Winston-Salem Dash Announce 2023 Field Staff

The Winston-Salem Dash, in conjunction with the Chicago White Sox, are excited to announce the Winston-Salem Dash field staff for the 2023 season. Guillermo Quiroz will make his debut as Manager for the Dash, alongside Pitching Coach John Ely, and Hitting Coach Jason Krizan. Carson Wooten returns as the Athletic Trainer, and the Dash welcome Logan Jones as the team’s Performance Coach.

Manager Guillermo Quiroz takes a step up from Single-A Kannapolis after managing the Cannon Ballers for the past two seasons. Quiroz was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 and earned MLB playing time for Toronto in 2004. After his time with the Blue Jays ended in 2005, the Venezuelan catcher went on to play between the major and minor league levels for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Guardians. After his retirement, Quiroz brought 19 years of playing experience to the Winston-Salem Dash as a coach in 2018 and later to he Charlotte Knights in 2019. The White Sox soon named Quiroz manager of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, where his 2020 managerial debut was put on hold until 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Quiroz brings with him a new Pitching Coach in John Ely, who has also spent the last two seasons in Kannapolis. Ely grew up in Harvey, Illinois and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox as a pitcher out of Miami University (OH) in 2007. He spent the 2008 season between the Great Falls Voyagers and the Winston-Salem Warthogs and pitched his way to Double-A Birmingham in 2009. Shortly after being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ely made his MLB debut in April of 2010 and spent time with the Dodgers between 2010 and 2011. After playing in the Astros, Red Sox and Brewers organizations, Ely transitioned to a coaching role within the White Sox system. He served as Pitching Coach for the Great Falls Voyagers from 2017-2019, with a brief stop in Winston-Salem in early 2019. Ely was scheduled to return to Great Falls in 2020, but was named Pitching Coach for Kannapolis when minor league play resumed in 2021.

Hitting Coach, Jason Krizan, makes his MiLB coaching debut after an 11-year professional playing career. After a successful campaign at Dallas Baptist University, the Austin, Texas-native was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and shaped himself into effective utility player at the higher levels of the Tigers’ minor league organization. After his time with the Tigers, Krizan signed minor league contracts with the New York Mets in 2018 and the San Francisco Giants in 2020. In 2022, Krizan was posted to the Giants’ 40-man roster on April 29. He made his MLB debut on the same day, starting in left field and collecting his first major league hit.

Athletic Trainer, Carson Wooten, returns for a third season with the Dash. Wooten hails from California and is a graduate of Boise State University. Before making his Dash debut in 2021, he spent time with the Boston Red Sox organization as well as the Great Falls Voyagers, former rookie affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Wooten and the Dash coaching staff will work in tandem with Performance Coach, Logan Jones, who returns to his home state of North Carolina. Jones grew up in Zebulon, NC and spent four seasons playing baseball at Guilford College. While at Guilford, he earned degrees in Exercise and Sport Sciences & Health Sciences. After graduation, Jones spent time at the University of Kentucky and Wake Forest University before joining the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2018.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new staff to Winston-Salem. It is a pleasure to have Carson Wooten back as well. I am confident that these coaches will put the best product on the field and give our fans an unforgettable baseball experience in 2023,” said Dash President & General Manager, Brian DeAngelis.

The Dash begin their 2023 season with a three-game series on the road against the Hickory Crawdads beginning on Thursday, April 6. The Dash play their home opener against the Brooklyn Cyclones on Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00pm. Ticket information can be found at wsdash.com or by calling (336) 714-2287.

The Winston-Salem Dash are the Class A-Advanced Minor League affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. For more information, please call 336-714-2287 or visit www.wsdash.com_.