Luis Rivera tabbed as St. Lucie Mets manager

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (February 5, 2025) – The St. Lucie Mets are pleased to announce their coaching staff for the 2025 season. Luis Rivera will become the 23^rd manager in club history. He will be joined on the staff by pitching coach Luis Alvarado, hitting coach Devin DeYoung, bench/assistant hitting coach Jonathan Jones and assistant pitching coach Troy Miller.

Rivera, 41, begins his 20^th season in the Mets organization as a player and coach. He spent the last two seasons as the organization’s roving infield coordinator. In 2022 he managed the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones to the South Atlantic League playoffs.

Rivera has also spent time as a coach with Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton. He was the Binghamton hitting coach in 2014 when the B-Mets won the Eastern League championship. Rivera would go on to manage the Kingsport Mets of the short-season rookie Appalachian League from 2015-2017. He also worked with former Mets affiliates the Savannah Sand Gnats and Columbia Fireflies. Additionally, Rivera spent three seasons as the Mets short-season hitting coordinator (2012-2014).

“I want to thank God for the opportunity to spend another year with the Mets, this time as manager of the St. Lucie Mets,” Rivera said. “I’m very happy and excited to take on this role, as I’ve been part of the Mets family for 20 years. I truly feel at home here. I’ve known everyone in Port St. Lucie for many years and I believe the communication and hospitality will be great because of those connections.”

Rivera is the third consecutive St. Lucie manager who once played for the team. Gilbert Gomez (2023) and Yucarybert De La Cruz (2024) were also former St. Lucie players who went on to manage the team. Rivera was a St. Lucie Mets infielder in 2008 and 2009. He played in 73 games for the club.

“I’m excited to work with everyone in Port St. Lucie as well as the talented young players we have this season,” Rivera said. “They are young but have great potential. To all the fans – come out an support us. This will be a very exciting year.”

Luis Alvardo joins St. Lucie as the pitching coach after serving in the same role for the Florida Complex League Mets the last two seasons. Prior to that Alvarado was a life skills specialist for the FCL team in 2022.

Alvarado pitched in the Angels organization from 2018-2021. He compiled a 7-13 record with a 4.40 ERA over 64 games. Alvarado was a 17^th round pick by the Angels in 2018. He was previously drafted by the Mariners (2017) and Red Sox (2014) but instead went to the University of Nebraska as a two-way player. Alvarado, 27, graduated from Nebraska in 2018.

Devin DeYoung begins his first year in the Mets organization as the St. Lucie hitting coach. DeYoung spent the previous four seasons in the White Sox organization. He was the team’s Arizona Complex League hitting coach from 2021-2022 and oversaw hitting initiatives from 2023-2024.

DeYoung worked for the Red Sox in 2019 as a coach for Single-A Greenville. He was the bench/hitting coach for the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League from 2017-2018 and coached for the Wisconsin Rapid Rafters of the Northwoods League in 2016. DeYoung played collegiately at College of Lake County (Ill.) from 2009-2011 and Cumberland (Tenn.) from 2011-2012.

Jonathan Jones also enters his first year with the Mets organization as the St. Lucie bench/assistant hitting coach. Jones last held the positions of field coordinator, outfield coach and first base coach for Olmecas de Tobasco of the Mexican League in 2024.

Jones was drafted by Toronto in 2010 and played five seasons in the minors from 2010-2014. He also spent time playing in the American Association, Atlantic League and Mexican League before shifting to coaching. Jones played collegiately at Long Beach State from 2008-2010.

Troy Miller will serve as assistant pitching coach. Miller is jumping right into coaching after retiring as a player with Triple-A Syracuse in 2024. Miller, 27, pitched collegiately at Michigan and was signed as a free agent by Toronto in 2018. The Mets acquired him in a 2021 trade that sent Jacob Barnes back to the Blue Jays. Miller pitched for Binghamton and Syracuse in three seasons in the Mets farm system.

Julianna Mangano starts her second fulltime season with the Mets organization and her first as St. Lucie’s athletic trainer. Mangano was the trainer for the Dominican Summer League Mets Blue team in 2024. She also worked with Binghamton and the DSL Mets in 2023.

Prior to joining the Mets, Mangano was the head trainer for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League. Mangano has also worked for various pro sports teams and organizations including the California Winter League, Metropolitan Riveters of the NWHL, Trenton Terror Men’s Box Lacrosse and NJ/NY Gotham FC. Mangano graduated from Marist University in 2022 with a BS in Athletic Training.

Cam Kissick begins his third season in the Mets organization and returns to St. Lucie as the strength and conditioning coach after serving in the same capacity in 2024. Kissick was the FCL sports scientist associate in his first year with the Mets.

Prior to joining the Mets, Kissick worked at the University of Oregon as a sports science and performance assistant for the women’s soccer team, women’s lacrosse team and baseball team. He has additional Division I coaching experience at the University of Nevada-Reno and East Tennessee State.

Kissick obtained his MS degree in Sports Physiology and Performance Coaching in 2021 from Carroll University and he also holds a BS in Kinesiology from Nevada-Reno in 2019.

Additional support staff includes Michael Albunia (Athletic Training Associate), John Mychal Warren (Baseball Analytics) and Andres Acosta (Baseball Tech & Video).

The St. Lucie Mets open their season April 4^th at Clover Park against the Jupiter Hammerheads. Ticket information and promotions will be announced in the coming weeks.