Mike McCoy named 17th Manager in franchise history.
The San Diego Padres, parent club of the Lake Elsinore Storm, today announced the field staffs for their Minor League affiliates, officially naming Mike McCoy the new manager of the Storm. McCoy will be joined by hitting coach Patrick O’Sullivan, coach Felipe Blanco and a pitching coach who will be announced at a later date.
McCoy, 38, after managing the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2018-19, begins his fifth season in the Padres’ organization and first as Manager of the Storm. The San Diego native starred at Grossmont High School (El Cajon, CA) and then at the University of San Diego before being drafted in 2002 in the 34th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his Major League debut in 2009 with the Colorado Rockies, then spent parts of three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished playing in 2015, began his coaching tenure in Lake Elsinore in 2016 and looks forward to a return to the California League in 2020.
I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity the Padres have given me. I enjoyed my time the last two years in Tri-City and want to thank them for everything they did as I gained experience,” said McCoy. “I’m thrilled to come back to the Storm organization and the opportunity to be reunited with a lot of players that I’ve coached and managed over the past three seasons.
O’Sullivan, 42, in his third year with the Padres, will make his Storm coaching debut after working the previous two seasons as the hitting coach for San Diego’s Northwest League affiliate, the Tri-City Dust Devils. The former Austin Peay standout played in the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles organization after being selected in the 34th round in 1999 by the Mets. O’Sullivan finished his 12-year playing career in 2010 and joined the coaching ranks the following season.
Blanco, 26, is a former Storm player who begins his third season coaching in the Padres’ system and second in Lake Elsinore. The infielder-turned-coach and Dominican Republic native began playing professionally at age 17, with stops at every Padres’ minor league level, including 60 games with the Storm in 2015-16. Two years later he became a member of the field staff in Tri-City, WA with the Dust Devils before rejoining the Storm Family last season as a coach.
In addition to McCoy, O’Sullivan, and Blanco, Lake Elsinore welcomes two newcomers to the field staff, athletic trainer Maritza Castro and strength coach Corey Measner.
The Storm will be celebrating their 27th season, and 20th as a Padres affiliate, beginning with Opening Day at The Diamond on Thursday, April 9. Find out more information at stormbaseball.com or connect with the Storm on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
Below is a complete list of Storm managers since the inaugural 1994 season.
Storm Managers:
Mitch Seoane 1994-96 California League Champions, 1996
Don Long 1997
Mario Mendoza 1998-2000
Craig Colbert 2001 California League Champions, Minor League Team of the Year (Baseball America)
George Hendrick 2002 Championship Series runner-up
Jeff Gardner 2003
Rick Renteria 2004-06 Championship Series runner-up, 2005
Carlos Lezcano 2007-2011 Championship Series runner-up, 2007
Phil Plantier 2011 California League Champions
Shawn Wooten 2012-13
Jamie Quirk 2014
Michael Collins 2015
Francisco Morales 2016
Lance Burkhart 2016
Edwin Rodriguez 2017-18
Tony Tarasco 2019 Championship Series runner-up
Mike McCoy 2020