Lake County Captains fans will notice a very familiar face on the steps of the first base dugout this year. That face is none other than Manager Aaron Holbert, who is returning for his second tour of duty with the club. Holbert is excited to be back as the captain of the ship in Lake County, and looks forward to the challenges that face him in his second season with the club.
"I am very thankful for the opportunity to come back," said Holbert in an interview in Goodyear, Arizona this spring. "With me still being young in my managerial career, I did not feel that I needed to be pushed in any way to try to go up to Kinston or Akron, and I feel like it is a good opportunity for me to come back here for a second year. I can learn a few more things as I made some mistakes [last year], so I hope I can learn from those mistakes, repeat the success we had as a unit last year, and build upon it."
Not only was last season Holbert's debut as a manager, but it also marked his first season in the Indians organization after coming over from the Cincinnati Reds. It was a learning experience for him, and he hopes to build on all that he learned last season.
"It was a good experience, no doubt about it," said Holbert. "I definitely had to learn some patience because now I am running the whole ship managing not only the players, but also my staff and the front office. So there are a lot of things I have to juggle, and different hats I have to put on. So I think to come back for a second year will allow me to benefit from the things I did right and wrong last year. I think it will be a great opportunity for me now that I have my feet wet to build upon last year."
Holbert was not only a first year manager least season, but he was also learning a lot about his new staff members and the Indians organization itself. Now that he has a year in the books and feels more comfortable with the organization and his staff, the transition will be much easier for him at the start of the season this year than it was last year.
"I think it will be easier because going in last year I was pretty much the new guy," said Holbert. "My staff and the organization had to learn about me and my little quirks and everything else. So, I think coming into my second season with Jimmy Rickon (hitting coach) and Jeremy Heller (athletic trainer) coming back it helps. Tony Arnold is the new guy on our staff, but he has been in the organization for awhile and I was able to hang around and talk with him in spring training last year. So I think it will be a good thing as we will have a feel for each other and things should run smoother. There is no doubt about it that last year went well, but if things went well last year there is no reason not to believe they will run better this year."
Pitching coaches Ruben Niebla and Tony Arnold have flip-flopped roles this season, with Niebla going to Akron to follow up with some of the players he has worked with over the past two to three years in Lake County, and Arnold is coming down to Lake County to work with the next batch of young pitching prospects. The pitching coach is arguably the most important coach on a manager’s staff, so it will take some time for both Arnold and Holbert to get on the same page.
"It is just a matter of getting to understand him and see what his philosophies are and see how similar and different we are," said Holbert about working with Arnold for the first time. "If we are from one spectrum to the other, then we have to work together to make sure we are able to come to some sort of common ground about how we are trying to tell the guys what our ideas are. It is a very good opportunity for me to work with different staff members as I work forward through my career. I know Tony is a very good man and good pitching coach, and I think we are going to have a blast this year and have a good time together."
In the minor leagues, not only are the players trying to improve, but managers and coaches are always looking to find ways to get better. Holbert's expertise has always been on the offensive side of the ball because he is a former hitting coach and played many years professionally as an infielder, so this season he would like to try and concentrate more on balancing himself out and becoming better with handling his pitching staff.
"I think I will try to get my hand in a little more on the pitching side of it as being a former infielder I am really focused on the offensive side of the game and what the hitters and defenders are doing," said Holbert. "The more I get into managing the more I can work with the pitching coaches and start to taper off a little bit from the offensive and defensive side and learn more about the pitching aspect so further down the road when I mature as a manager I will have encompassed the full circle of the game."
Holbert along with his staff and players enjoyed a fun filled maiden voyage through the South Atlantic League in 2008. He and his team tasted great success the first half of the season when they won the first half division championship, and there was a lot of excitement going into the South Atlantic League playoffs before the season was sunk with a quick first round exit. But, Holbert is quick to mention that while the playoff result was disappointing, the results from the season itself with the development of a lot of players had made it all that more successful.
"I think we definitely started off well last year and we won the first half," said Holbert. "We started the second half off slow and had some promotions, but I told the players going into the season that the Cleveland Indians did not hire me to be the first year manager that wins a title in Lake County. It is not all about winning. Yeah, we go out and try to win, but our job is to make sure we are developing the guys as ballplayers and young men. It is a matter of getting these guys ready."
The 2009 season should be another fun season for the Captains, one where Captain Holbert guides his ship from his perch on the dugout steps.
"I am very thankful for the opportunity to come back," said Holbert in an interview in Goodyear, Arizona this spring. "With me still being young in my managerial career, I did not feel that I needed to be pushed in any way to try to go up to Kinston or Akron, and I feel like it is a good opportunity for me to come back here for a second year. I can learn a few more things as I made some mistakes [last year], so I hope I can learn from those mistakes, repeat the success we had as a unit last year, and build upon it."
Not only was last season Holbert's debut as a manager, but it also marked his first season in the Indians organization after coming over from the Cincinnati Reds. It was a learning experience for him, and he hopes to build on all that he learned last season.
"It was a good experience, no doubt about it," said Holbert. "I definitely had to learn some patience because now I am running the whole ship managing not only the players, but also my staff and the front office. So there are a lot of things I have to juggle, and different hats I have to put on. So I think to come back for a second year will allow me to benefit from the things I did right and wrong last year. I think it will be a great opportunity for me now that I have my feet wet to build upon last year."
Holbert was not only a first year manager least season, but he was also learning a lot about his new staff members and the Indians organization itself. Now that he has a year in the books and feels more comfortable with the organization and his staff, the transition will be much easier for him at the start of the season this year than it was last year.
"I think it will be easier because going in last year I was pretty much the new guy," said Holbert. "My staff and the organization had to learn about me and my little quirks and everything else. So, I think coming into my second season with Jimmy Rickon (hitting coach) and Jeremy Heller (athletic trainer) coming back it helps. Tony Arnold is the new guy on our staff, but he has been in the organization for awhile and I was able to hang around and talk with him in spring training last year. So I think it will be a good thing as we will have a feel for each other and things should run smoother. There is no doubt about it that last year went well, but if things went well last year there is no reason not to believe they will run better this year."
Pitching coaches Ruben Niebla and Tony Arnold have flip-flopped roles this season, with Niebla going to Akron to follow up with some of the players he has worked with over the past two to three years in Lake County, and Arnold is coming down to Lake County to work with the next batch of young pitching prospects. The pitching coach is arguably the most important coach on a manager’s staff, so it will take some time for both Arnold and Holbert to get on the same page.
"It is just a matter of getting to understand him and see what his philosophies are and see how similar and different we are," said Holbert about working with Arnold for the first time. "If we are from one spectrum to the other, then we have to work together to make sure we are able to come to some sort of common ground about how we are trying to tell the guys what our ideas are. It is a very good opportunity for me to work with different staff members as I work forward through my career. I know Tony is a very good man and good pitching coach, and I think we are going to have a blast this year and have a good time together."
In the minor leagues, not only are the players trying to improve, but managers and coaches are always looking to find ways to get better. Holbert's expertise has always been on the offensive side of the ball because he is a former hitting coach and played many years professionally as an infielder, so this season he would like to try and concentrate more on balancing himself out and becoming better with handling his pitching staff.
"I think I will try to get my hand in a little more on the pitching side of it as being a former infielder I am really focused on the offensive side of the game and what the hitters and defenders are doing," said Holbert. "The more I get into managing the more I can work with the pitching coaches and start to taper off a little bit from the offensive and defensive side and learn more about the pitching aspect so further down the road when I mature as a manager I will have encompassed the full circle of the game."
Holbert along with his staff and players enjoyed a fun filled maiden voyage through the South Atlantic League in 2008. He and his team tasted great success the first half of the season when they won the first half division championship, and there was a lot of excitement going into the South Atlantic League playoffs before the season was sunk with a quick first round exit. But, Holbert is quick to mention that while the playoff result was disappointing, the results from the season itself with the development of a lot of players had made it all that more successful.
"I think we definitely started off well last year and we won the first half," said Holbert. "We started the second half off slow and had some promotions, but I told the players going into the season that the Cleveland Indians did not hire me to be the first year manager that wins a title in Lake County. It is not all about winning. Yeah, we go out and try to win, but our job is to make sure we are developing the guys as ballplayers and young men. It is a matter of getting these guys ready."
The 2009 season should be another fun season for the Captains, one where Captain Holbert guides his ship from his perch on the dugout steps.
Photo courtesy of Lake County Captains Media
Everything on this site is free, but for those interested in making any monetary contributions to help support the stability and growth of this site please click on the "Donate" button below.
0 comments:
Post a Comment