The Tampa Bay Rays have finalized their coaching staff for the 2015 season under first-year Manager Kevin Cash. After 13 seasons as the Rays third base coach, Tom Foley has been promoted to bench coach. In addition, the Rays have hired Rocco Baldelli as first base coach and Charlie Montoyo as third base coach. Former first base coach George Hendrick has accepted a position as special advisor to baseball operations.
The rest of the coaching staff will remain intact: Jim Hickey returns for a ninth season as Rays pitching coach, Derek Shelton enters his sixth year as the club’s hitting coach, Stan Boroski returns for a fourth season as bullpen coach and Jamie Nelson enters his third season as major league coach.
“I feel very fortunate to have inherited a staff that is both respected throughout baseball and knowledgeable of our players and the culture,” said Cash. “I am thrilled to have Tom as our bench coach. I have great respect for the role he has played in the organization from its inception and will lean on him for his experience and judgment. In adding Charlie and Rocco, we have two men who combined have more than 30 years invested in this organization at many different levels and have great familiarity with our players. Both have meant a great deal to the Rays, and I am grateful they will be joining Jim, Derek, Jamie and Stan for what I feel is a great team.”
Foley, 55, becomes the eighth bench coach in team history. He is the longest tenured coach in club history, entering his 14th season on the Rays coaching staff, 20th in the Rays organization and 39th in professional baseball. Only one active third base coach had held the post longer than Foley: Jose Oquendo for the St. Louis Cardinals (14 seasons). Only three uniformed personnel have been in the organization as long: Evers, Montoyo and hitting coordinator Steve Livesey. Since his hiring as third base coach on October 25, 2001, he served under managers Hal McRae, Lou Piniella and Joe Maddon.
Prior to joining the Rays coaching staff, Foley served two years (2000-01) as director of minor league operations and four years (1996-99) as field coordinator. He also managed the Rays Rookie-level affiliate Butte in the Pioneer League in 1996, and the Maryvale Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League in 2001. The former infielder spent 13 seasons in the majors with four National League clubs: the Cincinnati Reds (1983-85), Philadelphia Phillies (1985-86), Montreal Expos (1986-92, 1995) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1993-94).
Baldelli, 33, becomes the youngest member of the major league coaching staff in Rays history. He is the sixth first base coach in franchise history. He spent the last four seasons as a special assistant, baseball operations—a position he accepted in January 2011 upon retiring from an 11-year professional career as an outfielder.
Baldelli was drafted by Tampa Bay as the sixth overall selection in the 2000 June Draft, reached the majors in 2003 and finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting. In his first two seasons, he batted .285 (329-for-1,155) with 27 home runs and 44 stolen bases. He missed the entire 2005 season due to knee and elbow surgeries, and was hampered by injuries for the remainder of his career. Baldelli went on to play parts of seven years in the majors with the Rays (2003-04, 2006-08, 2010) and Boston Red Sox (2009), and played his final game in Game 1 of the 2010 American League Division Series vs. the Texas Rangers. He is a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Montoyo, 50, enters his 19th season in the Rays organization and his first on the major league coaching staff. He becomes the fifth third base coach in club history. In eight years (2007-14) as manager of the Triple-A Durham Bulls, he guided them to seven South Division titles, a league-record six trips to the International League finals and two Governors’ Cups championships (2009, 2013). Montoyo compiled a 633-515 (.551) record with Durham, and on July 21 broke their franchise record for managerial wins, passing Evers (613). He collected several awards during his time there: IL Manager of the Year (2010, 2013), Baseball America Triple-A Manager of the Year (2007), IL All-Star Team Manager (2010, 2014), Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year (2009), Minor League Baseball’s Mike Coolbaugh Award (2009), Futures Game coach for the World team (2010, 2011, 2013) and World Baseball Classic coach for Puerto Rico (2009).
Before joining Durham, Montoyo managed numerous Rays affiliates from 1997 to 2006, and was named the Rays inaugural Player Development Man of the Year in 2006 after leading Double-A Montgomery to the Southern League title. He played 10 years (1987-96) as an infielder with the Milwaukee Brewers, Expos and Phillies organizations, and spent 27 days in the majors with Montreal in 1993.