch/bullpen coach for the Philadelphia Phillies (1991). 2016-). 17).
After 10 years as a coach with the Mariners organization, McLaren was named manager of Seattle on July 1, 2007, replacing Mike Hargrove. McLaren coached the Italian national team in his 2010 International Cup, leading the club to its first ever bronze medal. He also coached the Chinese national team at the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball He Classic and the 2015 Asian Championships. more>>>
Bristol State Liner – Bill Kineberg
Born in Sewell, Chile, Kinneberg brings decades of coaching experience to State Liners. After beginning his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1981, Kineberg became the team’s head coach in 1985 and led the team to his 33-win season. After that, he coached in Wyoming (1986-92), Arizona (1993-94), Utah (’96) and Arizona (1997-2001).
An Appalachian League alum, Kineberg was the pitching coach for the Bristol White Sox in 2003-04 before returning to Utah in 2005 and serving as the team’s head coach until his retirement in 2021. In 2016, he was named Pac-12 Baseball He Coach of the Year after leading Utah to his first-ever Pac-12 conference title. He was the pitching coach for the Collegiate Baseball Team of the United States in 1999, 2007 and he managed the team in 2010. Details >>>
Burlington Sock Puppets – Anthony Essien
Essien’s third season with the Sock Puppets will be his first as a manager. Essien, who has been part of his staff coaching the team since its first season in 2021, will serve as interim manager for Burlington in the second half of the 2022 season, making Sock his Puppets regular, his season record 38-18, in the East. His division led to his title. Finished in the Appy League Championship Game.
Essien is currently in his eighth season as a pitching coach at Reedley Community College (CA). Prior to that, Essien spent 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Clovis (California) High School. As a player, Essien attended his junior college in Mendocino in 1990, after which he attended Fresno State University, graduating in 2001 with a degree in Kinesiology. more>>>
Danville Otterbot – Desi Leraford
Entering his third season, Relaford began his coaching career in 2018 as the bench coach for the Daytona Tortugas, an Advanced-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, helping the team to a 69-66 overall record and a Florida State League championship. I helped guide you to series verse. In his first two seasons at Danville at the helm, Leraford and Otterbott earned his five Appalachian League All-Stars, one All-Star he Appalachian League player, two MLB draft picks, and three MLB free agent signings. produced. He is currently a Chicago White and has developed talent for the Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees.
Before beginning his coaching career, Relaford was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 1991 MLB Amateur Draft. He played his 11 major league seasons with seven teams, including his five years with the Philadelphia Phillies. 243 batting average and 308 RBI, and with the Mets he had eight home runs and 36 RBIs, finishing his 2001 season with a career-high . . He played every defensive position except first base and catcher and amassed his career . 960 fielding percentage. more>>>
Elizabethton River Riders – Jeremy Owens
Jeremy Owens will return as Elizabethton’s manager for the 2023 season after leading the team to a 26-26 record last year. Including his two seasons as a skipper for the Rivers Riders, Owens has accumulated more than 20 years of playing and coaching experience at his professional level. In his 1,975 professional games as a player, Owens batted . 246/. 325/.
The former outfielder from nearby Johnson City was drafted by the San Diego Padres out of Middle Tennessee State University in the eighth round of the 1998 MLB Draft. He played five seasons with the organization, the Boston Reds where he played two seasons, and from 2008 until 2014 he played the Independent Southerns with the Maryland Blues. In 16 years Blue moved into his ranks coaching as manager of his Clubs. Owens returned to affiliate ball in 2018, the first of his two seasons coaching Tampa Bay’s Low-A Bowling Green Hot He Rod. more>>>
Greenville Flyboys – Dennis Cook
A University of Texas graduate, Cook made his MLB debut in 1988 with the San Francisco Giants and played for eight other teams before retiring after the 2002 campaign. In his 15 major league seasons, Cook appeared in his 665 games, recording 64 wins and 46 losses with a 3.91 ERA. He surpassed his 60-game appearance five times in his 1998 Mets career-high, having appeared in 73 games. 1997 World Series Game 3 winning pitcher.
Cook coached the Swedish national team in the 2009 World Baseball Cup, the 2010 and 2014 European Championships, and the German national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifier. Most recently, Cook served as his coach pitching for the Chatham He Anglers of the Cape Cod He League in 2018. Details >>>
Johnson City Dowboys – Kevin Mahoney
Mahoney will enter his second season as manager of the Dowboys after leading the team to a 30-24 record and a second-place finish in the East Division. Mahoney has over 14 years of playing and coaching experience at the college and professional level.
A native of Miller Place, New York, he was drafted by the New York Yankees out of Canisius College in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft, where he was a two-time All-MAAC selection and named the 2009 MAAC Player of the Year. He played his five seasons with the Yankees farm his system and reached Triple-A level in 2014. After completing his playing career, Mahoney spent the next five years as a coach in the New York system and held a position in the organization’s Gulf Coast He League (2015, ’17). ), Pulaski (’16), Staten Island (’18), Tampa Affiliate (’19). more>>>
Kingsport Axmen – Mike Ginn
Guinn has over 25 years of playing and coaching experience, most recently as manager of the Axmen last year, leading the team to a 37-17 regular season record and an Appy League title.
A native of South Knoxville, Ginn has 468 wins in 17 seasons as a high school head coach, formerly at Anderson County High School and now Pigeon Forge High School. His team has won his 14 district championships and his 5 regional championships, and has competed in regional tournaments every year in his 17 seasons. Under Guinn’s leadership, he led his seven state appearances, including his 2013 AA state championship. Along the way, Guinn has helped over 50 of his players sign letters of intent to play baseball at the college level. more>>>
Princeton WhistlePigs – Kevin Boles
Balls brings 20 years of management experience to Princeton. He was manager of Double-A Binghamton in 2019 before managing the Triple-A Syracuse Mets in 2022. He also managed the alternate training he site for the team in Brooklyn in 2020 and was the coordinator of the minor league field in New York in 2020-21. Balls has previously worked for the Red He Sox organization, with Triple-A Pawtucket (2014-18), Double-A Portland (2011-13), Advance-A Salem (2010) and Low-A Greenville (2008-09). was managing In his first season at Pawtucket, Balls won his Cup title in the 2014 Governors as International League Champion. Following the 2018 season, Baseball America recognized Balls as the International League Manager of the Year candidate.
Balls made his managerial debut in 2000 at the age of 25 with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Marlins. He managed the Marlins’ short season A in Utica the following year and in 2003 managed Kansas City’s rookie-level Arizona League Two team. Balls then played in the minors for the Minnesota Twins, where he managed four seasons, leading the Advanced-A Fort Myers (2006-07), Low-A Beloit (2005) and Low-A Quad Cities (2004). Balls was a catcher for the University of South Florida before he was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 42nd round of the MLB Draft in 1998. He spent two seasons as a player before joining the coaching ranks.more>>>
Pulaski River Turtle – Clark Christ
After two top-two finishes in the Appalachian League East in his first two seasons as manager of the Pulaski franchise, Christo returns for his third season with the same approach to the game. After winning the National Collegiate Championship as the starting shortstop for the 1980 University of Arizona team, Christo was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 14th round of the 1980 MLB Amateur Draft in June. He spent four seasons in Minor League Baseball, eventually playing and coaching for Chattanooga, a Double-A affiliate of the Mariners from 1982 to 1985.
Christo’s major league tenure included the Houston Astros (1985-92), Boston Red Sox (1992-94), Cleveland Indians (1994-95), New York Mets (1995-97), and St. Louis Cardinals (1997-). It included the role of a scout. 2006) and the Cincinnati Reds (2006-15). During his MLB scouting career, Christo signed many notables, including All-Stars Kenny Lofton and Albert His Pujols, Covel “Coco” Crisp, Mike Creek, Tommy Pham, Chris Duncan, and Amir Garrett. Supervised. more>>>
The Appalachian League is part of USA Baseball and is operated by MLB. For more information about the Appalachian League, visit appyleague.com or follow the league on Twitter and Instagram (@AppyLeague).
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