Brewers Announce 2021 Player Development Staff

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers today announced their Minor League player development and training staffs for the 2021 season. Affiliate invitations were extended to the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A), Biloxi Shuckers (Double-A), Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (High-A) and Carolina Mudcats (Low-A) in December, a process still pending completion.

New to the organization are former players Junior Spivey and Quinton McCracken. Spivey, who played second base for Milwaukee from 2004-05 and was an All-Star in 2002 with Arizona, joins the Brewers as coordinator – baseball diversity initiatives. McCracken, a veteran of 12 Major League seasons, comes to the organization as special assistant – baseball operations/player development after spending 2019-20 as the first base and outfield coach with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sara Goodrum is the organization’s new coordinator – hitting development initiatives after previously working as coordinator – integrative sports performance.

Rick Sweet will manage Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate for an eighth consecutive season. It will mark his second stint guiding Nashville, as he spent the 2014 season leading the Sounds. Also returning to the Triple-A coaching staff are pitching coach Jim Henderson, hitting coach Al LeBoeuf and coach Ned Yost IV.

Mike Guerrero enters his 26th season in the Brewers organization and sixth as manager at Double-A Biloxi. Hitting coach Chuckie Caufield returns to the Biloxi staff, while Nick Childs joins the Shuckers as pitching coach after he held the same role with the Carolina Mudcats in 2020.

In his 13th season in the organization, Matt Erickson returns for his 11th season as manager of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, now Milwaukee’s High Class-A affiliate. Hiram Burgos joins the Timber Rattlers as pitching coach after three seasons as pitching coach with the Rookie Arizona Brewers. Nick Stanley is Wisconsin’s new hitting coach after he was scheduled to manage Rookie Arizona Brewers Gold in 2020.

Joe Ayrault returns for a fifth season managing the Carolina Mudcats, his 12th as a manager in the Brewers organization. Fred Dabney will enter his 18th season in the Brewers organization and first with Carolina as pitching coach after spending the 2020 season in the same role with Biloxi. Bobby Spain returns as Carolina’s hitting coach, while Liu Rodríguez joins the Mudcats as a coach after he was to manage Rookie Rocky Mountain in 2020.

Rafael Neda will manage one of Milwaukee’s two Rookie Arizona clubs for a fourth consecutive season, while David Tufo will guide the other Arizona Brewers team after he was a coach with Carolina in 2020. After spending 2020 as the pitching coach at Wisconsin, Carson Cross will hold the same role with the Arizona Brewers in 2021.

Victor Estevez enters his sixth season as manager of the Dominican Summer League Brewers. He will be joined again on staff by pitching coach Jesús Hernández, hitting coach Luis De Los Santos and coach Natanael Mejia. Fidel Peña returns as manager of the DSL Brewers/Blue Jays with hitting coach Mike Habas and coach José Peña also back on staff.

The complete Minor League affiliate staffs for 2021 are listed here (new additions are in bold).

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.