April 2, 2024 – Florida State League (FSL)
Jupiter Hammerheads News Release
After helping the Jupiter Hammerheads make history last season, Nelson Prada will return as the Manager for the 2024 Florida State League campaign. In his first season at the helm, the Jupiter Hammerheads finished with a 72-60 overall record and ultimately won their first FSL Championship in team history.
This will be Prada’s fourth season within the Marlins farm system. The Venezuelan native started with the organization in 2021 for the DSL Marlins.
Before the Marlins, Prada started his coaching career within the Minnesota Twins organization, the same franchise he played for from 1995-1998. His first coaching experience came as the hitting coach with the GCL Twins in 2005. Prada worked his way through the coaching ranks before becoming manager of the now Marlins High-A affiliate Beloit Sky Carp (then Snappers) from 2008 to 2012.
Following his nearly 10-year stint with the Twins, Prada moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Starting in the FSL with the Clearwater Threshers, Prada eventually moved on to the South Atlantic League with the former Lakewood BlueClaws in various roles. In 2019, Prada began to work alongside the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils and was expected to return in 2020 if it weren’t for the pandemic.
Beyond affiliated baseball, Prada also managed the Spanish national team in the 2021 European Championship. Spain went undefeated in their group and eventually earned third place in the international tournament. Prada also had a role with the national team during the 2022 World Baseball qualifiers that took place in Regensburg, Germany.
Prada has experience both as a player and a coach in the Florida State League. The former catcher played 41 games with the Fort Myers Miracle in 1998. He also managed the Threshers in 2014, and most recently reached the pinnacle of the FSL with the Hammerheads in 2023.
Prada will be accompanied by a couple of familiar faces for the upcoming season. Hitting Coach Ty Hawkins, and Pitching Coach Glenn Dishman will return to the Hammerheads in their same roles as 2023.
This will be Ty Hawkins’ fourth season in Jupiter. The Old Dominion graduate spent over 20 years coaching within the New York Yankees organization before joining the Marlins in 2021. Before coaching in affiliated baseball, Hawkins coached college baseball with Vanderbilt University and the University of Illinois.
Glenn Dishman will once again serve as the Pitching…
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