RailRiders retain hitting, pitching coaches

Feb. 3—New Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Shelley Duncan will have a couple of coaches on his staff who can show him the ropes.

Hitting coach Trevor Amicone and pitching coach Graham Johnson will return in their roles on the RailRiders staff, the New York Yankees announced Friday. They'll be joined by a new defensive coach, Jose Javier, who makes the jump from High-A Hudson Valley.

The RailRiders were in for some changes after manager Doug Davis left for the Triple-A job in the Texas Rangers system. In January, Duncan was revealed as his placement, and now the rest of the coaching staffs in the Yankees system are settled.

Javier, a former Yankees farmhand who has six years of coaching experience in New York's system, takes over on the defensive side for Lino Diaz and Raul Dominguez, who will be deployed at other levels. Dominguez is the new manager for Double-A Somerset while Diaz will remain in Tampa to coach up some of the younger players at Low A.

Athletic trainer Jimmy Downam, clubhouse manager Jim Billington and advanced scouting analyst Nick Loeffelholz are also back for the RailRiders. Strength coach Ryan Williams and video and traveling assistant Sullivan Lyons join the crew.

Former major league pitcher Sergio Santos takes over as the manager for Hudson Valley, while Rachel Balkovec returns to her role as skipper for Low-A Tampa.

After spending time as a roving instructor for the organization, former RailRiders reliever Preston Claiborne will be the pitching coach for Hudson Valley.

Contact the writer:

cfoley@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @RailRidersTT on Twitter