Nationals announce 2024 Player Development Staff

The Washington Nationals announced their 2024 Player Development staff on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Player Development and Administration Eddie Longosz made the joint announcement.

New Staff Members

· Rigo Beltrán will serve as Harrisburg’s pitching coach after spending the 2023 season as the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen coach. He moved to that role after four seasons (2019–22) between Triple-A Columbus and Cleveland’s Alternate Training Site. During that time, 19 pitchers made their Major League debuts after being called up from one of the two affiliates. Beltrán spent the 2018 season as the pitching coach for Double-A Akron after three seasons (2015–17) with High-A Lynchburg. Beltrán appeared in 78 Major League games across five seasons with Montreal (2004), Colorado (1999–00), New York Mets (1998–99) and St. Louis (1997). He was selected in the 26th round of the 1991 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Wyoming.

· Tommy Everidge, who spent the last two seasons as the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics, will serve as Washington’s Minor League hitting coordinator. Prior to his role on the A’s Major League staff, he worked eight seasons in Oakland’s Minor League system. He began his coaching career as the hitting coach for short-season Single-A Vermont for two seasons (2014–15) before moving to Single-A Stockton (2016–17) and Double-A Midland (2018–20). He spent one season with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2021 before being promoted to the Major League staff in 2022. Everidge spent seven seasons in Oakland’s system as a player, eventually making his Major League debut in 2009. A native of Santa Rosa, California, Everidge was selected in the 10th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft from Sonoma State University.

· Niomar Gomez joins the coaching ranks after a five-year professional career in Washington’s Minor League system. He appeared in 55 games (38 starts) from 2017 to 2023, going 7–12 with a 5.32 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 187.2 innings.

· Mike Habas joins the organization after five seasons as a hitting coach in Milwaukee’s Minor League system. He spent the previous two seasons (2022–23) with the Arizona Complex League Brewers after starting his career as the Dominican Summer League hitting coach from 2019 to 2021. Habas joined the Brewers’ organization after two years (2017–18) as a coach for the Gary SouthShore RailCats. A native of Homewood, Illinois, Habas played collegiately at North Greenville University after stops at Moraine Valley Community College and South Suburban College.

· Kylie Kain was promoted to Minor League Nutrition Coordinator after joining the organization in 2023 as the performance dietitian for Triple-A Rochester, the first ever female field staff member for the Red Wings. Kain was the owner of Kylie Kain Nutrition in Washington, D.C., a private practice to help clients and athletes reach health and performance goals, while also working as a part-time fitness coach. Kain earned both a Master and Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Physical Performance from St. Louis University. She earned her first degree in philosophy from Colgate University in 2014 where she was also a member of the lacrosse team.

· Jeff Livesey returns to Double-A Harrisburg where his coaching career began in 1996 as the hitting coach for the Senators. He spent two seasons with Montreal’s Double-A affiliate before joining Pittsburgh’s organization in 1998. Prior to joining the Nationals, Livesey spent the last four seasons (2020–23) as Miami’s Minor League hitting coordinator. He was also Miami’s catching coordinator in 2023. He moved to the Minor League side after serving as their Major League assistant hitting coach in 2019. Prior to his time with the Marlins organization, Livesey spent 16 seasons (1998–2005, 2011–18) with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, including five seasons on their Major League staff from 2014–18. Between stints with the Pirates, Livesey worked in Japan as the bench coach for the Hiroshima Carp (2006–09) and the Rakuten Eagles (2010). Livesey played eight professional seasons in New York’s (AL) Minor League system before joining the coaching ranks in 1996.

· Chris Prieto spent the previous two seasons (2022–23) as Tampa Bay’s first base coach. Prior to joining their Major League staff, he served as their Minor League outfield/baserunning coordinator in 2020 and 2021. Prieto joined Tampa’s organization after seven seasons with the Seattle Mariners, including six seasons on their Major League coaching staff. He was their third base coach in 2019, first base coach in 2018, special projects coach in 2017 and their quality assurance coach from 2014–16. Prieto joined the Major League staff after leading Rookie-level Pulaski to an Appalachian League title in 2013. He joined the coaching ranks in 2011 as a hitting coach for Single-A Eugene in San Diego’s system after a 13-year professional career that included a two-game stint with the Los Angeles Angels in 2005. Prieto graduated from Carmel (CA) High School and attended San Jose City College and the University of Nevada. He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 24th round of the 1993 June Amateur Draft.

· Jason Wood joins the Nationals organization after spending the last four seasons (2020–23) with the San Francisco Giants as their Minor League infield coordinator. Prior to his time with the Giants, he worked 11 seasons (2008–19) in the Texas Rangers system, spending the last nine as a manager across various levels. In 2014, Wood was named the Texas League Manager of the Year after leading Double-A Frisco to a league-best 80 wins. In 2012 and 2013 as the manager of High-A Myrtle Beach, Baseball America cited Wood as the top managerial prospect in the Carolina League. Wood appeared in 153 games across five Major League seasons with Oakland (1998), Detroit (1998–99) and Florida (2006–08). Wood amassed 1,840 hits in 1,890 games across 17 Minor League seasons from 1991 to 2008.

Triple-A Rochester

Manager — Matt LeCroy

Hitting — Brian Daubach

Pitching — Rafael Chaves

Development Coach — Billy McMillon

Athletic Trainer — Eric Montague

Strength & Conditioning — Mike Warren

Performance Analyst — Daniel Minter

Double-A Harrisburg

Manager — Delino DeShields

Hitting — Jeff Livesey*

Pitching — Rigo Beltrán*

Development Coach — Oscar Salazar

Athletic Trainer — Don Neidig

Strength & Conditioning — Ryan Grose

Performance Analyst — Samantha Unger

High-A Wilmington

Manager — Mario Lisson

Hitting — Delwyn Young**

Pitching — Mark DiFelice

Development Coach — Mark Harris

Athletic Trainer — Kirby Craft

Strength & Conditioning — Brandon Pentheny

Performance Analyst — Paul Sirena

Single-A Fredericksburg

Manager — Jake Lowery

Hitting — Mike Habas*

Pitching — Justin Lord

Development Coach — Carmelo Jaime

Athletic Trainer — Jacob Meyer

Strength & Conditioning — Nathan Sier

Performance Analyst — Josh Freligh

Florida Complex League

Manager — Luis Ordaz

Hitting — Ender Chávez

Pitching — Franklin Bravo

Development Coach — Destin Hood

Athletic Trainer — Nitfrancis Marrero

Strength & Conditioning — RJ Guyer

Dominican Summer League

Field Coordinator/Manager — Sandy Martinez

Hitting/Outfield/Baserunning — Freddy Guzman

Hitting/Infield — Rafael Ozuna

Pitching — Feliberto Sanchez**

Assistant Pitching — Niomar Gomez*

Latin America Training Coord. — Manny Moore

Athletic Trainer — Isaac Adornetto*

Strength & Conditioning — Santo Del Rosario

Staff / Coordinators

VP & AGM, Player Development and Administration — Eddie Longosz

Director, Minor League and Florida Operations — Ryan Thomas

Director, Player Development Tech & Strategy — David Longley

Assistant Director, Player Dev. Tech & Strategy — Patrick Coghlan

Assistant Director, Player Development — John Wulf

Assistant Director, Minor League Operations — JJ Estevez

Senior Advisor, Player Development — Dave Jauss

Senior Biomechanist — Bill Johnson

Biomechanist — Brittany Mills

Coordinator, Player Development Analytics — Jordan Rassmann

Player Development Analyst — Allen Ho

Manager, Florida Operations — Dianne Wiebe

Coordinator, Minor League Video — Allan Bekerman

Coordinator, Minor League Ops. & Player Education — Andrew Scarlata

Assistant, Minor League Operations — Juan Iglesias

Dominican Republic Academy Administrator — Eduardo Castro

Dominican Republic Academy Admin. Assistant — Lorena Rosario

Dominican Republic Academy Clubhouse Assistant — Edniel Wancourt

Field Coordinator — Bob Henley

Pitching Coordinator — Sam Narron

Rehabilitation Pitching Coordinator — Joel Hanrahan**

Hitting Coordinator — Tommy Everidge*

Catching Coordinator — Randy Knorr

Fundamentals Coordinator — Jeff Garber

Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator — Chris Prieto*

Infield Coordinator — Jason Wood*

Medical Rehab Coordinator — Gene Basham

Assistant Medical Rehab Coordinator — Jeff Allred

Minor League Physical Therapist — JR Wood

Strength and Conditioning Coordinator — Gabe Torres

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator — Shane Hill

Athletic Trainer — Cesar Roman

Minor League Nutrition Coordinator — Kylie Kain*

Mental Skills Consultant — Noelle Torres*

Minor League Equipment/Clubhouse Coordinator — Brandon Darnell**

Minor League Clubhouse Operations — Scott Paquin

Minor League Clubhouse Assistant — Giovanni Augusti