FREDERICK, MD (April 15, 2025) - The Frederick Keys and the MLB Draft League announced today that Preston Wilson will serve as the Keys Manager for the 2025 season, marking the club’s fifth season competing in the MLB Draft League.
Wilson, who had a 10-year career in the Major Leagues as an outfielder, will make his Draft League coaching debut in 2025. He will be joined by Hitting Coach Tony Diaz and Pitching Coach Jimmy Nelson.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Wilson said. “This is a chance for the players to show what they can do. I’m really looking forward to seeing who wants to play and wants to do the things that need to be done when nobody is looking. I’m just really excited for the players.”
Wilson comes into Frederick with an extensive background in professional baseball. He was named an All-Star in 2003 while playing for the Colorado Rockies, posting a career-high .282 batting average and leading the National League with 141 RBIs. Over the course of his career (1998-2007), the Bamberg, South Carolina native played in 1,108 career games across six different teams, including a five-year stint with the Florida Marlins from 1998-2002.
Drafted in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft by the New York Mets after being named Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year, Wilson made his Major League debut with the Mets in 1998 before being traded to the Marlins later that year.
“The Frederick Keys are pleased to welcome Preston Wilson as Manager, Tony Diaz as Hitting Coach, and Jimmy Nelson as Pitching Coach for the upcoming season,” said Slater Fuchs, Frederick Keys General Manager. “This accomplished group of professionals brings a wealth of Major League experience and a shared commitment to excellence, player development, and organizational success. We are confident that their leadership will significantly enhance the competitive trajectory of our club and reinforce our mission of fostering a high-performance environment both on and off the field.”
Leading the Keys hitters this season will be Tony Diaz, who has had a long coaching career dating back to 2001. The Dominican Republic native most recently served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2018 through this past summer and spent time both as a third base coach and an assistant bench coach in the Twin Cities.
Jimmy Nelson will take over as the pitching coach in Frederick this summer following his eight-year career in the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 147 career games, Nelson accumulated a 4.12 ERA and had a standout season in 2017, where he finished with a 12-6 record and tallied 199 strikeouts during his fifth season in Milwaukee.
The Frederick Keys will open their 2025 season on Wednesday, June 4, at 7 p.m., hosting the West Virginia Black Bears at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. The club’s promotional schedule will be released in full on Thursday, April 24, and single-game tickets go on sale on Friday, April 25.
