2018 Instructors

2018 Instructors

Barry Moss (Field Coordinator)

Special Assignment Scout – Los Angeles Dodgers

    

Moss is a Special Assignment Pro Scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and previously worked within their organization as an Independent League Scout from 2009-11.

After being taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round of the 1975 first-year player draft, Moss played eight years in professional ball – six with the Reds’ organization and two with the Blue Jays. He was hired by the Cincinnati Reds as a Hitting Instructor for their Florida State League affiliate for the 1985-86 seasons.

Moss managed the Erie Sailors of the New York-Pennsylvania League in 1991 and served in a variety of coaching positions for the Spokane Indians (High-A Padres), Stockton Ports (High-A Brewers) and Orlando Cubs (Double-A Cubs) from 1993-97. In 1998, he was hired as Player Procurement Director for the independent St. Paul Saints, a position he held with the Saints, Brockton Rox and Ft. Worth Cats over the next 13 years.

He served as the Miami Marlins Minor League Hitting Coordinator in 2012.

During the off seasons of 2000-2005, Barry was the Hitting Coach for the U.S.A. Professional Tournament Teams that played for the World Cup and Pan American Games Qualifying Tournaments.

His well-rounded experience at the major league level makes him the perfect candidate to serve as the CWL’s Field Coordinator.

Chris Carminucci

Professional Scout/Independent League Scouting Coordinator – Arizona Diamondbacks

   

Carminucci currently serves as a Professional Scout/Independent League Scouting Coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks after previous scouting experience with the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies.

Chris’s professional managerial debut was in 2004 with the Bangor Lumberjacks of the Canadian-American League. He was named the Can-Am League’s Manager of the Year in 2009-10 when he led the Brockton Rox to their highest win total in club history.

Carminucci has a unique blend of on-field managing as well as front office experience. In 2006, he was named Vice President of Player Procurement for Ventura Sports Group, where he continues to help build rosters for several Can-Am and American Association teams. Carminucci has served as CEO and Director of Baseball Operations for the Brockton Rox, Atlantic City Surf and Grosseto Professional Baseball Club Italy and owns his own baseball consulting firm, Carminucci Sports Group, and was instrumental in the formation of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England, a summer collegiate baseball league that began play in the summer of 2011.

Rick Schroeder

Professional Scout – Texas Rangers (MLB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schroeder has scouted for the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers dating back to 1982. During his tenure as a professional scout, Schroeder has scouted and signed the following major and minor league players: Danny Duffy, Derek Holland, Gary Alexander, Steve Buechele, Bob Gamez, Danny Herrera, Randy Kramer, John Lujan, and Alex Rivers. In two seasons with the CWL, he has signed two players directly out of the CWL and offered many more MLB spring training invites.

 

Ron Biga (Pitching Coordinator)

Manager – Windy City ThunderBolts (Frontier League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 will be Biga’s fifth season managing the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League, and his 17th season overall in professional baseball. In 2015, he managed the Canada A’s to the CWL Championship. In addition to his duties with the ThunderBolts, Biga is also a Special Assignment Scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will serve as the CWL’s Pitching Coordinator for the 2017 season.

Tom Carcione (Hitting and Defensive Coordinator)

Hitting Coach – Lincoln Saltdogs (American Association)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carcione has plenty of professional baseball coaching experience. He joined former CWL Hitting Instructor, Bobby Brown, in Lincoln to serve as the team’s hitting coach for the 2017 season. In addition to his 15 years of coaching experience, Carcione has 10 years of professional playing experience.

Dennis Pelfrey

Manager – Florence Freedom (Frontier League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dennis Pelfrey returned for his third season as the Freedom’s Manager in 2017. 2018 will be his third season with the California Winter League.

In the 2015 season, Pelfrey led a team that was nine games under .500 at the All-Star Break to the postseason. The Freedom won 14 of their last 20 regular season games, but fell in the Frontier League Wild Card Round to the River City Rascals 6-5.

Prior to his time in Florence, Pelfrey spent four seasons coaching for the Gary SouthShore RailCats under veteran independent professional baseball manager Greg Tagert. His tenure included a 2013 American Association championship.

Pelfrey also played six seasons of professional baseball from 1999-2004 after a collegiate career at Northwood University in Texas. Most of those six seasons were spent in the Frontier League as Pelfrey manned multiple infield positions for the Dubois County Dragons, Kenosha Mammoths and the Springfield/Ozark Ducks.

Boots Day

Assistant Coach – Evansville Otters (Frontier League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day, 67, is in his fifth season as an assistant coach with the Otters. He was the Frontier League Coach of the Year in 2012, his first year back in Evansville. Boots played Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Montreal Expos during his six-year stint. In 1971, his best season, Day hit .283 with four home runs and 33 RBI for the Expos. Day also played for the Evansville Triplets from 1975 to 1978. After his playing days, “Boots” managed the Detroit Tigers’ rookie team, the Otters and teams in the Cleveland Indians’ minor league system. The New York native has also been a hitting instructor for the Cardinals and Kansas City Royals organizations, as well as the hitting coach most recently for the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League in 2011. Day’s team in 2011 had the second best batting average and recorded the second most hits among all Frontier League teams. He guided the Otters to a 31-38 record as the franchise’s first manager in 1995. Boots led the Manitoba North Stars to a CWL Championship in their inaugural season in 2016.

Casey Dill

Scouting Supervisor – Southern Illinois Miners (Frontier League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dill is the Scouting and Player Acquisition Coordinator for the Southern Illinois Miners of the independent professional Frontier League. He also is an Associate Scout for the Atlanta Braves. Casey is a graduate of the Scout School hosted by the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau and has worked in player procurement in different levels of professional baseball for several years. He has scouted and recruited hundreds of professional baseball players and has helped build several professional championship rosters.

 

Tom Vaeth

Assistant Coach – Winnipeg Goldeyes (American Asssociation)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Vaeth, born July 13th, 1972 in Baltimore, Maryland, enters his 14th season in a coaching role with the Winnipeg Goldeyes. In addition to serving as the team’s hitting coach, Vaeth has held various other roles on the staff, including first base coach, third base coach, batting practice pitcher, and bullpen catcher—all while spending an increasing amount of time in player procurement. Vaeth has helped the Goldeyes move contracts of 12 position players to MLB organizations during his time with the club.

Gabe Suarez

Field Manager/Director of Baseball Operations – Cleburne Railroaders (American Association)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cleburne Railroaders named Gabe Suarez as the organizaton’s first Field Manager and Director of Baseball Operations in February 2017.

Prior to joining the Railroaders, Suarez has had an experienced career as a player and coach in affiliated and independent Baseball. Suarez was drafted 26th by the Montreal Expos in the 2004 MLB draft out of South Mountain Junior College and had an 11-year professional career with the Expos/Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. Additionally, Suarez was a member of Team Spain in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and managed the American Association’s Joplin Blasters in 2016.

Paul Noce

Manager – East Side Diamond Hoppers (United Shore Professional Baseball League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Noce has been actively involved in the game of baseball for over 33 years, including two stints in the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs (’87) and Cincinnati Reds (’90). In 1986, Noce was selected as a Topps All-Star shortstop for his play with the AA Pittsfield Cubs, a MiLB affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.  A proven winner, he was a member of the AAA World Series-winning Indianapolis Indians (a Cleveland Indians minor affiliate) in 1988 and the 1990 World Series Cincinnati Reds. After a successful career as a player, he served as a minor league instructor and manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before moving on to the collegiate ranks. In 1994, he took the reins as Head Coach at Hillsdale College in Adrian, Mich.  Over the next 20 years, Noce would win nearly 350 games. In 2012, he was inducted into the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in San Mateo, Calif. 2017 will be his first season with the California Winter League.

Chris Newell

Manager – Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (United Shore Professional Baseball League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Newell has served in professional baseball since 1997 as a player, manager and scout.  After a successful college career at Northwest Missouri State University, Newell played professional baseball in 1997 and 1998, earning a Gold Glove as a second basemen for the Kalamazoo Kodiaks in the Frontier League.  After retiring as a player, he began his scouting career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, spanning from 1999 to 2005. In 2003, Newell made his professional managing debut with the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League, making him the youngest manager in professional baseball that year.  Since 2006, he has scouted for the New York Yankees. Through his private instruction, Newell has trained 44 players who have either been drafted professionally or signed professional contracts, including: MLB All-Star DJ LeMahieu and 2015 Tampa Bay Rays draftee Jacob Cronenworth. 2017 will be Newell’s first season with the California Winter League.

Dan DiPace

Director of Player Procurement – San Rafael Pacifics (Pacific Association)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan DiPace is an independent league veteran of over 16 years and served as a scout in affiliated baseball when he was an Associate Scout for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. As a player, DiPace signed as a shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963.

DiPace currently serves as the Director of Player Procurement for the San Rafael Pacifics of the Pacific Association. He is in charge of discovering and signing talent for the Northern California based league.

James Frisbie

Manager – Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Atlantic League)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frisbie began the 2017 season as the Blue Crabs pitching coach. He took over the helm in early August and led the team to the first-half Freedom Division championship.

Besides the last two months of the 2017 ALPB season, Frisbie’s previous skipper duties were managing the Texas Air Hogs of the American Association in 2016. In 2013, Frisbie was named the team manager for the Rockford Aviators and was the manager of the 2015 Frontier League All-Star game. As a player, the left-handed pitcher was signed by the Alexandria Aces in the Texas-California League in 1998. Frisbie was on staff with the Rio Grande Valley White Wings, the Jackson Senators of Central Baseball League and with the Chillicothe Paints in the Frontier League.