Williams to be joined by pitching coach Reith, hitting coach Bradley and bench coach Ruiz
Brady Williams will return as Manager of the Durham Bulls for the 2022 season.
The reigning Triple-A National Champion Durham Bulls, in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Rays, have announced that Brady Williams will be returning for his third season as manager of the Bulls. Joining Williams on the coaching staff are pitching coach Brian Reith, hitting coach Will Bradley and bench coach Reinaldo Ruiz.
“We’re thrilled to welcome back Brady after the Bulls won every single title possible last season,” said Bulls Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Birling. “We look forward to working with him and the rest of his staff for what should be another exciting season in 2022.”
Williams, the 2021 Triple-A East co-Manager of the Year, led the Bulls to a minor league-best 86-44 record last season, the highest win percentage over a full season in Durham franchise history, en route to claiming the Triple-A National Championship and winning the Triple-A Final Stretch. In his two years at the helm for the Bulls, the 41-year-old has compiled a 161-108 record after leading Durham to the Governors’ Cup Finals in his initial campaign in 2019.
Brian Reith joins the Bulls as pitching coach, replacing Rick Knapp who was promoted to Rays assistant pitching coach. Reith joins Durham’s staff after spending the 2021 season on the Rays staff as major league fellow, pitching development. Prior to the 2020 canceled season, he served as pitching coach with Class-A Bowling Green (2018-19) and Short-A Hudson Valley (2015-2017).
Will Bradley joins the Bulls as hitting coach, replacing Kyle Wilson who was promoted to Rays Minor League Hitting Coordinator. Bradley joins the Rays organization after serving as a hitting coach in the Los Angeles Angels organization, with stints in Low-A Burlington (2019-20) and High-A Tri-City (2021). Prior to his time with the Angels, he served as a coach at Saint Louis University (2007-18) where he was responsible for hitting and recruiting and assisted with defense.
Bench coach Reinaldo Ruiz returns for a second season with the Bulls having previously managed at multiple stops including Bowling Green (2015-2017, 2019) and Charlotte (2018). Rounding out the staff for 2022 are athletic trainers Scott Thurston (fourth season), Kris Russell (second season) and first-year conditioning coach Carlos Gonzalez.
The Bulls begin their Triple-A National Title defense on the road in Nashville on Tuesday, April 5 before returning to the DBAP for a five-game series versus the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Tuesday, April 12. For more information on full-season and mini plan packages, please call 919.956.BULL.
Thanks to DBBC’s Andrew Green for this Capcom story & photo.
