Pittsburgh Pirates Announce Indy's 2022 Coaching Staff

INDIANAPOLIS – The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced Miguel Perez as manager of the Indianapolis Indians for the upcoming 2022 season. He will become the 62nd manager in franchise history (since 1902) and the sixth since the Indians’ Triple-A affiliation with Pittsburgh began in 2005.

The Pirates also announced that Perez will be joined by hitting coach Eric Munson, pitching coach Dan Meyer, bench coach Gary Green and integrated baseball performance coach Brady Conlan.

Manager Miguel Perez

Perez, 38, is entering his eighth season as a minor league coach for the Pirates and his fifth in a managerial role (was named High-A Bradenton’s manager prior to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season). He owns a 185-204 career managerial record among stints with Rookie-Advanced Bristol (2017-18), Single-A Greensboro (2019) and Double-A Altoona (2021). He led the Curve to a 44-34 record through Aug. 5, but finished 58-59 on the season due to injuries. His coaching career began in 2014 with Single-A West Virginia.

As a catcher, Perez came through Indianapolis for brief stints during the 2009, ’11 and ‘12 seasons and returned as a coach in 2016. On the field, he appeared for the Indians in 19 games during that time frame and committed just one error in 109 total chances between catcher and first base.

Perez’s playing career began in 2001 after he was signed by Cincinnati as a non-drafted free agent out of Guatire, Miranda, Venezuela on Nov. 15, 2000. He went on to make his major league debut with the Reds on Sept. 7, 2005 vs. Milwaukee and became the first player from Guatire to play in the majors.

He resides in Guatire with his wife, Mariafernanda Lara, who is a former gymnast for the Venezuelan Rhythmic Gymnastics team. He has one daughter, Vanessa and one stepdaughter, Jenifer.

Hitting Coach Eric Munson

Munson, 44, is entering his first affiliated coaching job this season. He opened Gold Standard Athletics in Dubuque, Iowa in 2013 and has spent the past eight years owning and operating the training facility. His career as an instructor began with an undergrad assistant role at his alma mater – the University of Southern California – and later as an assistant at the University of Dubuque.

He was selected by Detroit as the third overall pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft and made his debut one year later on July 18, 2000 vs. Cincinnati. His nine-year major league career included stints with Detroit (2000-04), Tampa Bay (2005), Houston (2006-07) and Oakland (2009).

Pitching Coach Dan Meyer

Meyer, 40, is entering his seventh season coaching in the minor leagues and his first with the Pirates after beginning his career with Atlanta. He served as the Braves’ minor league pitching rehabilitation coordinator in 2015 and advanced to pitching coach of Double-A Mississippi in 2021. He ended the season as Mississippi’s interim manager and was named the Double-A South Manager of the Year while leading his team to a league title.

The former big-league pitcher will return to Indianapolis after appearing on the mound with the Indians in 2011, the final year of his playing career that featured major league appearances with Atlanta (2004), Oakland (2007-08) and Florida (2009-10). He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft by Atlanta and made his MLB debut at New York (NL) on Sept. 14, 2004.

Bench Coach Gary Green

Green, 59, is entering his 17th season as a coach in Pittsburgh’s minor league system. He transitioned to a bench coach role with Altoona in 2021 after serving as the Minor League Infield Coordinator/Roving Infield Instructor for Pittsburgh since 2011.

As a minor league manager from 1999-2010, Green compiled a 588-713 (.452) record. In 2007 with Single-A Hickory, his first of four consecutive years in the South Atlantic League, he posted a 43-26 record in the second half of the season to win the division and advance to postseason play. His coaching career began in 1997 with Single-A Jamestown in Detroit’s farm system.

Green was originally selected by San Diego as the 27th overall pick in the 1984 First-Year Player Draft. He made his major league debut with the Padres on Sept. 14, 1986 and played in 106 career games between San Diego (1986, 1989), Texas (1990-91) and Cincinnati (1992).

The Pittsburgh native currently resides in Arlington, Texas. He played four years of baseball at Oklahoma State University and was drafted three times before signing with San Diego. He was the starting shortstop for Team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games. His father, Fred, pitched for the Pirates and was a member of the 1960 World Series championship team.

Integrated Baseball Performance Coach Brady Conlan

Conlan, 28, assumes a new role in his first year with Indianapolis as the club’s integrated baseball performance coach. The California native is in his second season with the Pirates organization after spending 2021 as a coach with Single-A Bradenton. Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, he was named as a hitting coach for the Dominican Summer League Dodgers. Conlan’s coaching career began in the collegiate ranks, where he served as director of player development for the California State University, Northridge baseball team in 2019 following a two-year stint as assistant coach at his alma mater, California State University, Dominguez Hills.

He posted a .357 career batting average, nine home runs and 90 RBI at Cal State Dominguez Hills before being selected by Chicago (AL) in the 24th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. His playing career also expanded to the international level where he represented the Philippines National Team in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Australia in 2016. Conlan reached High-A Winston-Salem in 2017, his last season playing affiliated baseball.