2016 Instructors

Barry Moss

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.

In 1987, Moss led the Salt Lake Trappers (Rookie Pioneer League) to 29 consecutive wins, still a professional baseball record. He managed the Trappers for three 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 (A-Padres), Stockton Ports (High A-Brewers) and Orlando Cubs (AA-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.

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’ playing career spanned parts of eight seasons from 1997-2004 in the Big South and Northeast Leagues. Immediately after, he earned his first managerial experience with St. Johns University and the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League. 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.

Ryan Powell

Head Independent Scout – Baltimore Orioles (MLB)

Powell is a former catcher who played professionally in the Independent circuit. After his time playing professionally, Powell turned his focus to scouting, where he is now the head independent scout for the Baltimore Orioles. 2016 will be Powell’s second season with the California Winter League.

Denny Henderson

Pro Scout – Chicago Cubs (MLB)

Henderson is currently a professional scout for the Chicago Cubs. But his roots in baseball go back to 1977 when he coach at Corona High School.

He began his scouting career in 1981, spending time with the following organizations: San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Chicago Cubs. While coaching scout teams for those organizations, Henderson had a chance to coach the following pro players: Michael Young, Ryan Madsen, Pat Burrell, and Mike Sweeney.

Rick Schroeder

Pro 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.

During the 2015 CWL season, Schroeder inked CWL pitcher Austin Delmotte to a minor league contract with the Rangers.

Mike Garcia

Area Scout – Philadelphia Phillies (MLB)

Mike Garcia is currently an area scout for the Philadelphia in the Southern California, focusing on the large crop of high-level amateur talent the region has to offer. He is responsible for building reports on the area’s talent and assisting the Phillies’ front office in their preparations for the MLB Rule 4 Amateur Draft in June.

Ricky VanAsselberg

Director of Player Procurement – Bridgeport Bluefish (Atlantic League)

VanAsselberg returns to the California Winter League for his sixth season after signing on in 2011. VanAsselberg is a two-time American Association champion, having managed the Shreveport-Bossier Captains to the title in 2010, and winning again the following season with the Grand Prairie Airhogs, whose 64-36 record was the best in the league and also the best in club history. He was the manager of the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League in 2015, and will serve as the Director of Player Procurement in 2016.

Stan Cliburn

New Britain Bees (Atlantic League)

Following a 15-year professional playing career as a catcher where he reached the major leagues, Cliburn began his ascension through the minor league coaching ranks, taking his first job as a manager with the New York Penn League (A, Pirates) in 1988. That season was the first of what has become a 28-year coaching career, with 25 of the 28 years spent as a manager.

As a manager and hitting coach, he’s spent time working with some of the game’s greats such as former American League MVPs Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau during his time with the Twins organization.

Cliburn was just hired to be the new manager of the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League in December 2015.

Bobby Brown

Lincoln Saltdogs (American Association)

Brown has 18 years of professional baseball experience as a player, coach, scout and manager. This is his fifth season with the CWL.

Brown initially played with the Springfield Capitals of the Frontier League in 1996 before hooking on with the Kansas City Royals the following year. He returned to the Frontier League in 1998 and posted career highs in batting average (.363), home runs (9) and RBI (63) with the Canton Crocodiles.

His expertise in the art of hitting has earned him the right to be the hitting coach for the Lincoln Saltdogs in the American Association.

Gabe Suarez

Joplin Blasters (American Association)

Suarez was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2004 and spent his 10-year career playing with Major League organizations (Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres), independent organizations, and he even played for the Spanish National team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

In 2014 Suarez became the CEO of the American Association expansion team, the Joplin Blasters. He scouted and signed talent out of the CWL last season, and he will look to do the same in 2016.

Ron Biga

Windy City ThunderBolts (Frontier League)

Ron Biga

2016 will be Biga’s third season managing the ThunderBolts of the Frontier League, and his 16th season overall in professional baseball. Last season, he managed the Canada A’s to the 2015 CWL Championship. In addition to his duties with the ThunderBolts, Biga also serves as a Special Assignment Scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Tom Carcione

Windy City ThunderBolts (Frontier League)

2015 was Tom Carcione’s first season with the ThunderBolts as their hitting coordinator and his 17th season coaching at a professional or college level. He currently is on the same coaching staff as Ron Biga, who led the Canada A’s to the 2015 CWL Championship. Carcione joins a group of experienced Frontier League coaches who will offer instruction and the ability to sign players this season.

Dan Rohn

Traverse City Beach Bums (Frontier League)

Dan Rohn played 13 years of professional baseball including 3 stints in the majors. He then began coaching Minor League baseball in 1990 as hitting coach of the Portland Beavers, (AAA Minnesota Twins). He spent the next 23 years in baseball working in many facets and was named Manager of the Year on four separate occasions.

Rohn has already experienced success managing in the Frontier League, leading the Traverse City Beach Bums to a 2015 Frontier League Championship. He did that with the help of players he signed directly out of the 2015 CWL season.

Cameron Roth

Schaumburg Boomers (Frontier League)

Cameron Roth

Roth was a former draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2010. He then pitched for the Schaumburg Boomers in 2012 before moving on to a career as a pitching coach. Roth instructs both pitchers and position players, helping them evaluate and improve their mechanics. 2016 will be his second year with the California Winter League.

Patrick O’Sullivan

So. Illinois Miners (Frontier League)

O’Sullivan had been the hitting coach for the Rockford Aviators for four seasons. As a coach, he helped lead the Aviators to league-leading marks of 911 total hits, 175 doubles and a .277 team batting average in 2012.

O’Sullivan brings an extensive hitting background to the Miners organization. When he retired as a player at the end of the 2010 season, he was 13th on the active minor league home run list with 200. Originally drafted in the 34th round of the 1999 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the former New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles farmhand finished his career with an exceptional .317 average over 12 professional seasons. Over six Triple-A seasons he hit .322 with 90 home runs. O’Sullivan also hit 20 home runs in five straight seasons from 2004-2008.

Dennis Pelfrey

Florence Freedom (Frontier League)

Pelfrey played six seasons of professional baseball from 1999-2004 after his collegiate days at Northwood University in Texas. Most of those six seasons were spent in the Frontier League where he played multiple infield positions.

After his playing career, he joined the coaching staff of the Gary SouthShore Railcats in the American Association, helping bring in a league championship during his tenure.

In 2014, Pelfrey was hired as the manager of Florence Freedom in the Frontier League, where he is praised for his exceptional ability to develop players and his keen eye for talent.

Boots Day

Evansville Otters (Frontier League)

Boots played Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Montreal Expos during his six year stint. After his playing days, Day 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. He was the Frontier League Coach of the Year in 2012.

Billy Bryk Jr.

Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League)

Billy Bryk brings eight seasons of professional coaching experience to the staff, including spending the 2009 and 2010 season as pitching coach for the Windy City ThunderBolts. After leaving the ThunderBolts, Billy spent two seasons as a pitching coach in the American Association, with the Amarillo Sox in 2011 and the Laredo Lemurs in 2012. Billy spent the past two seasons as a Special Assignment Scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and in 2016 he became the Brooklyn Cyclones’ pitching coach (A-affiliate New York Mets). Over 30 of the pitchers that he coached signed with Major League affiliated teams, with four making it to the MLB: Robert Cuello, Dylan Axelrod, Andrew Werner, and Chaz Roe. He is hoping to send more players to the majors during his time here at the CWL.

Matt Rusch

Trois Rivieres Aigles (Can-Am League)

Rusch is a former minor league pitcher, spending five seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization and a sixth within the Boston Red Sox organization. After his playing career, he went on to become the pitching coach for the Trois Rivieres Aigles of the Can-Am League, where he currently coaches. 2016 will be his first season with the CWL.

John Harris

Trois Rivieres Aigles (Can-Am League)

John Harris

Harris played his college ball at Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, TX before being drafted by the California Angels in 1976. His professional playing career spanned nine seasons, including parts of three Major League seasons with the Angels from 1979-81. In the majors, Harris recorded a .258 career average with five home runs in 58 games with the Angels. He batted .308 with 97 home runs and 562 RBI in nine minor league seasons.

Harris is currently the Director of Player Procurement for the Trois Rivieres Aigles in the Can-Am League. He will have the ability to sign players directly out of the CWL for the Aigles.

Bobby Jones

Sussex Miners (Can-Am League)

Jones is a former major league pitcher who pitched for the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and Boston Red Sox from 1997-2004. He reached the World Series twice: once in 2000 with the Mets, and again in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. In 2016 he was named manager of the Sussex Miners in the Can-Am League, which will be his first managerial position. Jones brings a culture of winning along with major league playing experience to all of the players of the 2016 CWL season.

Dan DiPace Sr.

San Rafael Pacifics (Pacific Association)

Dan DiPace is 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 league. In addition to his ability to sign players, Dan brings 15 years of coaching experience to the table.

Mac Suzuki

Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners in 1993 without ever playing professionally in Japan. He made history in 1995, becoming just the third Japanese player in Major League history and the first Japanese pitcher to play in the American League.

Over a six year Major League career with the Mariners, Royals, Rockies and Brewers, Suzuki appeared in 117 games. From 2003-04, he pitched for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League (Japan).

In 1993 Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners and was promoted to the majors in 1995. He made his major league pitching debut on July 7, 1996. His debut cast him as only the third Japanese player to play in the major leagues and the first Japanese player to pitch in the American League. Suzuki went on to play for the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals (where he won 8 games in 2000 including a shut-out), the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers before deciding at the end of the 2002 season to enter the Japanese professional leagues.

In 2005, Suzuki came back to the US and signed a minor league contract with the Oakland A’s, and in 2006 he joined a Mexican League team. In that offseason he signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. Suzuki played with the Calgary Vipers of the independent Golden Baseball League to round out his 2008 season. In 2009 he played for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.

Joe Brown

Assistant Hitting Coordinator

Brown played his high school ball in Ramstein, Germany, where he led their league in hitting and stolen bases twice. He also garnered awards for his play in the outfield during his junior and senior seasons. After his high school playing career, he joined the Army and was assigned to Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas. He returned and began his coaching career in 2012. 2016 will be Brown’s fourth season with the CWL.

Tim Johnson

Infield Coordinator

Johnson is a former professional baseball player and manager. He played in the majors from 1973-1979 with the Dodgers, Brewers, and Blue Jays. After his playing career, he went on to manage the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3rd place finish in the AL East in 1998.

Harry Gurley

Palm Springs Power

Gurley’s has helped more than 45 players gain affiliated baseball experience, including 12 players who have made it all the way to the Major Leagues. Five of his pitching pupils have also been drafted in the first round of the MLB first-year player draft.

As the Ohio State University Pitching Coach from 2006-07, Gurley’s team led the Big 10 Conference in ERA and boasted its first 10-game winner in nearly a decade.

Gurley became the Palm Springs POWER Manager in 2009 as well as 2011-15 and won the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League Championship in all six of his seasons as acting manager.

2016 Instructors