List of Nashville Sounds coaches

The Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team has employed 43 coaches since its establishment in Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1978 season. Of these, 22 have been pitching coaches and 21 have been hitting coaches. As of the 2017 season, the Sounds' coaches are Eric Martins (hitting) and Rick Rodriguez (pitching).

Contents

• Pitching coaches
• Hitting coaches
• References

A pitching coach is responsible for mentoring and training a teams' pitchers. He advises the manager on the condition of pitchers and their arms, and serves as an in-game coach for the pitcher currently on the mound. When a manager makes a visit to the mound, he typically is doing so to make a pitching change or to discuss situational defense. However, the pitching coach is the one who will typically visit the mound to talk about mechanics or how to pitch to a particular batter. As the name suggests, the pitching coach is generally a former pitcher. A hitting coach works with a team's players to improve their hitting techniques and form. He monitors players' swings during the game and over the course of the season, advising them when necessary between at-bats on adjustments to make. He also oversees their performance during practices, cage sessions, and pre-game batting practice.

Three former Sounds players later served as a coach for the team. Wayne Garland, who played in 1982, returned as pitching coach from 1987 to 1988. Don Cooper, a pitcher in 1980, served as pitching coach from 1994 to 1996. Fred Dabney, who pitched in 1993, returned as pitching coach from 2012 to 2014. Gene Roof (1986) and Buddy Pryor (1987) were player coaches who coached hitting while playing on the team. Two coaches also managed the Nashville club. Pitching coach Wayne Garland filled in as interim manager for three games in 1988 when manager Jack Lind left the team due to health problems. Richie Hebner, who was the pitching coach from 1998 to 2000, became the team's manager for the second half of the 2000 season when Trent Jewett became the Pittsburgh Pirates' third base coach.

Pat Dobson's 1980 to 1981 pitching staff had a 3.18 earned run average, the lowest recorded among all pitching coaches. Darold Knowles (2001–2004) and Stan Kyles (2005–2008) are the longest tenured pitching coaches, having served for four full seasons. In 1993, co-hitting coaches Roger LaFrancois and Mark Haley guided their batters to .281 batting averages, the highest among all hitting coaches. Among solo hitting coaches, Jeff Livesey (2001) and Sandy Guerrero (2009–2011) led their batters to .276 batting averages. LaFrancois (1993–1996), who coached hitting for four full seasons, is the longest serving hitting coach.