While the 2016 roster for the Hillsboro Hops is still foggy due to MLB spring training and the various musical chairs performed in the other minor leagues, the coaching staff is all sewn up.
Returning manager Shelley Duncan played outfield, DH, and first base in the MLB, beginning with the New York Yankees. He was drafted in 2001 and ended his playing career in 2014, making him a veteran of farm systems and the big leagues with developing talent constantly being shuffled around. The Tucson, Ariz. native led the Hops to an NWL championship last season in his first assignment as a manager. He’s known for his copious energy and celebrations, with chest bumps and high fives that intimidated the likes of Joe Torre over the course of his career.
Even disregarding last season’s successes, Duncan is a great choice in his position. He’s relatively young for a manager, and his exuberant personality will help him continue to connect to the young players and guide them toward the next steps of their career. Additionally, his batting record in the Majors is something for the team to aspire to. Duncan hit a .257 in the 34 games he appeared in his rookie season for the Yankees, including seven home runs. With the Hops turning in a somewhat muted record at bat last season, they need all the encouragement and inspiration they can get from the skipper.
In that regard, they will also have a new hitting coach in Jose Amado, who weighed in an on-base percentage of .373 for his entire 14-season career in Minor League Baseball. Amado will be replacing Javier Colina, who was promoted to the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate in the high-A brackets, the Visalia Rawhide. Amado’s record as a player is impressive, but his more recent claim to fame is as an early hitting guru to fellow-Venezuelan David Peralta, current outfielder for the D-backs who batted a .312 with 17 home runs last season.
Amado’s batting philosophy stresses patience and collaboration. As a player, he had 421 walks against only 281 strikeouts, and had 1,387 base hits in just 1,220 games. This approach to the plate is a smart move at this level, with many players eager to show off to the parent organization and swing away to the detriment of the team. Amado’s steady hands are much appreciated.
To balance out the fresh career of Duncan, veteran pitching coach Mike “Bird” Parrott has joined the team for his 19th season as a coach for the Diamondbacks organization. He will be replacing the Hops’ pitching coach for the last three seasons, Doug Drabek, who was also promoted to a D-back affiliate in Mobile, Ala. that plays in the Southern League. Parrott began as a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles in 1977 and played four years for the Seattle Mariners as well. During his career in the MLB he had a 4.87 ERA and set some all-time Mariner records including innings pitched and wins. After his playing days, “Bird” started coaching in the Minors for the Montreal Expos organization in 1988 and has been molding talented young players ever since. Parrott’s level of lifelong experience will definitely be welcome to bolster Hillsboro’s bullpen, which was already curiously strong last season.
Now that strategies and the direction of the team is ironing out with these talented mentors in place, the next step becomes the permanent roster for the season. With the MLB finished with spring training and into their season proper, the Portland area baseball fans are eager to see who they will be rooting for. We’ll keep you posted.
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