Durham Bulls Manager Charlie Montoyo will return to coach for the 2011 season. |
The Durham Bulls recently announced Charlie Montoyo will return to Durham as manager for his fifth full season, a tenure second to only Bulls all-time winningest manager Bill Evers. Montoyo will be joined by hitting coach Dave Myers who returns for his third season, along with pitching coach Neil Allen, who served in the same capacity for the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A) last season.
Montoyo boasts a 325-249 in four seasons with the Bulls, including four division titles, a Governors’ Cup Championship and National Title. He led the Bulls to a team Triple-A record 88 wins last season while becoming the first Durham skipper at the Triple-A level to win the league’s manager of the year award. The Bulls defeated Louisville in the first round of the Governors’ Cup playoffs last season, but fell to Columbus in the finals.
Myers returns for his third season after presiding over an offense that finished first in runs batted in (699) and runs (757), second in the league with a .277 average and fourth in the league in home runs with 142. The offense also featured the league’s most valuable player in Dan Johnson, who batted .303 with 30 home runs and 95 RBI in four months of action.
Allen comes to the Bulls after spending last season with the Rays’ Florida State League affiliate in Port Charlotte. His pitching staff led the league with a 3.06 ERA, tied for third with 12 shutouts and third with 40 saves. He spent the previous three seasons with the Montgomery Biscuits in the Southern League after spending the previous seven seasons in the New York Yankees organization. Prior to that, he was a coach in the Toronto Blue Jays organization from 1996-1999. An 11th round pick of the New York Mets in 1976, Allen pitched 11 seasons in the major leagues for the NY Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, NY Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians.
The Bulls open the home portion of the 2011 season on Thursday, April 14th against the Norfolk Tides at 7:05 PM. Season tickets, mini plans and group tickets are on sale now at www.durhambulls.com or by phone at (919) 956-BULL.
Thanks to DBBC’s Matt DeMargel for this capcom story & photo.
