Lopez Returns as Hooks Manager

CORPUS CHRISTI - Reigning Texas League Manager of the Year Omar Lopez will lead the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2019, the Houston Astros announced today. Pitching coach Graham Johnson and hitting coach Tim LaMonte have been tabbed as Lopez's assistants.
Last year marked Lopez's first season at the helm of the Hooks. He guided Corpus Christi to a Double-A best 82-56 record as the club claimed both the first and second half titles in the Texas League South. The Hooks' .594 winning percentage ranked as the third-best mark in team history.

Corpus Christi advanced 15 players to Triple-A Fresno last season. This group includes pitchers Josh James, Framber Valdez, and Cionel Pérez and outfielder Myles Straw, who ultimately made their Major League debuts with the Astros.
Lopez, the seventh field chief in the 15-year history of the Hooks, enters his 21st campaign in the Houston organization, and his 12th as a minor-league skipper.
"We are thrilled to have Omar back in a Corpus Christi uniform," Hooks President Ken Schrom said. "His record in terms of getting the guys ready to compete everyday speaks for itself, and we appreciate his commitment to having our players actively participate in the community. Omar is a great friend and a big-time asset to the organization."
Lopez, 42, has won two Venezuelan Professional Baseball League championships in five years as manager of Caribes de Anzoategui. In his first year as skipper, Lopez was named 2014-15 LVBP Manager of the Year after piloting Anzoategui to a 39-24 record and circuit title.
Johnson approaches his first Double-A campaign after joining the Astros last season as pitching coach at Quad Cities. Johnson played collegiately at Culver-Stockton College, and spent six years as a coach at Morehead State University prior to joining Houston.
LaMonte, beginning his first year in the Astros system, has worked as a private hitting instructor based in Texas since 1998, and previously ran In The Box Athletics, a baseball training and strength and conditioning facility. LaMonte graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2001, and played baseball at Eastfield College.
Troy Snitker and Bill Murphy, who served on the Hooks field staff last year, received promotions this winter. Snitker, honored as the 2018 Texas League Mike Coolbaugh Coach of the Year, is on Houston's big-league staff as a hitting coach. Murphy is now the Astros' pitching coordinator.
The Hooks open their 15th season of play against the newly-minted Amarillo Sod Poodles on Thursday, April 4 at Whataburger Field.