Myrtle Beach Pelicans coaching staff will return intact in 2012

The entire coaching staff of the 2011 Myrtle Beach Pelicans is returning in 2012, led by manager Jason Wood, and the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers are adding an additional assistant coach to their advanced Class A affiliate.

In his rookie season as a minor league manager, Wood steered the Pelicans to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Myrtle Beach won the Carolina League Southern Division’s first half crown in 2011 with a 40-29 record. The club’s 72 wins overall tied for second most over the Pelicans’ last seven seasons, while its 3.32 team earned-run average was the lowest since 2002.

“We’re thrilled to have the coaching staff return in total, plus one,” Pelicans general manager Scott Brown said. “We had a great season with them last year. They know what to expect from us and we know what to expect from them, so we expect the same winning attitude and winning results in 2012 that we had in 2011.”

Wood, a 42-year-old California native and resident, served as hitting coach with the Rangers former advanced-A affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif., in 2009 and 2010 before taking over the Pelicans.

Myrtle Beach returns a coaching staff featuring seasoned minor league instructors in hitting coach Julio Garcia and pitching coach Brad Holman, and adds a young coach in Kenny Holmberg.

“It makes things a lot more comfortable not only for myself but for all of us,” Wood said. “The second time around will be a little bit nicer because I’m familiar with everything. Having the entire staff back is good because we’re comfortable with each other and had a good clubhouse.”

The Pelicans batted .256 as a team under the tutelage of Garcia in 2011, which ranked second in the Carolina League. The 51-year-old holds 13 years of minor league managerial experience, having previously coached in the Reds, Cubs, Rays, Orioles and Pirates organizations. As the skipper of the Frederick Keys in 1996, he was named the Carolina League manager of the year.

Holman, 43, returns for his second year as Pelicans pitching coach, his 11th in professional baseball. The 2011 Pelicans had the league’s second-best staff ERA. Holman spent the two previous seasons in the same role at the Rangers’ low-A South Atlantic League affiliate in Hickory (NC) and previously coached in the Mariners and Pirates farm systems.

Holmberg, 28, has been added to the Myrtle Beach staff after spending the past two years as manager of the Rangers’ rookie level club in the Dominican Republic. The Brewers drafted the former infielder in the 22nd round of the 2005 amateur draft out of Embry-Riddle University, and he batted .272 during his four-year pro playing career.

Holmberg’s father, Dennis Holmberg, has managed for more than 30 years in the Toronto organization including a four-year stint as manager of the Florence Blue Jays from 1981-84.

Rangers first-year Director of Player Development Tim Purpura, who spent the past four years as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Minor League Baseball, was impressed with the demeanor and professionalism of the Pelicans when he saw them during a series in Potomac last year.

He also liked the idea of maintaining the combination of the experience of Garcia and Holman with the relative youth and inexperience of Wood and Holmberg.

“Looking at the situation we had a good solid group, and the guys made progress and played well last year, so it really was no sell for me,” Purpura said. “I’m a big believer in having experience at the lower levels, particularly in the skill areas of pitching and catching. And it’s nice to have guys that have been there as a resource to [Wood].”

Jeff Bodenhamer, 36, is back as the team’s athletic trainer in 2012, his eighth year with the Rangers. The North Carolina native and Newberry resident was a trainer for Clemson’s 2000 College World Series baseball team. Ryan McNeal continues in his role as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

“It’s definitely a benefit to have the same guys coming back,” Brown said. “There’s so much change on the player roster it’s nice to have some stability on the coaching staff. When you have new coaches come in you have to show them around the town and meet the fans for the first time. … It’s definitely a plus.”