E Rod and Marlins to New Orleans

The Florida Marlins have moved their Triple-A team to New Orleans from Albuquerque, New Mexico and they have a new manager in place in New Orleans….

It’s former Greensboro Grasshopper manager and Greensboro Hornet player Edwin Rodriguez.

Here’s the move on the Rodriguez move from the News and Record on-line at www.news-record.com:
Edwin Rodriguez will manage the New Orleans Zephyrs in 2009, the Triple-A team announced this week.

Rodriguez spent the two previous seasons as the manager of the Greensboro Grasshoppers. He had a 66-72 mark with the Hoppers in 2008 and 71-69 in 2007.

Rodriguez becomes the Zephyrs’ eleventh manager. This will be his sixth season with the Florida Marlins organization. The rest of the 2009 Zephyrs coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.

The former infielder played three seasons at the major league level for the New York Yankees(in the minors with Single-A Greensboro) and San Diego Padres.

*****Also in the off-season the Florida Marlins moved their Double-A team from Zebulon(Carolina Mudcats) to Jacksonville, Florida(Jacksonville Suns).*****

Here’s the news on the move to New Orleans:
The New Orleans Zephyrs and Florida Marlins have reached an agreement on a player development contract, according to team officials.

The Marlins will become the fifth parent club since the Zephyrs arrived in New Orleans in 1993, joining the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals and New York Mets. Florida’s Triple-A team had been in Albuquerque since 2003.

+++++Edwin to the Big Easy from the NO web site+++++

METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Zephyrs announced that Edwin Rodriguez will manage the team in 2009. Rodriguez becomes the Zephyrs’ 11th manager. The rest of the 2009 Zephyrs coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.

2009 will be Rodriguez’s sixth season with the Florida Marlins organization. Prior to joining the Zephyrs, Rodriguez spent the two previous seasons (2007-08) as the manager of the Class A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League. He had a 66-72 mark with the Hoppers in ’08 and 71-69 in 2007.

He previously spent two seasons as manager of the Marlins’ Gulf Coast League affiliate from 2005-06 and served as hitting coach for Double-A Carolina in 2004. Prior to joining the Marlins organization, he was manager of the Princeton Devil Rays of the short-season Appalachian League from 2000-02, and was skipper for the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Penn League in 1999.

The former infielder played three seasons at the Major League level for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees in 1980. Rodriguez played his first professional season with their Rookie league Gulf Coast Yankees in 1980, and his last with the Triple-A affiliate of the Padres (Las Vegas Stars) and Minnesota Twins (Portland Beavers) in 1987.

“I’m excited about managing the Zephyrs, this is a great situation for the Marlins organization” said Rodriguez. “I have heard several complimentary comments from several former Zephyr players about the front office, the city and the ballpark. The Marlins philosophy is good pitching and being in a good pitchers park like Zephyr Field within close proximity to Miami is a good thing. I am excited to be back in the PCL and we should have a very good ballclub.”

Rodriguez will be in New Orleans on Jan. 20 as part of the “Evening with the Zephyrs” cocktail reception that will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Pat O’Brien’s (600 Decatur Street). Tickets for the event are $30 for an individual and $100 for a group of four, and will be open to all fans 21 years and older.