The San Diego Padres have agreed to one-year contract extensions for the 2011 season with five of their current Major League coaching staff and have agreed to a one-year contract with Dave Roberts, who will serve as first base coach. Rick Renteria will assume duties as bench coach for the 2011 campaign, replacing Ted Simmons, who served two seasons under manager Bud Black.
Roberts, who rejoined the Padres as a Special Assistant last season, will return to uniform as first base coach in 2011. The 38-year-old played parts of 10 seasons in the Majors with the Cleveland Indians (1999-2001), Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-04), Boston Red Sox (2004), Padres (2005-2006) and San Francisco Giants (2007-2008). From his first full season in 2002 to his last full season in 2007, Roberts ranked fourth among all Major Leaguers with 226 stolen bases. In 2006 he hit a career-high .293 for the Padres and tied the franchise’s single-season record with a career-high 13 triples, matching Tony Gwynn’s mark from 1987.
Born in Japan, Roberts attended Rancho Buena Vista High School in San Diego and went on to earn a degree from UCLA, playing left field for the Bruins and finishing his collegiate career as the school’s all-time stolen base leader (109).
Renteria, now entering his fourth season as a Major League coach for the Padres, will assume a new role as bench coach in 2011. The 48-year-old was originally named first base coach on December 12, 2007, holding that position through the 2010 campaign. He spent the previous four seasons managing in the Padres minor league system at Single-A Lake Elsinore (2004-06) and Triple-A Portland (2007).
Renteria joined the San Diego system as a coach at Lake Elsinore in 2003 after managing for four seasons in the Florida Marlins organization. His playing career included parts of five seasons at the Major League level, playing for the Pirates (1986), Mariners (1987-88) and Marlins (1993-94). Darrell Akerfelds, the longest tenured member of the Padres coaching staff, enters his 10th full season as the Padres bullpen coach. He was originally given the assignment on June 11, 2001. The 48-year-old first joined the Padres as the pitching coach at Single-A Clinton in 1997 following a 12-year playing career that included parts of five Major League seasons pitching for the Athletics (1986), Indians (1987), Rangers (1989) and Phillies (1990-91). In 2010, Akerfelds helped guide the Padres to a Major League-leading 2.78 relief ERA. As part of the bullpen’s success, Padres relievers Luke Gregerson and Mike Adams each broke MLB’s previous single-season holds record while Heath Bell tallied a career-high 47 saves.
Darren Balsley, who turns 46 on October 27, returns for his eighth full season as the Padres pitching coach since being named to the post on May 17, 2003. Since beginning his first full season as pitching coach in 2004, the Padres have posted a 3.98 ERA, second-best in the Majors. He guided the San Diego staff to a Major League-best 3.70 ERA in 2007 and a National League-low 3.87 ERA in 2006, marking the first two times in franchise history the team has led the league in ERA. The 2010 club posted a 3.39 ERA, ranking second in the Majors with the lowest ERA in franchise history since 1989. Both the 2007 and 2010 clubs recorded a franchise record 20 shutouts under his guidance.
Glenn Hoffman, 52, returns for his sixth season as the club’s third base coach. The 2011 campaign will mark his 13th as a Major League coach and 36th in professional baseball. Hoffman served as third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1999-2005 and briefly took over as the club’s manager for part of the 1998 season. He played parts of nine seasons in the Majors as an infielder with the Red Sox (1980-87), Dodgers (1987) and Angels (1989).
Randy Ready returns for his eighth season working in the Padres organization and second full season as hitting coach, having been promoted to his current post on July 31, 2009. Ready, 50, had previously held the position of manager of the Triple-A Portland Beavers since 2008. A former Padres player, he rejoined the organization in 2004, serving as manager of Single-A Fort Wayne (2004-2006) before taking over the reins at Double-A San Antonio in 2007, where he led the Missions to a 73-66 (.525) overall record and the Texas League Championship. Prior to joining the Padres, Ready spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons managing Detroit’s Short-A affiliate in Oneonta. He was named New York-Penn League Manager of the Year in 2002 after leading the Tigers to a 47-27 (.635) record and the Stedler Division title.
