| Tuesday, July 25, 2006 For Immediate Release |
Contact: Brad Tillery ( 517) 485-4500 ext. 233 |
Lugnuts' Signore selected to coach in Arizona Fall League
LANSING, Mich. – Lansing Lugnuts pitching coach Tom Signore will have a second season on his hands beginning in October. Signore was selected to represent Toronto in the prestigious Arizona Fall League at the end of the season.
"I'm honored," Signore said. "I have to thank the pitchers that made it possible. Without their performance, I wouldn't have been named to the league."
Signore, 44, will join the staff of the Phoenix Desert Dogs when play opens on October 10 for the league's fifteenth season. The club will be managed by Tony Defrancesco (Oakland) and Jamie Dismuke (Cincinnatti) will act as the hitting coach. The two trainers for the Desert Dogs are Matt Rankin (Detroit) and James Southard (Tampa Bay).
"I'm really looking forward to being around baseball people and folks who have been around the game for a long time," stated Signore. "The ability of the players that will be there is already top notch, so it should be a lot of fun."
The Arizona Fall League provides a unique opportunity for organizations to showcase top playing and coaching prospects. Each Major League organization will send five players and one coach or trainer to Arizona to take part in the six team league. The Arizona Fall League currently has forty-five former coaches and twenty-one former trainers serving in the major leagues.
"What I think that I am looking forward to the most is seeing how different organizations approach their pitchers," Signore said. "Each team handles pitchers differently, and I will have to adapt to their style. It's a challenge that I think will be a great experience for me."
Signore curently lives with his wife and child in Syracuse, New York. He began his coaching career in 1989 at Onondaga Community College before serving time at Flagler College, his alma mater Quinnipiac College, and Western Connecticut State University. After spending several seasons with the Montreal Expos organization, he joined the Florida Marlins for two seasons before coming to Toronto in 2005.
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