2022 Tarpons Coaching Staff Announced

Tampa, Fla. - The New York Yankees have officially announced the 2022 Tampa Tarpons Field Staff. Rachel Balkovec will manage the club and will be joined by Pitching Coach Grayson Crawford, Hitting Coach Kevin Martir, Defensive Coach Michel Hernández_,_ Athletic Trainer Brandon Rodriguez and Strength/Conditioning Coach Cole Russo.

RACHEL BALKOVEC – MANAGER

BORN: 7/5/87 in Omaha, Neb. • RESIDES: Tampa, Fla.

COACHING CAREER: Will begin her first season as Tarpons manager in 2022…becomes the first full-time female manager in the history of affiliated baseball at the Major or Minor League levels…in 2021, served as a hitting coach for the FCL Yankees, helping the team lead the Florida Complex League in runs scored (366), home runs (65), RBI (312), slugging percentage (.465) and OPS (.843)…was a member of the American League coaching staff for the 2021 SiriusXM Futures Game in Denver…was one of six women in uniform with Major League teams or their affiliates in 2021…was scheduled to serve in the same role for the 2020 season, but did not coach due to the COVID-19 pandemic…served as hitting coach with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League in 2020…joined the Yankees organization in November 2019 as a minor league hitting coach, becoming the first woman to be named to that role in the history of professional baseball (she was followed a few days later by Rachel Folden of the Chicago Cubs organization)…in 2019, was an apprentice hitting coach for the Netherlands National Baseball and Softball programs…spent three seasons with the Houston Astros organization (2016-18), serving as strength and conditioning coach for Double-A Corpus Christi in 2018 and the GCL Astros in 2017, and Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator from 2016-17…was a minor league strength and conditioning coordinator for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2014-15…was the first woman to be hired as a full-time strength and conditioning coach in affiliated baseball… worked with the Chicago White Sox during the 2013-14 offseason as a strength & conditioning coaching intern…began her professional baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 as a minor league strength & conditioning coaching intern…additional internship roles include stops with Arizona State University (2013-14), Arizona Fall League (2013) and los Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League (2012-13)…PERSONAL: Received her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science from the University of New Mexico (2006-09), where she was a catcher on the softball team…earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Louisiana State University (2010-11), while also serving as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach…earned a master’s degree in biomechanics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands (2018-19)…as part of her education, conducted research in eye-tracking for hitters at Driveline Baseball, a high-tech performance training center outside of Seattle, Wash.

GRAYSON CRAWFORD – PITCHING COACH

BORN: 4/25/88 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. • RESIDES: Hopkinsville, Ky.

COACHING CAREER: Makes his professional coaching debut in 2022…has coached at the high school and collegiate levels since 2010, most recently serving as pitching coach for two seasons at Lipscomb (Tenn.) University…the Bisons’ pitching staff recorded an 8.45 K/9.0IP ratio in 2021, the third-best mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference…other stops at the Division I level include volunteer assistant and interim pitching coach at Austin Peay (Tenn.) State University (2019), pitching and recruiting coordinator at the University of Louisiana Monroe (2018), and pitching coach and recruiting coordinator (2017) and volunteer assistant (2016) at Murray State (Ky.) University…was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College in 2015…was the head coach at Christian County H.S. in Hopkinsville, Ky. for two seasons (2013-14)…served as coach of the Hoptown Hoppers for parts of four seasons (2012-14, ‘19), a collegiate summer league team in the Ohio Valley League…served as an assistant coach at Pensacola (Fla.) State College for two seasons (2011-12)…began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Stillman College (2010)…PERSONAL: Began his collegiate career at Southern Arkansas University (2007) before transferring to Stillman College for three seasons (2008-10), where his father, Donny Crawford, was the head coach…was a catcher in college…earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education/fitness from Stillman College in 2010.

KEVIN MARTIR – HITTING COACH

BORN: 2/11/94 in Brooklyn, N.Y. • RESIDES: Dallas, N.C.

COACHING CAREER: Begins his second season with Tampa…last season, the Tarpons led Low-A Southeast clubs in batting average (.260), runs (766 - tied for fifth in minors), hits (948), home runs (149), RBI (691), walks (629 - second in minors) and OPS (.834 - sixth in minors)…joined the Yankees organization in 2020 and was scheduled to serve as hitting coach for the club’s former Rookie-level Pulaski affiliate before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic…made his coaching debut in 2019 as a development coach for the GCL Phillies East, serving on the same staff as former Yankees 3B Charlie Hayes…PLAYING CAREER: The catcher was originally selected by Houston in the 18th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft…played two seasons in the Astros organization, and also saw time with the Brewers and Phillies organizations…PERSONAL: Played three seasons at the University of Maryland (2013-15)… as a junior in 2015, was a D1baseball.com Third-Team All-American and was named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation’s top catcher…graduated in 2012 from the Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn after transferring from Xaverian H.S. in Brooklyn prior to his senior year…is the first player ever to win PSAL and CHSAA championships in consecutive years, helping Grand Street Campus win the 2012 PSAL Class A title after leading Xaverian to the 2011 CHSAA title…was named to the New York Post’s 2012 All-Brooklyn first team…was a 2011 Perfect Game Preseason High School All-America honorable mention.

MICHEL HERNÁNDEZ – DEFENSIVE COACH

BORN: 8/12/78 in Havana, Cuba • RESIDES: Lutz, Fla.

COACHING CAREER: Enters his 10th season as a coach in the Yankees organization and sixth with Tampa…in 2020, was slated to serve as defensive coach for the GCL Yankees West before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic…made his professional coaching debut with the GCL Yankees 1 (2013-14)…spent four seasons with Single-A Tampa (2016-19), two as catching coach (2018-19) and two as bullpen coach (2016-17)…served as defensive coach for Double-A Trenton in 2015…PLAYING CAREER: Was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in 1998…played in 45 games in parts of three seasons in the Majors with the Yankees (2003) and Tampa Bay (2008-09), combining to hit .237 with 1HR and 12RBI…in 15 minor league seasons with the Yankees, Philadelphia, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland organizations, hit a combined .257 with 35HR and 340RBI in 997 games…also played for the Havana Industriales in Cuba…PERSONAL: Attended one year of college in Cuba after graduating from high school in 1995.

BRANDON RODRÍGUEZ – ATHLETIC TRAINER

BORN: 1/11/95 in Ponce, P.R. • RESIDES: Ponce, P.R.

Begins his first season as a trainer in the Yankees organization…spent the previous two seasons in the Baltimore Orioles organization as the interim Latin American medical coordinator in 2021 and a trainer with the DSL Orioles in 2020…earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in athletic training from East Stroudsburg University (Pa.).

COLE RUSSO – STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH

BORN: 3/31/94 in Chandler, Ariz. • RESIDES: Tampa, Fla.

Begins his second season with Tampa and third with the Yankees organization…was slated to serve as the GCL Yankees East strength and conditioning coach in 2020 before the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic…is a 2016 graduate of Arizona State University and completed internships with University of Arizona Football, EXOS, and Cressey Sports Performance…continued as a coach at EXOS in Phoenix from 2017-18 and Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, Mass. from 2018-20.