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Pittsburgh, Pa. -
In an unprecedented move, the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Millers takes on a different look. Jerry Russell will move from Pitching Coach to Manager, and Shinji Okuma will slide back into the role of pitching coach, a position he held from 2007-2013.
After being named manager this offseason, former and now current pitching coach Shinji Okuma took the position because the team asked him to be the manager.
Okuma said last November, "I guess everyone dreams of being the guy in charge, running everything on the field. I look forward to the challenge." This was a surprise to many people, because Okuma had so much success recreating pitchers that have come through the Millers organization.
"Oak really saved my career when I came here, AJ Hightower said, I could throw hard but I really never had any direction of what I was going to do. He really took me under my wing and helped turn me into the pitcher I am today."
The hiring of Okuma as the manager came as a surprise to many, mainly because Jerry Russell was being groomed to be the replacement for the legendary Lonnie Hyde. The 45 year old Russell was hired in 2012 after 3 seasons as the Trenton Liberty (AAA) manager, and four seasons in the minors with other clubs. He worked in Reading (A) for a season before moving to the bench coach for the big club in Pittsburgh. When he wasn't named manager this season, he was promoted to pitching coach.
"The dynamic is off, both men have the respect in the clubhouse but their roles never seem to fit," Star outfielder Dave Shook said. "I think our pitchers will perform better with Oak focusing solely on the arms and Jer running the day to day."
Russell, an army brat born in Honolulu, had a brief cup of coffee in the BLB during the 1992 season before bouncing between the other levels of the minors prior to retiring from the game of baseball in 1996 at the age of 27.
For the Millers, something had to be done. A week after trading Mike del Rio, Pat Knight, Marco Valenzuela, this move signifies that changes will continue to happen in Pittsburgh.
In an unprecedented move, the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Millers takes on a different look. Jerry Russell will move from Pitching Coach to Manager, and Shinji Okuma will slide back into the role of pitching coach, a position he held from 2007-2013.
After being named manager this offseason, former and now current pitching coach Shinji Okuma took the position because the team asked him to be the manager.
Okuma said last November, "I guess everyone dreams of being the guy in charge, running everything on the field. I look forward to the challenge." This was a surprise to many people, because Okuma had so much success recreating pitchers that have come through the Millers organization.
"Oak really saved my career when I came here, AJ Hightower said, I could throw hard but I really never had any direction of what I was going to do. He really took me under my wing and helped turn me into the pitcher I am today."
The hiring of Okuma as the manager came as a surprise to many, mainly because Jerry Russell was being groomed to be the replacement for the legendary Lonnie Hyde. The 45 year old Russell was hired in 2012 after 3 seasons as the Trenton Liberty (AAA) manager, and four seasons in the minors with other clubs. He worked in Reading (A) for a season before moving to the bench coach for the big club in Pittsburgh. When he wasn't named manager this season, he was promoted to pitching coach.
"The dynamic is off, both men have the respect in the clubhouse but their roles never seem to fit," Star outfielder Dave Shook said. "I think our pitchers will perform better with Oak focusing solely on the arms and Jer running the day to day."
Russell, an army brat born in Honolulu, had a brief cup of coffee in the BLB during the 1992 season before bouncing between the other levels of the minors prior to retiring from the game of baseball in 1996 at the age of 27.
For the Millers, something had to be done. A week after trading Mike del Rio, Pat Knight, Marco Valenzuela, this move signifies that changes will continue to happen in Pittsburgh.
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