Blue Wahoos Announce 2023 Coaching Staff

The Miami Marlins and Pensacola Blue Wahoos announced Tuesday that Kevin Randel will return for a third season as Pensacola’s manager in 2023 after leading the team to the Southern League title in 2022. Randel’s coaching staff will include returning pitching coach Dave Eiland (2nd season), athletic trainer Melissa Hampton (2nd season) and video coordinator Clay Metzger (2nd season), as well as new hitting coach Matt Snyder, defensive coach Danny Black, and strength and conditioning coach Seth Gregorich.

“I’m very excited to return to Pensacola in 2023,” Randel said. “The fans in Pensacola are unbelievable and we play great at home because of the support of the fans. It’s a fun place to play with a beautiful stadium and great clubhouse and amenities for the players. The ownership, staff, and fans make us feel right at home and there’s no place I’d rather be than Pensacola.”

Randel previously led the Blue Wahoos to a winning 57-54 record in 2021, his first year with the team, before guiding Pensacola to the league championship in 2022. With Randel at the helm, the Blue Wahoos hold a .517 winning percentage over the past two seasons and 12 Pensacola players managed by Randel have made their Major League debuts.

Following an eight-season playing career as an infielder in the Marlins system, Randel began his managerial career in the Marlins organization in 2015, leading the Class-A Greensboro Grasshoppers for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Randel went on to lead the High-A Jupiter Hammerheads for two years before making the move to Double-A Jacksonville in 2019.

Eiland returns to the Blue Wahoos in his role as pitching coach after guiding the Pensacola staff to the 2022 Southern League championship. After a 10-season career at the MLB level with the Yankees, Padres and Devil Rays from 1988 to 2000, Eiland coached at the Major League level from 2008-2019 with the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. A two-time World Series champion with the Yankees in 2009 and Royals in 2015, the Florida native helped Blue Wahoos pitchers achieve franchise records in strikeouts (1272) and K/9 (10.06) during the 2022 season.

Snyder comes to Pensacola after two successful seasons as the hitting coach in High-A Beloit. A 10th round selection in the 2012 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, Snyder played professionally through the 2019 season with Triple-A New Orleans in the Marlins organization. The three-time Minor League All-Star was named the Marlins Player Development Staff Member of the Year following the 2022 season.

Black played six seasons in the Marlins minor league system from 2010 to 2015, including parts of four seasons for Double-A Jacksonville in the Southern League and parts of two seasons with Triple-A New Orleans. He began his coaching career in 2018 and has served in various roles since, including as an assistant coach for Advanced-A Jupiter from 2018-2019 and as a defensive coach for Triple-A Jacksonville in 2021 and the FCL Marlins in 2022.

Hampton began with the Marlins in 2017 and served as an athletic trainer for clubs in the Gulf Coast League, Clinton and Beloit prior to her first season with the Blue Wahoos in 2022. Gregorich joined the Marlins at High-A Beloit in 2022 after working previously in the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets organizations. Metzger is in his second season with the Marlins and Blue Wahoos after spending the 2021 season in a video and information role with the Atlanta Braves.