October 13, 2015
St. Cloud, MN – The St. Cloud Rox introduced two-time World Series winner, Al Newman as their new Assistant Coach at a press conference tonight at the House of Pizza in Sartell. The event, which was open to the public, attracted a standing room only crowd.
Newman, a former first round draft pick of the Montreal Expos out of San Diego State University, played eight seasons in the major leagues including five with the Minnesota Twins. During his time with the Twins he primarily played the infield and was a member of the 1987 and 1991 World Series teams.
Following his retirement from baseball in 1992, Newman began his coaching career in the Minnesota Twins organization. During the 1996 and 1997 seasons he served as the Manager of the Class AA affiliate New Britain Rock Cats. In 1998 he served as the Bench Coach for the Class AAA affiliate Salt Lake City Buzz and from 1999-2001 as the Manager of the rookie league Gulf Coast League Twins. In 2002 Newman joined the Twins major league coaching staff as the Third Base Coach, a role he held through the 2005 season. Newman was the Field Manager of the Alexandria Blue Anchors from 2013 to 2015.
“We are thrilled to welcome Al Newman to the Rox Family,” said Rox Vice President Scott Schreiner. “He will be an outstanding addition to our coaching staff. His knowledge and passion for the game is unmatched.”
Newman joins the coaching staff of Augie Rodriguez who is entering his fifth season as the Rox Field Manager and Phil Imholte who enters his third year as an Assistant Coach.
“Al brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge along with a positive attitude to the organization,” said Field Manager Augie Rodriguez. “He knows what it takes to get to the next level and will be an asset to the growth of our players.”
Newman will work with the Rox hitters and infielders.
“I’m very happy to work for a guy I truly respect in the game in Augie Rodriguez,” said Newman, “I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season.”
The Rox finished the 2015 season with a 51-25 record and a berth to the Summer Collegiate World Series. The Rox will open their 5th season of Northwoods League baseball in late May of 2016. Season tickets for the 2016 season are currently on sale. For more information regarding this release please contact the Rox front office at (320) 240-9798 or visit www.stcloudrox.com
The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing it 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016, the Northwoods League is the largest summer collegiate baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (KC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com.
