Some of the best hitting advice Nicky Delmonico received came from Chicago White Sox hitting coach Frank Menechino.
“He told me to write everything down that I liked, what makes me right, so … if you fail or go through something, you have something to go back to and build off of,” Delmonico, a Sox outfielder from 2017-20, said during a conference call Wednesday.
“I think that’s the biggest thing for a young hitter because when you start to struggle, you can change your stance, mentally — it’s such an emotional game that you’ve got to have something to go back to.”
Delmonico will have the chance to work with young hitters after being named the hitting coach for Class A Winston-Salem. The Sox announced their 2022 player development staff and assignments Wednesday.
“Just to be back with this organization, it feels like I’m coming home,” Delmonico said. “I’m going to try to learn as much as I can. I felt like I was doing it not that long ago and I’m going to be able to relate to a lot of hitters.
“It’s a league that I played in when I was in the minor leagues, so I’m just going to try to do everything I can to prepare these young hitters and do everything I can to help them.”
Delmonico, 29, played in 158 major-league games with the Sox and slashed .224/.312/.384 with 17 doubles, 18 home runs and 57 RBIs.
He reached out to Chris Getz, the Sox assistant general manager/player development, and expressed an interest in coaching after being released by the Cincinnati Reds organization last May.
“Last year was the first time I was really itching to become a coach,” Delmonico said. “I just wasn’t in the mindset to play anymore. It was just that feeling I want to get on the other side of the game. I’m lucky it was this quick and I didn’t have to wait two or three years. I could jump back in and be a part of the clubhouse and the everyday grind.”
Delmonico would like to be a manager one day.
“I feel like I can handle a clubhouse and motivate guys,” he said. “But I’m fortunate enough to be a hitting coach where I can see the other side and study from our manager and see what he does on a day-to-day basis.”
Lorenzo Bundy, who enters his 13th season as a minor-league manager and first in the Sox system, is the Winston-Salem skipper.
Wes Helms, Justin Jirschele and Guillermo Quiroz return to manage Triple-A Charlotte, Double-A Birmingham and Class A Kannapolis, respectively. Patrick Leyland, the son of former big-league manager Jim Leyland, will manage the Arizona Complex League White Sox after serving as the Kannapolis bench coach last season.
Jasmine Dunston, the daughter of former big-leaguer Shawon Dunston, is among the new additions as the director of minor-league operations. She takes over for Grace Guerrero Zwit, who retired after 40 seasons in the Sox baseball operations department, including the last 14 as the senior director of minor-league operations.
“I am incredibly pleased and excited about our returning coaches and instructors and how they will integrate with high-quality and skilled new hires joining the organization,” Getz said in a statement. “The preparedness of our minor-leaguers to fill key spots on our big-league roster is a reflection of the strong work ethic and successful programs implemented through our player development system.
“I am excited to see the continued growth of our young players and their impact on the 2022 season.”
Here is the entire breakdown of Wednesday’s announcement:
Player development staff
Assistant General Manager/Player Development: Chris Getz
Director of Minor League Operations: Jasmine Dunston
Assistant Director, Player Development: Kenny Williams Jr.
Assistant Director, Baseball Operations: Graham Harboe
Assistant, Player Development/Latin Education: Grant Flick
Biomechanical Analyst: C.J. Gearhart
Assistant, Player Development/Video: Jack Larimer
Senior Coordinator, Minor League Operations: Kathy Potoski
Education Coordinator: Erin Santana
Player development instructors/rovers
Field Coordinator: Doug Sisson
Pitching Coordinator: Everett Teaford
Assistant Pitching Coordinator: J.R. Perdew
Hitting Coordinator: Andy Barkett
Assistant Hitting Coordinator: Ryan Johansen
Infield Coordinator: Ryan Newman
Catching Coordinator: Julio Mosquera
Assistant Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator: Mike Daniel
Rehab Pitching Coach: Donnie Veal
Development Coach: Danny Gonzalez
Minor League Performance Coordinator: Gage Crosgrove
Medical staff
Medical Coordinator: Scott Takao
Physical Therapist Coordinator: Brooks Klein
Minor League Physical Therapist: Katie Stone
Minor League Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC): Evan Jurjevic
Sports Psychologist: Dr. Rob Seifer
Nutritionists: Danielle Mach and Christine Jordhamo
Arizona operations
Facility Manager: Joe Lachcik
Minor League Clubhouse and Equipment Manager: Dan Flood
Assistant Minor League Clubhouse Manager: Bryant Biasotti
Triple-A Charlotte
Manager: Wes Helms
Pitching Coach: Matt Zaleski
Hitting Coach: Chris Johnson
Trainer: Cory Barton
Performance Coach: Shawn Powell
Double-A Birmingham
Manager: Justin Jirschele
Pitching Coach: Richard Dotson
Hitting Coach: Charlie Romero
Trainer: Hyeon Kim
Performance Coach: George Timke
Class A Winston-Salem
Manager: Lorenzo Bundy
Pitching Coach: Danny Farquhar
Hitting Coach: Nicky Delmonico
Trainer: Carson Wooten
Performance Coach: TBD
Class A Kannapolis
Manager: Guillermo Quiroz
Pitching Coach: John Ely
Hitting Coach: Cam Seitzer
Trainer: Jeremy Kneebusch
Performance Coach: Kevin Child
Arizona Rookie League White Sox
Manager: Patrick Leyland
Bench Coach: Mike Gellinger
Pitching Coach: Drew Hasler
Hitting Coach: Devin DeYoung
Trainer: Scott Johnson
Performance Coach/Rehab: Daniel Cobian
Dominican Republic Academy/DSL White Sox
Academy Supervisor: Louis Silverio
Field Coordinator: Julio Bruno
Assistant Field Coordinator; Infield: Guillermo Reyes
Administration Assistant: Carolina Santos
Complex Operations Coordinator: Manuel Santana
Manager/Catching Coordinator: Ángel Rosario
Pitching Coach: Leo Hernández
Assistant Pitching Coach: José Brito
Hitting Coach: Gerardo Olivares
Assistant Hitting Coach: Angel González
Trainer: Sergio Marte
Performance Coach: Jonathan Hasbun
English Teacher: Pablo Frias
Education Assistant: Luis Villar
