Dennis Malavé will finally get the chance to debut as the manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats this spring.
Malavé, who was tabbed as manager last season before the pandemic canceled the 2020 season, was announced today as the head of the Hillcats staff by the parent club, MLB’s Cleveland Indians.
Malavé, 41, is entering his 17th year in the Indians organization. The former outfielder played in the minor leagues for Cleveland from 1998-2004. Following retirement, he was an Indians bullpen catcher from 2007-2008. He served as the hitting coach for the AZL Indians from 2011-2017 and spent the 2018 campaign as the bench coach in Double-A Akron.
A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Malavé led the short-season Mahoning Valley in 2019.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity to be with the Hillcats’ this year and continue working in the Cleveland system,” Malavé said. “This organization in Lynchburg is such a great place for players to succeed and get better because of the tremendous support from the community.”
Tony Arnold will return to Lynchburg as the Hillcats’ pitching coach, a position he previously had in 2015 and 2018.
New to Lynchburg, Chris Smith will take over as the club’s hitting coach.
Former Hillcats player Juan De La Cruz will serve as the team’s bench coach.
Patrick Reynolds will also join the Hillcats’ staff as the team’s athletic trainer, with Juan Acevado becoming Lynchburg’s strength and conditioning coach.
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