Minor League Notes: Sox finalize minor league coaching staff, farm system ranked 11th

Feb. 3—Regardless of how long it takes Major League Baseball's owners and players to reach an agreement to end the lockout, the Minor League season will move ahead on schedule either way, and Thursday the Red Sox officially announced their complete minor league coaching staff for 2022.

Among the highlights, both the Triple-A and Double-A clubs will enter the season with new managers. Chad Tracy takes over as manager of the Worcester Red Sox following seven years in the Los Angeles Angels' system, and Chad Epperson will now manage the Portland Sea Dogs after spending the last 11 seasons as the Red Sox Minor League Catching Coordinator.

Corey Wimberly, who managed the Sea Dogs last year, has been promoted to Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator for the entire Red Sox system. He'll join Darren Fenster (Infield Coordinator) and Ralph Treuel (Player Development Pitching Advisor) in new roles overseeing aspects of the player development program.

The most noteworthy external hire is Anthony Iapoce, who joins the organization as Senior Hitting Coordinator after spending the last six years as a major league hitting coach with the Chicago Cubs (2019-21) and Texas Rangers (2016-18).

The Red Sox also officially become the first franchise to feature two women in on-field coaching positions, with Bianca Smith returning as a Fort Myers-based coach while Katie Krall joins the Portland Sea Dogs as a Development Coach.

The complete minor league on-field coaching staff is as follows:

Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)

* Manager: Chad Tracy

* Bench Coach: Jose Flores

* Pitching Coach: Paul Abbott

* Hitting Coach: Rich Gedman

* Asst. Hitting Coach: Michael Montville

* Development Coach: Brendan Connolly

* Athletic Trainers: Dave Herrera, Scott Gallon

* Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ben Chadwick

* Massage Therapist: Edwin Rodriguez

Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)

* Manager: Chad Epperson

* Pitching Coach: Lance Carter

* Hitting Coach: Doug Clark

* Coach: Chris Hess

* Development Coach: Katie Krall

* Athletic Trainer: Nick Kuchwara

* Strength & Conditioning Coach: Joe Hudson

Greenville Drive (High-A)

* Manager: Iggy Suarez

* Pitching Coach: Bob Kipper

* Hitting Coach: Nate Spears

* Coach: Matt Wheeler

* Development Coach: Joe Cronin

* Athletic Trainer: Bobby Stachura

* Strength & Conditioning Coach: Donny Gress

Salem Red Sox (Low-A)

* Manager: Luke Montz

* Pitching Coach: Nick Green

* Hitting Coach: Nelson Paulino

* Coaches: Mickey Jiang, Ako Thomas

* Development Coach: TBD

* Athletic Trainer: Jacob Loughman

* Strength & Conditioning Coach: Omar Porras

Fort Myers Complex

* Managers: Jimmy Gonzalez, Tom Kotchman

* Pitching Coaches: Jason Blanton, Brett Merritt

* Hitting Coaches: Josh Prince, Junior Zamora

* Coach: Bianca Smith

* Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ricky De Luna

Dominican Republic Academy

* Latin American Field Coordinator: Jose Zapata

* Managers: Sandy Madera, Ozzie Chavez

* Pitching Coaches: Humberto Sanchez, Oscar Lira

* Hitting Coaches: Eider Torres, Danny Ortega

* Coaches: Juan Hernandez, Carlos Vallejo, Claudio Sanchez, Leonel Vazquez

* Development Coaches: Christian Vogler, Manny Alvarez

* International Instructor: Amaury Garcia

* Athletic Trainers: Guillermo Hinojosa, Tyler Lough, Jharvyn Velasquez

* Strength & Conditioning Coaches: Antonio Diaz, Danny Gutierrez, Rafael Rivera

Farm system ranked No. 11

Earlier this week Baseball America released its Preseason Organizational Talent Rankings for the upcoming season, and the Red Sox were listed as having the No. 11 farm system in the sport.

That marks a notable improvement from recent years, as the Red Sox came into last season ranked 21st, were 22nd entering 2020 and were dead last at 30th heading into 2019. The Red Sox system is considered top heavy, however, as the club boasts four Top 100 prospects in Marcelo Mayer (15), Triston Casas (19), Nick Yorke (31) and Jarren Duran (91) but fewer mid-tier guys on the next level down.

Triple-A season extended by six games

Fans of the Worcester Red Sox got some good news on Thursday as Minor League Baseball announced that the Triple-A season will be extended by six games, bringing its total length to 150 games.

The extension will allow the Triple-A season to better align with the Major League schedule, and the season is now scheduled to conclude on Sept. 28.

The Worcester Red Sox will open their season on April 5 at the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and their home opener will be April 12 against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Triple-A season will start on schedule whether the lockout has been resolved or not, though players on the Red Sox 40-man roster will remain unavailable until the lockout ends.

Ex-WooSox broadcaster Maurer earns big league promotion

Former Pawtucket/Worcester Red Sox play by play man Josh Maurer has officially been called up to the big leagues, as the longtime minor league broadcaster has been hired as the newest member of the Milwaukee Brewers radio team.

Maurer, who has worked the Red Sox Triple-A broadcasts since 2014, has nearly 20 years of broadcasting experience primarily covering college and minor league programs. He will call approximately 60 regular-season games this coming season on the Brewers Radio Network, primarily teaming with Lane Grindle on road games when Jeff Levering is out working in the TV booth. Levering is also a former PawSox broadcaster who worked with Maurer in 2014.

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.