Former major league catcher Damon Berryhill is the Braves’ new Triple-A Gwinnett manager, one of four new managers among the team’s seven affiliates including its two rookie-league teams.
Berryhill, 52, spent seven seasons as a minor league manager in the Dodgers organization through 2015, guiding teams to postseason berths in five of those seasons and winning the Triple-A Pacific Coast League manager of the year award in 2015.
John Moses returns to his Gwinnett hitting-coach position after filling in as the team’s manager for most of last season upon Brian Snitker taking over as major league manager in May. Gwinnett’s new pitching coach is Reid Cornelius, after spending 14 seasons with the Marlins including the past seven as bullpen coach. Cornelius pitched in 45 games (33 starts) during parts of five major league seasons through 2000.
Berryhill had a 10-year playing career through 1997 with five teams including two full seasons with the Braves in 1992-1993, when he had his two highest home-run totals (10 and eight) with a career-best 43 RBIs each season.
Luis Salazar returns to manage the Double-A Mississippi Braves with a new hitting coach, Ivan Cruz, and new pitching coach, Derrick Lewis. Lewis was the Braves’ high-Single A pitching coach the past thre3e seasons and Cruz spent the past three seasons as hitting coach for the rookie-league Danville Braves.
Paul Runge, a name familiar to many Braves fans, returns to manage the Braves’ high-A affiliate in its first season as the Florida Fire Frogs in Kissimmee. Runge played in parts of eight major league seasons for the Braves through 1988 and managed in the Braves minor league system for 14 seasons from 1994-2001 and 2005-2010, twice winning Appalalachian League manager of the year awards. He spent the past six seasons as Astros field coordinator.
The Fire Frogs’ pitching coach is Dennis Lewallyn, who served as Double-A Mississippi’s pitching coach the past four seasons. Hitting coach Carlos Mendez is back for his fourth season as high-A hitting coach.
The low-A Rome Braves return with the same manager (Randy Ingle) and coaches after wining the South Atlanta League title and being named by Baseball America as the overall minor league team of the year. Dan Meyer will be in his second season as pitching coach of a team that had five starting pitchers among the league’s top 15 prospects, and hitting coach Bobby Moore returns for his fifth season.
Nestor Perez will manage the rookie-league Danville Braves after spending one season managing the Braves’ Gulf Coast League rookie team.
The GCL team will have a first-time manager in Barrett Kleinknect, 28, who reached the Triple-A level during a six-year minor league playing career in the Braves organization through 2015.
