The Hartford Yard Goats on Tuesday named a Southington native and former Major League Baseball (MLB) player as the club’s fourth manager.
The club, a Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, said former outfielder Chris Denorfia will be the team’s manager for the 2020 season. Denorfia replaces former manager Warren Schaeffer, who led the team in 2018 and 2019, and was promoted last month to manage the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Team officials say Denorfia will lead an entirely new coaching staff in 2020. New hitting and pitching coaches will be announced in the coming weeks, they said.
Denorfia, 39, will arrive in Hartford after serving as quality assurance coach for the Chicago Cubs in 2019. The hiring marks Denorfia’s first tenure as a professional baseball manager.
Denorfia played in MLB between 2005 to 2015 in various stints with the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs. He finished his playing career for the Isotopes in 2017.
“These experiences, along with his passion for the game, eagerness to grow, local upbringing, and strong character, combine to make him a great fit for the Colorado Rockies as manager of the Hartford Yard Goats.” said Zach Wilson, the Colorado Rockies’ assistant general of player development.
A graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, a college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Denorfia went on to play and study at Division III Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. He was then drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round in 2002.
In 2019, home attendance grew during the Yard Goats’ third season at downtown’s Dunkin’ Donuts Park drawing 414,946 fans. That milestone helped the Yard Goats lead Minor League Baseball’s Eastern League in total attendance for the second consecutive year.
The Yard Goats this fall also announced that its ballpark and the city will host the 2021 Eastern League All-Star Game. The multi-day event will take place in July 2021.
