SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
After guiding the club in each of the franchise’s first
two seasons, former Major League All-Star Brett Butler will return as manager for the Reno Aces in 2011, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced today.
Butler will once again be flanked by hitting coach Rick Burleson, pitching coach Mike Parrott, athletic trainer James Ready and strength and conditioning coach Josh Cuffe.
Reno finished last season at 69-74, good for third place in the Pacific Southern Division. Twenty-three players appeared for Reno and in the Major Leagues in 2010—including six Aces who went on to make their big-league debut.
The 2010 season marks Butler’s seventh in the Arizona organization and his fifth as a manager in the D-backs chain. A veteran of 17 Major League seasons, Butler helped lead the San Francisco Giants to the 1989 National League pennant, and later he was a National League All-Star in 1991 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Burleson spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues and is widely regarded as one of the greatest shortstops in Boston Red Sox history. The fifth overall pick in the 1970 draft, Burleson was a four-time American League All-Star and has a Rawlings Gold Glove Award and a Hillerich & Bradsby Silver Slugger Award to his credit. In 2002, he was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame.
Parrott was a first-round selection of the Baltimore Orioles in 1973 and would go on to spend five seasons in the big leagues. In 1979, Parrott ranked 10th in the American League with 13 complete games on his way to being named Seattle Mariners Pitcher of the Year. The 2011 season will be Parrot’s 15th with the Diamondbacks organization and 10th as Arizona’s Triple-A pitching coach.
Ready, considered one of the premier up-and-coming trainers in all of Minor League Baseball, returns to Reno for his third-straight Triple-A assignment. Prior to joining the Aces, Ready climbed the ladder from Single-A Visalia to Double-A Mobile, coupled with a stint with the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League.
Cuffe returns for his second-straight season in Reno, after making his Triple-A debut in 2010. A Buena Vista, Colorado native, Cuffe graduated from Dakota State University. Prior to coming to Reno, Cuffe worked in the Diamondbacks organization with Single-A South Bend, Single-A Visalia and Double-A Mobile.
The Aces will open their 2011 home slate on April 15, and will enjoy home games on Memorial Day, Labor Day and the holiday weekend prior to Independence Day. Full and partial season ticket plans are on-sale now. Visit www.RenoAces.com or call (775) 334-4700 today for more information.
