The State College Spikes will have a fleet of baseball veterans at the helm for the 2022 MLB Draft League season. Dave Trembley, who managed the Baltimore Orioles from 2007-10 and brings over 25 seasons of coaching at nearly every level of baseball to Happy Valley, will take the reins as the manager. In addition, former big league pitcher Jim Gott will serve as pitching coach and David Valdez will serve as hitting coach this summer.
Trembley most recently served as the manager for the Bristol State Liners of the Appalachian League in 2021, reconnecting him with the development of young players in Major League Baseball’s Player Development Pipeline. Prior to his time in Bristol, Trembley held the dual roles as Director of Player Development and Minor League Field Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves from 2014-18, preceded by a year as bench coach for the Houston Astros in 2013 and a year as third-base coach for the Astros in 2012.
Trembley compiled over 1,500 wins as a manager in the minor leagues while earning the Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year Award in 1987 and USA Today/Baseball Weekly Class-A Manager of the Year honors in 1995 and 1999. After joining the Orioles organization in 2003, he rose through the organization to a big league role in 2007, taking over as interim manager partway through the season before becoming full-time manager from 2008-10.
This season will also mark a homecoming of sorts for Trembley, who did graduate work in sports psychology at Penn State after earning his degree from the State University of New York at Brockport, where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of the Major League Baseball Draft League and I am looking forward to a very successful summer in Happy Valley,” said Trembley. “MLB has put together a tremendous concept in getting young players ready for professional baseball, and State College is the ideal location to develop these prospects. I feel very humbled to be chosen for this role, and I can’t wait to be part of a fantastic season for our players and fans.”
Gott, who served as pitching coach for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League in 2021, takes the short trip down to State College for this coming season. The right-hander compiled 56 wins and 91 saves over a 14-year major league career with the Blue Jays, Giants, Pirates and Dodgers, and recorded a career high 34 saves, second-most in the majors, for the Pirates in 1988.
Following his career on the mound, Gott spent eight years with the Angels organization as a pitching coach, four of them as minor league pitching coordinator for their entire farm system, before serving as bullpen coach for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2018-20.
Valdez, who has playing experience at several different levels of the minor leagues, has been a longtime hitting coach in the Boston area, and has served as the head baseball coach at Bunker Hill (Mass.) Community College since 2017.
“We are very much looking forward to bringing Dave, Jim and David to Happy Valley and making them a part of our Spikes family,” said Spikes President & General Manager Scott Walker. “Their vast experience in the game will help our players as they get ready to start their professional baseball careers, and we’re excited to have them leading the way on the field this summer.”
Fans can enjoy every moment of the Spikes’ biggest regular season ever, featuring 40 home games on the 2022 MLB Draft League schedule, with Spikes Season Ticket Memberships and Flex Books. Season Ticket Members get the same great seats for every Spikes home game, plus enjoy special amenities like access to exclusive Extra Innings Club events at the ballpark. Spikes Flex Books feature 12 undated ticket vouchers for the price of 10 to allow for maximum flexibility to fit any fan’s needs.
To purchase a Season Ticket Membership or a Flex Book, call a Spikes ticket representative at (814) 272-1711 or log on to StateCollegeSpikes.com. More information on the MLB Draft League is available at MLBDraftLeague.com. The Spikes’ 2022 schedule PDF is available for download at this link.
