Mud Hens announce 2021 coaching staff

It is with much excitement that the Toledo Mud Hens, Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, announce their coaching staff for the 19th season of baseball at Fifth Third Field.

At the helm is Tom Prince, 56, who was set to lead the team in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, both he and Mike Hessman were among a group of nine coaches that oversaw the Tigers' alternate training location in Toledo.

Mike Hessman also returns in 2021 as the hitting coach.

New to the lineup to serve as pitching coach is Doug Bochtler, who replaces Juan Nieves after Nieves was named to the Tigers’ staff. Rounding out the coaching staff are CJ Wamsley, developmental coach; Jason Schwartzman, athletic trainer; and Dan Morrison, strength and conditioning coach.

Manager: Tom Prince

Pitching Coach: Doug Bochtler

Hitting Coach: Mike Hessman

Developmental Coach: CJ Wamsley

Athletic Trainer: Jason Schwartzman

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Dan Morrison

Tom Prince, a Kankakee, Illinois native, spent three seasons as the Major League bench coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates after serving as the club's Minor League field coordinator in 2016. In total, Prince spent 26 seasons in the Pirates organization and is entering his 38th season working in professional baseball. Prince had a 17-year Major League career as a catcher with five different teams between 1987 and 2003.

Mike Hessman enters his sixth year as a hitting coach in the Tigers organization, his third with the Mud Hens. Hessman holds the all-time record for Minor League and International League home runs, hitting a total of 433 home runs during his minor league career between 1996 and 2015. A member of the Mud Hens’ back-to-back Governors Cup Championship teams in 2005 and 2006, Hessman was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2018.

Doug Bochtler joins the Mud Hens following five seasons with the San Diego Padres as a coach. He served as bullpen coach from 2016 to 2019 and was slated to be the pitching coach for the High-A Fort Wayne Tin Caps during the 2020 season. He was drafted in the 9th round by the Montreal Expos in 1989. During his 15-year career as a relief pitcher, he played for ten different organizations including six seasons in the Major League for four different teams; the Padres (1995-1997), Detroit Tigers (1998), Los Angeles Dodgers (1999), and the Kansas City Royals (2000).

This is CJ Wamsley’s second season as developmental coach, having joined the Tigers organization for the 2020 season. Prior to that, Wamsley spent six seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Ohio University baseball program.

Handling athletic training duties is Jason Schwartzman, who enters his eighth season with the Tigers organization, and Dan Morrison returns to his role as strength and conditioning coach.