LAKE ELSINORE – The San Diego Padres recently announced the staff for their Minor League affiliate in Lake Elsinore, which will now consist of Francisco Morales as the new Storm Manager. Xavier Nady and Glendon Rusch have been retained as the team’s hitting and pitching coaches.
Morales, 42, joins the Storm after making his managerial debut with the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low-A) in 2015. The Dominican Republic native previously served as a bullpen catcher and staff assistant with the Cleveland Indians. He joined the Padres as a hitting coach for their Double-A affiliate San Antonio in 2014.
As a player, Morales spent parts of eight seasons in the Minor Leagues with St. Louis, Chicago (Cubs) and Montreal before spending four seasons playing Independent ball. He got his start as a coach in 2005, when the Arizona Diamondbacks pegged him as an instructor in the Dominican Summer League.
Nady, 37, returns to the shores of Lake Elsinore for his first full season as hitting coach after making his professional coaching debut before the 2015 All-Star break. The Salinas, California product was the 49th overall pick in 2000, signing with the Padres out of University of California, Berkeley. Nady joined the Storm as a player in 2001 and was part of Baseball America’s Minor League Team of the Year that season.
He helped lead Lake Elsinore to a 94-49 overall record by batting .302 in 137 games, driving in 100 runs while slugging 26 homers. Nady went on to play 12 seasons in the big leagues, suiting up for the Padres, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants. He returned to San Diego for the final 22 games of his Major League career.
Rusch, 41, also returns to The Diamond as pitching coach for the upcoming season after making his coaching debut in 2015. A two-sport star at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, WA, Rusch was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1993. He made his big league debut in 1997 and went on to play parts of 12 seasons with six teams in the Major Leagues, including a brief stint with the Padres in 2008. After ending his playing career in 2009 with over 1,000 strikeouts, the southpaw founded the Full Count Baseball Academy for young athletes in Southern California.
“We welcome Francisco Morales to the Storm Family as the 13th manager in franchise history,” Storm GM Raj Naryanan said. “We’re also excited to welcome back Glendon and Xavier, who made an indelible impact on the team last year.”
Morales, Nady and Rusch will be joined by Coach Mike McCoy, athletic trainer Ricky Huerta and strength coach Scott Cline.
The 23rd season of Storm Baseball kicks off with Opening Night Thursday, April 14. For more information, log on to stormbaseball.com or connect with the club on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
The post Padres announce Francisco Morales as 2016 Lake Elsinore Storm Manager appeared first on Valley News.