Wizards' Ready set for third season
"Having the stability of a returning manager in Randy and a coach in Max (Venable) will be great for our fans because of the success last season," Wizards general manager Mike Nutter said. "We've got a great coaching staff and their success, both playing and coaching, will really help the team in 2006. Keeping some continuity is important for all of the returning players and the new players who may have never played in Fort Wayne."
Ready has led the Wizards to back-to-back appearances in the Midwest League playoffs. He will enter the 2006 season eight wins away from the franchise record for a Fort Wayne manager. Dan Rohn, who managed Fort Wayne as an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins in 1995 and 1996, has a Wizards' career mark of 144-132. Ready is 137-143 heading into next year after steering Fort Wayne to a mark of 72-68 in 2004 and 65-75 in 2005.
Ready spent 13 years at the Major League level, playing with the Milwaukee Brewers, Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland A's and Montreal Expos.
"We are looking forward to Randy coming back to Fort Wayne and leading the team to another playoff run," Nutter said. "It will be good for the Padres system and for the players coming to Fort Wayne to have a manager who is familiar with the operations here and the other teams in the league. Randy has been a great leader on the field and in the community during his two seasons in Fort Wayne, and I am personally excited about working with him again."
Venable, who joined the Padres system last year with the Wizards after spending the 2004 season with the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League, led the hitters to a .252 batting average, good for 10th-best in the Midwest League. Since becoming an affiliate of the Padres, the best season of hitting for the Wizards came when the team hit .256 during the 2002 season.
Venable spent 12 years at the Major League level with the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Expos and California Angels. Prior to joining Dayton for one season, he was with the Atlanta Braves Minor League system, including two years as a manager.
The newest member of the Wizards coaching staff will be pitching coach Tom Bradley. He was with the Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays affiliate) during the 2005 season and had been a member of the Blue Jays organization since 2001, serving as the pitching coach in Charleston (2002, 2004) and in Auburn (2003) along with a managerial stint with Medicine Hat in 2001. Prior to entering the coaching ranks on the Minor League level, Bradley was head coach at the University of Jacksonville from 1979-1990 and at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, from 1991-2000.
Bradley was a fifth-round selection by the California Angels in 1968, spending seven years in the Major Leagues with the Angels, Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants. He finished with a career mark of 55-61 and a 3.72 ERA.
The Wizards' pitching staff tied for second with the Burlington Bees (Kansas City Royals affiliate) and the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Tampa Bay Devil Rays affiliate) with a 4.02 ERA. The staff allowed the fewest walks with 412. Lansing finished the 2005 season with a 4.17 ERA, 434 walks allowed and 1,001 strikeouts.
"We are looking forward to having Tom join the Wizards," Nutter said. "His experience in Lansing last year, along with his college and professional career, will be a tremendous asset to the pitchers."
Following the promotion of trainer Paul Navarro to the San Diego Padres, a new trainer for the 2006 Wizards will be announced at a later date.