Schatzley returns for fourth season as Rocket City’s manager

MADISON — Back for his fourth year at the Trash Pandas’ helm, Manager Andy Schatzley leads the on-field coaching staff for Rocket City, the Los Angeles Angels announced.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to return to the Trash Pandas and be a part of best-run affiliate in Minor League Baseball,” Schatzley said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of the Angels and this affiliate, and to be able to do it with this staff really excites me.

“I’m ready to get to work.”

The coaching staff for the 2025 Trash Pandas:

“Everyone on our staff has a unique background and set of life experience,” Schatzley said. “The differences and the uniqueness of their backgrounds make them uniquely qualified to help our players. Everyone adds to what we do as a staff and I’m looking forward to working with them and learning from them.”

The second manager in Trash Pandas history, Schatzley guided the team to the top of the Southern League standings in 2022, winning first and second half North Division titles for the best record in the league at 81-57. The 2022 Trash Pandas marked the first time the Angels’ Double-A affiliate reached the postseason since the Arkansas Travelers accomplished the feat in 2015.

Following the season, Schatzley was named the 2022 Southern League Manager of the Year, becoming the first Trash Pandas manager to win the award.

Under his tutelage, Schatzley has helped guide 23 Trash Pandas to the Major Leagues in ‘22.  He came to Rocket City after serving as the manager with High-A Tri-City in 2021.  That year, he earned the Preston Gomez Award as the Angels’ Minor League Manager of the Year.  In 2020, Schatzley was tabbed to manage the Rookie-Level Orem Owlz in his first professional season before the minor league season was cancelled. Schatzley joined the Angels after eight seasons in college baseball with Harding University in Searcy, Ark.

Hitting Coach Joel Chimelis returns to Rocket City for a second season. Last season, Chimelis saw two of his pupils (outfielder Gustavo Campero and infielder Eric Wagaman) make their big league debut with the Angels in September. He previously served as Angels Triple-A hitting coach in Salt Lake in 2023. Previously, he was a Triple-A hitting coach in Las Vegas and Syracuse. Chimelis started his coaching career in 2004 as the hitting coach for the Savannah Sand Gnats and has also coached in the Houston Astros system, serving as manager for the 2012 Corpus Christi Hooks.

He had a 15-year professional playing career that began as an 11th-round draft pick of the Oakland A’s in 1988, which included a 1991 season as a member of the Huntsville Stars. Chimelis also enjoyed a successful overseas career playing seven seasons in Mexico, China and Korea.

Pitching Coach Michael Wuertz is back for a fifth season in 2025. He is the only member of the staff to remain with the Trash Pandas through their first four seasons. Under the direction of Wuertz, 15 former Trash Pandas pitchers made their MLB debut for the Angels over the past four seasons. This will be Wuertz’s eighth season in the Angels organization, having previously worked with High-A Inland Empire and Rookie-Level Orem.

As a player, he pitched for eight seasons between the Chicago Cubs (2004-08) and Oakland A’s (2009-11), posting a 21-11 record and 11 saves with 444 strikeouts in 426 career relief outings. In 2009, he led all American League relievers with a career-high 102 strikeouts, becoming the third A’s reliever after Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley to fan 100 in a season.

New to the Trash Pandas in 2025 is Assistant Pitching Coach Bo Martino. A long-time high school and college coach, Martino spent the last two seasons with the Angels Arizona Complex League affiliate, a position he also held in 2021. He was also the pitching coach for the division-winning Low-A Inland Empire 66ers in 2022. He was scheduled to coach Rookie League Orem in 2020 before the cancellation of the Minor League season.

Before the Angels, Martino was an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin in 2019.

Also new to the Trash Pandas coaching staff this season is former MLB catcher and manager Rod Barajas, who also enters his second season as a coach with the Angels.  Previously, Barajas was a coach and manager over nine seasons with the Padres, both at the major and minor league levels.  His stops included the Arizona League Padres, Double-A San Antonio, and Triple-A El Paso. He ultimately, was named a coach on Manager Andy Green’s San Diego staff in 2019 and became the Padres interim manager for the final eight games of the ‘19 season. He was the Angels Major League catching coordinator in 2022 before spending the last two seasons with the Miami Marlins as their quality assurance coach.

Barajas played 14 seasons as an MLB catcher, which included stints with the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Phillies, Blue Jays, Mets, Dodgers and Pirates. He won a World Series with the Diamondbacks and former Trash Pandas manager Jay Bell in 2001. He also homered off of Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina in Game 5 of the World Series that year at Yankee Stadium.

Strength and Conditioning Coach David Robertson returns to the Trash Pandas for a third season after earning Northwest League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator of the Year honors in 2022 for High-A Hillsboro in the Arizona Diamondbacks system.

Prior to his coaching career, Robertson spent 14 years in the Army’s Special Operations Command, earning the rank of major. He took part in Operation Gothic Serpent, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Robertson also spent five seasons as a professional baseball umpire from 2005-09, including a stint in the Southern League.

Athletic Trainer Dylan Culwell is back for his second season following a two-year stint with the Tri-City Dust Devils. He was named as the 2022 Northwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

Also joining the Trash Pandas training staff is Dan Turner. He was also a trainer for several seasons in the Padres farm system and was one of the trainers at the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Game.

Rounding out the Trash Pandas coaching staff will be Game Planning Strategist Jose Reyes, Video Assistant Easton Rhodes, and Clubhouse Manager Bubba Hearn.

The Trash Pandas will open their fifth season at Toyota Field on April 4 against the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Fans can book group outings for the 2025 season by visiting trashpandasgroups.com or  calling the group sales department at 256-325-1403 option 2. The 20-Game Mini Plans and single-game ticket vouchers are also available at tptix.com.