New Drillers Manager Shines
BIG EXPECTATIONS: New Tulsa Drillers team manager Razor Shines stands at ONEOK Field in January. Shines will be in his second season as manager of the Dodgers Double-A affiliate after leading the Chattanooga Lookouts to a big turnaround last year.
EMILY RAMSEY for GTR Newspapers
Former major leaguer Razor Shines is the Tulsa Drillers’ new team manager. Shines will become the 21st full-time manager in franchise history when the 2015 season begins on April 9. This will be the Drillers’ first season as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Joining Shines on the staff will be pitching coach Matt Herges, hitting coach Shawn Wooten and coach Leo Garcia.
Shines met with the media on Jan. 26, where he talked about his high hopes for the upcoming season, up-and-coming players and the originality of his name, which has been passed down in his family.
Shines will be in his second season as manager of the Dodgers Double-A affiliate after leading the Chattanooga Lookouts to a big turnaround last year. In the first half of 2014, Chattanooga finished last in its division with a 26-44 record, but the second half was a different story. Shines and the Lookouts improved to 35-33, winning the division and advancing to the Southern League playoffs.
Chattanooga defeated Huntsville in the first round of the post-season before losing to Jacksonville in the Southern League Championship Series.
Last season marked Shines’ second in the Dodgers system as he managed the Single-A Great Lakes Loons to a 67-72 mark in the Midwest League in 2012.
His first managerial job was in 1995 with the Cincinnati Reds when he led the team’s Class-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. From 2001 through 2006, Shines managed six seasons in the Chicago White Sox minor league system and spent the 2008 season with the Philadelphia Phillies as skipper of Clearwater in the Florida State League.
Overall, Shines has managed in 10 seasons, compiling a 700-695 regular season record. His teams have qualified for the playoffs in six of those 10 seasons.
His professional baseball career began as a player in 1978. He played for 16 years, reaching the majors with the Montreal Expos where he spent parts of four seasons. Shines also was in the majors as a base coach for the Chicago White Sox (2007) and the New York Mets (2009-2010).
Shawn Wooten’s coaching career began in the 2010 season when he served as hitting coach for the San Diego Padres Short-Season affiliate in Eugene, Ore. Wooten became a manager for the Padres in 2011, leading their Low-A affiliate in Fort Wayne, Ind., before advancing to Lake Elsinore and managing the Storm for two seasons (2012-2013) in the California League.
Matt Herges will enter his fifth season as a minor league pitching coach. He has spent the past three years (2012-2014) with High-A Rancho Cucamonga in the California League.
Leo Garcia joins the Tulsa staff after spending the last two seasons as the hitting coach for the Dodgers Rookie League team in Ogden, Utah. He has been a coach in the Dodgers organization since 2009. Prior to joining the Dodgers, he coached in the San Francisco Giants minor league system for 6 years and was their Latin America coordinator in 2007.
The Drillers will open the 2015 season at home Thursday, April 9 at 7:05 p.m. against the San Antonio Missions at ONEOK Field.
Updated 02-02-2015
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