Bees Announce 2021 Coaching Staff

SALT LAKE CITY (April 5, 2021) – The Los Angeles Angels announced their Minor League coaching staffs today with Lou Marson returning for a second season as manager of the Salt Lake Bees. Marson will be joined by pitching coach Jairo Cuevas, hitting coach Brian Betancourth, defensive coach Ray Olmedo, athletic trainer Jonathan Fierro, strength and conditioning coach Adam Smith and video manager Nick Loeffelholz.

Marson, a former Major League catcher, managed the Bees during the 2019 season and worked with Angels Minor Leaguers at the team’s alternate site in 2020. Marson was a 4th round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004 and played 12 professional seasons, including Major League stints with Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Cuevas moves up in the Angels organization after spending the 2019 season as the pitching coach for Double-A Mobile. A native of the Dominican Republic, Cuevas spent six seasons as a Minor League pitcher in the Braves and Royals organizations. Cuevas has coached in the Angels organization since 2015.

Betancourth returns for a second season as Salt Lake’s hitting coach after overseeing a record setting Bees offense in 2019. Under Betancourth’s guidance the Bees hit a franchise-record 222 home runs, including a Salt Lake single-season record tying 36 from Jared Walsh. Betancourth has been a coach in the Angels organization since 2012.

Olmedo enters his third season as the Bees defensive coach. The Venezuelan native played professionally for 17 seasons, including Major League stints with Cincinnati, Toronto and Chicago White Sox and parts of 12 seasons at the Triple-A level.

Fierro joins the Bees as athletic trainer after spending the last nine seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization. Fierro served as the Cubs assistant training coordinator in 2020 and spent time at the Triple-A level with the Iowa Cubs.

Smith is in his second season with the Bees and has been in the Angels system since 2015. Smith graduated from State University of New York College at Cortland and made stops at Binghamton, Syracuse and Eastern Michigan University prior to starting his professional career.

Loeffelholz is a 2020 graduate of Mississippi State University and served as the Bulldogs baseball analytics and player development analyst in 2020.

The 2021 Bees season begins on Thursday, May 6 at Smith’s Ballpark. Single game tickets for games at Smith’s Ballpark from May 6-June 1 will go on sale Thursday, April 8 at 10 a.m. online at www.slbees.com or by phone and text at 801-325-BEES (2337).