Matthew LeCroy to Manage Red Wings for Fifth Consecutive Season
ROCHESTER, NY - The Washington Nationals announced on Wednesday that MATTHEW LECROY will return for his fifth season as the Rochester Red Wings Manager in 2025. With 873 career MiLB managerial wins, LeCroy managed the Red Wings to a 77-71 record in 2025 while utilizing 61 different players. LeCroy becomes
ROCHESTER, NY - The Washington Nationals announced on Wednesday that MATTHEW LECROY will return for his fifth season as the Rochester Red Wings Manager in 2025. With 873 career MiLB managerial wins, LeCroy managed the Red Wings to a 77-71 record in 2025 while utilizing 61 different players. LeCroy becomes the first manager to be tabbed as the Rochester skipper for a fifth consecutive year since Red Wings legend Joe Altobelli managed the club from 1971-1976.
LeCroy’s coaching staff for the 2025 season:
Brian Daubach - Hitting Coach (5th Season)
Rafael Chaves - Pitching Coach (4th Season)
Mario Lisson - Development Coach (1st Season)
Daniel Minter - Performance Analyst (4th Season)
Eric Montague - Athletic Trainer (5th Season)
Mike Warren - Strength & Conditioning (5th Season)
Rafael Chaves returns as the club’s Pitching Coach entering his fourth year in Rochester. Brian Daubach, like LeCroy, will enter his fifth season as Hitting Coach for the Red Wings, having been the only hitting coach since the Red Wings began their affiliation with Washington in 2021. Mario Lisson joins the Red Wings staff for the first time as their Development Coach. Athletic Trainer Eric Montague and Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Warren will return for their fifth seasons. Daniel Minter will enter his fourth season on the Rochester coaching staff as the Performance Analyst.
LeCroy, 49, enters his 17th season in the Nationals organization and 14th as a Minor League manager. The South Carolina native previously managed Double-A Harrisburg (2012-13, 2016-19), Single-A Potomac (2011), and Single-A Hagerstown (2009-10). His combined Minor League record as a manager is 873-950 (.479), and he has led his teams to three playoff appearances, including a spot in the Eastern League finals in 2013. The Clemson University alum was slated to be the Nationals Minor League Quality Control Coordinator in 2020 before the cancellation of the MiLB season. The former Major League catcher spent two seasons as Washington’s Bullpen Coach (2014-15). The 50th overall pick in the 1997 MLB Draft played eight seasons in the Major Leagues with Minnesota (2000-2005; 2007) and Washington (2006). LeCroy became the 17th player to manage the Red Wings (full-time) after previously playing for Rochester and is 11th all-time in franchise history with 259 wins as the Red Wings manager.
Chaves, 56, previously worked as the Director of Pitching Development for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2019-2022. He joined the Phillies as a Pitching Coordinator in 2015 and remained in that role until 2019. Before joining Philadelphia, he worked six years with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a Special Assistant (2014) and Minor League Pitching Coordinator (2009-13). The Puerto Rican native was a MiLB Pitching Coach for the New York Yankees in 2008, helping Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the Governors’ Cup while his staff led the International League with a 3.67 ERA. His previous 10 seasons were spent with the Seattle Mariners organization (1998-07) as a Pitching Coach at every level, including with the Major League Club from 2006-07. Chaves enjoyed a 12-year Minor League Career while pitching to a 3.51 ERA in 487 games (five starts) between the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations.
Lisson, 40, enters his seventh season as a coach in the Washington Nationals organization, having managed the Wilmington Blue Rocks from 2022-2024, the Fredericksburg Nationals in 2021, and the Hagerstown Suns in 2019 after beginning his coaching career with the Gulf Coast Nationals in 2018. Before transitioning to coaching, Lisson enjoyed a 16-year professional playing career (2002-2017), including time with the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Nationals systems. He appeared in 1,361 games across Minor League Baseball, independent leagues, and international play, hitting 220 career home runs. A standout performer in Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP), Lisson played a key role for Leones del Caracas and was a prominent member of the Venezuelan National Team in multiple World Baseball Classic tournaments. Originally signed by the Royals as an international free agent in 2002, Lisson now brings his experience as a versatile infielder and international competitor to his role developing the next generation of Nationals talent.
Daubach, 51, embarks on his 15th season as a coach in the Nationals chain. The former Major League first baseman will instruct the organization’s Triple-A hitters for an eighth season. Before his current role, he managed five seasons in the system with Double-A Harrisburg (2014-15), Single-A Potomac (2013), and Single-A Hagerstown (2011-12). The 2013 Potomac Nationals had the best overall record (84-55) in the Carolina League, winning both the first and second-half North titles before falling to Salem in the Mills Cup Championship. His 2012 Hagerstown Suns team had the best overall record in the South Atlantic League at 82-55 and won the Second-Half Division title before falling to Greensboro in the first round of the playoffs. Daubach played in 661 MLB games over eight seasons for the New York Mets (2005), Chicago White Sox (2003), Boston Red Sox (1999-2002, 2004), and Florida Marlins (1998), earning a World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2004. He also suited up for 1,235 additional Minor League games during a 17-year playing career (1990-2006). The Mets selected Daubach in the 17th round of the 1990 MLB Draft out of West High School in Belleville, IL.
Montague embarks on his eighth Triple-A season and fifth with the Wings after spending the previous four seasons (2014-17) with Double-A Harrisburg. The 2024 season will be his 26th in professional baseball and his 12th season in the Nationals organization after 10 seasons at various levels of the Houston Astros’ chain. Montague joined Washington’s system in 2013 with Single-A Potomac before jumping to Harrisburg the following season. He spent the 2011-12 seasons with Double-A Corpus Christi and worked from 2004-10 with Salem and Lancaster, both Single-A affiliates of the Houston Astros. In 2003, Montague worked with Single-A Lexington after spending the 2002 campaign with Martinsville of the Rookie-Level Appalachian League. Before joining the Astros, he worked in the Mets organization for four seasons (1998-2001). Montague attended Mississippi State University, where he served as a student athletic trainer while earning his Bachelor of Science degree in fitness.
Warren enters his 15th season with the Washington Nationals organization, and his 10th leading the Strength and Conditioning program at the Triple-A level. He was Triple-A Syracuse's Strength and Conditioning Coach from 2015-2018 and High-A Potomac for the four seasons prior. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kansas Wesleyan University and played Baseball for the NAIA program. His father, also Mike, appeared in 52 Major League games with the Oakland Athletics from 1983-85 and tossed a no-hitter for the A’s vs. the Chicago White Sox on September 29, 1983.
Minter enters his sixth season with the Washington Nationals organization and his fourth with Rochester. Having previously served as the team’s Video and Technology Coordinator in 2021, Minter now enters his second season as the Performance Analyst for the club. Before joining the Rochester staff in 2021, Minter oversaw video operations at the Florida Complex League level. Prior to his time with the Nationals organization, Minter was a part of the Detroit Tigers' Business Operations Department, serving as a data analyst for parts of two seasons. The University of Florida alum has also spent time with ESPN as an Official Statistician, working at the Gainesville Super Regional during the 2017 College World Series.
As the 2024 season concluded, the Washington Nationals farm system earned recognition as one of the strongest in Major League Baseball, ranking 10th among all MLB organizations (MLB.com). In an exciting development for the future, the Nationals secured the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft by winning the MLB Draft Lottery.
Rochester opens the 2025 season on the road with a three-game series against Buffalo (TOR) on March 28. The Red Wings home opener will take place on Tuesday, April 1, against Lehigh Valley (PHI). Season Seats, group outings, single-game suites, picnics, and flex packs can be purchased now by calling 585-454-1001. More information on these options can be found at RedWingsBaseball.com.