Lance Rymel Named New Ems Manager
After a recent promotion amongst the Chicago Cubs' Minor League coaching ranks, some re-shuffling had to be done in order to finalize each team's staffs, including the Eugene Emeralds. Lance Rymel has been named the new manager of the Ems for the 2019 season, replacing Steven Lerud.
After a recent promotion amongst the Chicago Cubs' Minor League coaching ranks, some re-shuffling had to be done in order to finalize each team's staffs, including the Eugene Emeralds. Lance Rymel has been named the new manager of the Ems for the 2019 season, replacing Steven Lerud.
2019 will be Rymel's third season as a minor league manager and his fourth season as a coach in the Cubs organization. Last season, Rymel managed the Cubs' Dominican Summer League 1 team, guiding them to a 41-31 record. He also managed the squad in 2017, reaching a record of 37-33. A former catcher, Rymel enjoyed a three-year minor league playing career from 2012-2014, including 61 games across two seasons in the Northwest League as a member of the Boise Hawks.
Mark Johnson, formerly announced as the manager for Double-A Tennessee, has been named the new Catching Coordinator for the entire farm system. Taking his place in Tennessee will be Jimmy Gonzalez, who was previously named the manager of Single-A Myrtle Beach. Steven Lerud, who was the manager in Eugene in 2018 and originally given the same role a few weeks ago, will move up to take the managerial role in Myrtle Beach. He will be joined by hitting coach Ty Wright, also previously announced to the same position in Eugene.
The 2019 season begins in Eugene on June 14th, as the Ems will take on their Northwest League rivals, the Hillsboro Hops, at PK Park. A phenomenal opportunity for new manager, Lance Rymel, to kick off his stint in Eugene.