As of Tuesday, three of the four Mets full-season affiliates have made their coaching staffs for the 2009 season public.
AAA Buffalo 
MGR: Ken Oberkfell
-5th yr as the Mets AAA MGR; 13th as a mgr in MiLB
-Enjoyed a 16 year MLB career
Hitting Coach: Luis Natera
-promoted from AA in ’08
-’09 will be his 18th season with Mets
Pitching Coach: Ricky Bones
-Promoted from AA where he was PC in ’07 & ’08
-11 yr MLB career
AA Binghamton Mets
MGR: Mako Oliveras
-Only the 2nd skipper to serve the B-Mets for three straight years
-Will be managing or coaching for the 24th straight season
Hitting Coach: Bill Masse
- First season with the Mets, his fourth organization in four years
-Managed AA San Antonio (SD) in’08 and has guided Trenton and New Hampshire in the EL
Pitching Coach: Hector Berrios
-Promoted from SSA Brooklyn
-’09 will be his 12th season as a coach
Coach: Donovan Mitchell
-Spent ’08 as the Savannah Sand Gnats Manager
-’09 will be his 11th season with the Mets and his first above A-ball
A Savan
nah Sand Gnats
Manager: Edgar Alfonzo
-’09 will be 9th season with Mets
-Managed Brooklyn in ’07 and ’08
Pitching Coach: Marc Valdes
-PC with K-Mets in ’07 & ’08
-1993 Marlins #1 pick
Hitting Coach: George Greer
-Returns in same role as in ’08; ’09 will be his 4th year in the Mets system
-Head coach at Wake Forest for 17 years
First Base Coach: Jose Carreno
- joined Gnats in mid-’08 after Pedro Lopez was promoted to be the Kingsport MGR
Toby,
Do you have any opinion on these guys? Are we known to have good coaches in our minor leagues? I heard very positive things about Ken Oberkfell when he came up with the Mets last year but I otherwise know very little about these people. Do you have any thoughts?
Thanks.
Yes, I have opinions on some of these guys. Evaluating MLB managers is very difficult, and doing so for minor league coaches is perhaps even harder.
I will say I’ve enjoyed talking baseball with Oberkfell. Also, I was impressed by the relationship that Ricky Bones, Hector Berrios and Robert Ellis had with their pitchers in 2008.