Guardians announce staff promotions & hirings within player development leadership team
CLEVELAND, OH ¨C The Cleveland Guardians and Assistant General Manager James Harris today confirmed the following promotions and hirings within the clubĄ¯s Player Development leadership team, reinforcing the organization's commitment to excellence and innovation in nurturing talent.:
Senior Vice President, Hitting.................. Alex Eckelman
VP of Player Development/Farm Director...... Stephen Osterer
Vice President, Hitting................................. Nate Freiman
Asst. Director of Player Development..... Will Huntington
Asst. Director of Player Development........ Ilana Mishkin
Asst. Director of Player Development... Alyssa Nakken+
Asst. Director Physical Development............ Lionel Chia
Asst. Director Defense/Baserunning/ Game Strategy....................................................... JB Eary
Asst. Director, DR Operations................. Ishmael Jansen
Asst. Director, Pitching Development........ Ben Johnson
Asst. Director, Goodyear Operations...... Amiro Santana
Asst. Director, Hitting Development..... Connor Watson+
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, AZ......... Josh Kesel+
Hitting Coordinator..................................... Craig Massoni
Outfield Coordinator.......................................... TJ Rivera
Coordinator, Hitting Development and Analysis, Latin America.......................... Chris Smith
AAA Bench Coach/Asst. Coord., Baserunning........ Daniel Robertson
AA Bench Coach/Asst. Coord., Infield............ Marc Mumper
Asst. Coord., AZ/DR, Outfield/Baserunning...... Dennis Malave
Manager, Dominican Republic Operations....... Ricardo Garcia
Dir., Minor League Medical Services......... Jeremy Harris
Asst. Dir., Minor League Medical Services/Minor League Rehab Coordinator....... Daniel Himmerick
Sr. Sports Scientist..................................... Josh Morrison
+New Organizational Hire
Promotions:
Alex Eckelman is approaching his 16th season with Cleveland since joining the organization in 2010 and has overseen organizational hitting development for the last five seasons, the last three of which coming in a Vice-Presidential role. In his expanded role he will continue leading the hitting development staff along with the design and creation of programs, policies and curriculums implemented throughout the system in addition to taking on a greater focus on the acquisitions side.
Stephen Osterer has been elevated to Vice President of Player Development/Farm Director, assuming many of the duties of the recently departed Rob Cerfolio. Osterer is approaching his sixth season in the Guardians organization, spending the last three years as the Director of Pitching Development. Prior to joining Cleveland, Osterer founded and operated the Baseball Development Group (2017-2020), a high-performance baseball training facility in Toronto, Ontario.
Nate Freiman spent the last three seasons as the Director of Hitting Development, joining the organization as a Baseball Operations Assistant in January of 2019. In his role, Nate works closely with Senior Vice President, Hitting Alex Eckelman to guide Minor League hittersĄ¯ development and support hitting coaches and coordinators throughout the system. Prior to joining Cleveland's front office, Nate played in nine professional seasons from 2009-17.
Will Huntington has been promoted to Assistant Director of Player Development. Huntington's dedication and strategic insights have been instrumental in advancing the Guardians' Player Development initiatives during his tenure with the club. Ilana Mishkin continues in her role as Assistant Director of Player Development, where she has been pivotal since joining the organization in 2019 as a Baseball Operations Fellow. She will assume more of a leadership role on the day-to-day operations within the PD System.
JB Eary spent the last three seasons as the clubĄ¯s Infield Coordinator, his fifth overall season in the Guardians organization following a stint at UNLV. In his new role, he will work in tandem with Kai Correa to implement universal defensive, baserunning and game strategy philosophies and teachings at every organizational level.
New Hires
Alyssa Nakken (NACK-in) joins the Guardians as an Assistant Director of Player Development where she will oversee the people, process and culture at the Goodyear, Arizona Player Development Complex. She spent the last five seasons as an Assistant Coach with the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first female to coach on the field in a Major League baseball game during her first Spring Training (2020) and later in a Regular Season game in 2022. She began her career with the Giants in 2014 as a Baseball Operations intern following a successful collegiate softball career at Sacramento State from 2009-2012, later earning her masterĄ¯s degree in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco in 2015.
Connor Watson has been appointed as Assistant Director of Hitting Development. Watson's innovative approach to hitting mechanics and player engagement developed during his three-year tenure as the Hitting Lead at Driveline Arizona is expected to significantly enhance the Guardians' offensive strategies.