River Bandits Announce 2023 Coaching Staff

January 13, 2023 – Midwest League (MWL) – Quad Cities River Bandits News Release

Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits, in conjunction with the Kansas City Royals, today announced their 2023 coaching staff, led by manager Brooks Conrad who returns to Modern Woodmen Park for his second season at the helm. Joining Conrad in Davenport are pitching coach Derrick Lewis, hitting coach Ryan Powers, bench coach David Noworyta, strength and conditioning coach Joe Pedulla, and athletic trainer Brad Groleau. Matt Resar returns for his third season as the team’s coordinator of clubhouse operations.

Conrad, the 39th manager in the Quad Cities’ Midwest League history, enters his seventh season, sixth managerial, in the Royals organization after leading the River Bandits in 2022. During that year, Conrad became the first minor league manager to win a game at Field of Dreams, as Quad Cities, rebranded as the Davenport Blue Sox, beat the Cedar Rapids Bunnies 7-2 on Aug. 9 in the first ever MiLB at Field of Dreams Game.

Prior to his coaching career, which also includes stints as manager in Burlington (2018, Rookie), Lexington (2019, Low-A), and Columbia (2021, Single-A), the 42-year-old played parts of six seasons in the Majors with Oakland (2008), Atlanta (2009-11), Milwaukee (2012), Tampa Bay (2012), and San Diego (2014). He was selected in the eighth round of the 2001 Draft by Houston, where he played seven seasons in the minors before making his Major League debut with the A’s. The infielder also played a season in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers in 2013 and with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015.

Lewis enters his first season in Quad Cities and his fourth with the Royals organization after serving the past two seasons as pitching coach at Northwest Arkansas (Double-A). Before beginning his tenure with the Royals, the Montgomery, Alabama native spent 16 seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization, including the last two as pitching coordinator. Lewis played seven seasons in the Braves minor league system from 1997-2003 after being selected in the 20th round of the 1997 Draft.

Powers, who served as a Royals video intern in Quad Cities in 2021, returns to the River Bandits in a new role after serving as assistant hitting coach with Omaha (Triple-A) in 2022. Entering his third season in the Royals organization, Powers spent two years with the Miami Marlins as a player development analyst in 2019 and minor league video coordinator in 2018. He also held minor…