BUFFALO – Today the Toronto Blue Jays announced the 2024 Buffalo Bisons coaching staff, including the return of Casey Candaele to serve as manager for the fourth straight season. He is one of five returning members from the 2023 coaching staff.
Candaele posted his third straight winning season last year, guiding the team to a 76-72 overall record, becoming the first manager to lead the Bisons to three straight winning seasons since Marty Brown accomplished the feat from 2003-2005. Candaele has won 297 games overall as a Minor League manager across five seasons, including 198 of those victories with the Herd from 2021-2023.
He also became the first person in the team’s modern era to win a division championship as a player and manager, thanks to the Bisons 2021 Triple-A East Northeast Division championship. Candaele played parts of three seasons with the Herd, including the team that won both the 1997 American Association East Division crown as well as the league championship.
Justin Echevarria will return for his second season as a position coach for the Herd, while Caleb Daniel will once again serve as the team’s athletic trainer. They are joined by physical therapist Joe Hallock and assistant strength and conditioning coach Taylor Whitley.
Donnie Murphy will serve as the Bisons bench coach for the upcoming season. He managed each of the last two years for the Dunedin Blue Jays. He helped guide the team to a Florida State League West Division championship in his first season with Dunedin. He began his coaching career with the Blue Jays in 2016 after appearing in 335 career MLB games across parts of nine different seasons.
Ryan Long joins the Blue Jays organization to serve as the Bisons hitting coach, replacing Matt Hague who was promoted to an assistant hitting coach position with Toronto. Long worked the past several seasons for the Lotte Giants of the KBO. He previously served as hitting coach for the Indianapolis Indians for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively.
Drew Hayes will serve as the team’s pitching coach for the 2024 campaign after working in the same role with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats last season. Hayes also previously worked as the pitching coach with Dunedin for two seasons before being promoted to AA last year. He pitched in the Big Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 after being drafted by the organization in the 2010 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University.
Both Daniel and Hallock held the same roles with the Bisons last season. Daniel was named the Herd’s athletic trainer prior to the 2021 season and has performed the role each of the last three years. Hallock joined the Blue Jays organization last year after spending the 2022 season with the Columbus Clippers.
The Blue Jays also announced that Tommy LaBriola has been promoted to Buffalo to serve as the team’s strength and conditioning coach after working with the High-A Vancouver Canadians in the same role for the past three seasons. He is joined by Whitley, who was the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach last year as well.
Anthony Gomez will join the Bisons coaching staff for the 2024 season as the team’s bullpen coach. Gomez will be entering his second year in the Blue Jays organization. Prior to spending the 2023 year with New Hampshire as their bullpen coach, the Ball State University product was the Director of Player Development at PRP Baseball.
Toronto also named Yuka Sanui the club’s nutritionist. He will be joined by Trevor Reformat, who has been tabbed as the technology assistant for the Bisons.
