Eugene Emeralds Announce 2021 Coaching Staff

The Eugene Emeralds announced their 2021 coaching staff headed by manager Dennis Pelfrey. He will be joined by pitching coach Alain Quijano, hitting coach Jake Fox and fundamentals coach Lipso Nava. The staff will also include athletic trainer Tim Vigue and strength and conditioning coach Matt Jordan.

Pelfrey joined the San Francisco Giants organization in 2020 when he was slated to be the manager of their Class-A Advanced affiliate in San Jose. He spent the previous five seasons with the Florence Freedom of the Independent Frontier League posting a record of 261-218 including two trips to the League Championship Series.

Originally from Arlington, TX, Pelfrey played college baseball at Northwood University in nearby Cedar Hill. He spent the next 6 seasons playing professionally, with the majority of his time coming in the Frontier League. Primarily an infielder, in his 412 professional games, Pelfrey saw action at every position except right field.

For Alain Quijano, 2020 was also going to be his first in the Giants organization as he was set to be the pitching coach of the Class-A Augusta GreenJackets. Prior to joining San Francisco, he served in the same roll for the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the Independent American Association. Quijano pitched collegiately at Grand View College in Des Moines, IA before spending nine seasons in Independent League baseball from 2005-2014.

Hitting coach Jake Fox enters his fourth year with the Giants. After back-to-back assignments as hitting coach in Augusta, he will be returning to the northwest where he spent the 2018 campaign with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Fox was an All-American in his final year at Michigan before the Cubs selected him in the third round of the 2003 draft. He played parts of four seasons in the majors with Chicago (NL), Oakland and Baltimore in a professional career that spanned 15 years.

Lipso Nava will begin his 14th year with the Giants organization as fundamentals coach for the 2021 Emeralds. Most recently, Nava was the fundamentals coach at Double-A Richmond in 2019 and was headed back to the same roll last year before the cancellation of the MiLB season. Nava has also spent time as manager for both Augusta (2011-12) and San Jose (2016) in addition to being named Manager of the Year in the Venezuelan Winter League in 2016. As a player, Nava was drafted in the 14th round by the Mariners in 1990 out of Miami-Dade College before playing seven seasons in the minors.

Athletic trainer Tim Vigue and strength and conditioning coach Matt Jordan each enter their third year in the Giants organization. Vigue has previously served as trainer for Florida International University and USA Baseball. Jordan is a former pitcher at Division I Manhattan College and spent three years working at the Florida Athletic Development Center prior to joining the Giants.