The Guardians and new manager Stephen Vogt have set the 2024 major league coaching staff.
The club officially named Craig Albernaz (bench coach), Rouglas Odor (infield coach), Brad Goldberg (bullpen coach) and Kai Correa (major league field coordinator) to new roles.
The team also confirmed a number of returning coaches, including Sandy Alomar Jr. (first base/catching coach), Carl Willis (pitching coach), Joe Torres (assistant pitching coach), Chris Valaika (hitting coach), Victor Rodriguez (assistant hitting coach), JT Maguire (outfield coach) and Jason Esposito (run production coordinator). Armando Camacaro and Ricky Pacione will also return as the club's bullpen catchers.
"I think it was paramount to have them come back," Vogt said in a Zoom call with reporters. "I mean, especially the experience levels of Carl and Sandy and their wealth of knowledge and just their love for Cleveland and the players here, they're going to be a huge, huge help for me."
The new staff is, therefore, a mix of the Guardians' existing internal options receiving promotions and a few new faces. DeMarlo Hale, Mike Sarbaugh, Rigo Beltran and Mike Barnett are the four coaches who will not return in 2024.
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Odor, in addition to his duties as the infield coach, will also handle the third base coach responsibilities, which were formerly under Sarbaugh's jurisdiction.
Albernaz replaces Hale as the club's bench coach after spending four seasons as the San Francisco Giants ' bullpen coach. Terry Francona and Brad Mills spent decades together. The manager-bench coach relationship is vital. In 2024, the Guardians will be led by the tandem of Vogt and Albernaz.
"I think it's the most important relationship because he's going to push me," Vogt said of working with Albernaz. "He's going to challenge me in a lot of ways. He's going to support me, but it's not always going to be easy. And to have somebody that I know very well personally, and somebody's pushed me my entire career, is going to continue to do that and I want to do that for him."
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Odor was the manager of the RubberDucks for the last four seasons. Akron posted a record to 278-257 in that time.
Goldberg is entering his third season in the organization and last year was the pitching coach for the RubberDucks alongside Odor.
Correa, like Albernaz, spent the last four years with the San Francisco Giants as their bench coach.
"It's a well-rounded staff, people from all different experience levels," Vogt said. "But also just a wealth of knowledge, and I couldn't be more thrilled to have this group heading into next year."
As for the players, Vogt said he's now reached out to 90-95 percent of the roster in some way, but he also has wanted to respect that the players are in their offseason.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians announce 2024 coaching staff with some new faces
