BlueClaws Announce Coaching Staff, New Manager

By Alyssa Riccardi

JERSEY SHORE – BlueClaws has announced Greg Brodzinski as their new manager, and he will be joining a deep bench in coaching talent for the new season. Brodzinski, 31, is becoming the 16th manager in BlueClaws history. He will be joined by pitching coach Phil Cundari, hitting coach Brock Stassi, bench coach Chris Adamson, and pitching development coach Brady Lail. Meaghan Flaherty was named the team’s athletic trainer and Mark Jesse Jr. was named the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

Last year, Brodzinski was the bench coach with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 2020 and 2021, he was the Phillies bullpen catcher and catching coach, and has previous coaching stops with both Williamsport and Reading. He was originally an 18th round pick of the Phillies in the 2018 draft. He now replaces former manager Keith Werman, who was named as the Phillies Florida Complex Coordinator.

New Jersey native Cundari joins the Phillies from the Blue Jays. He was the pitching coach for their Low-A affiliate in Vancouver for the last two seasons. Cundari was an All-American pitcher at Seton Hall and a fourth-round pick of the Athletics in 1985. For 18 years he was the pitching coach at Seton Hall and two years as the pitching coach at Rutgers before joining the Blue Jays organization prior to the 2020 season. After playing in their system from 2011 through 2017 and again in 2021, Stassi joins the Phillies organization as a coach. He was

─Photo courtesy BlueClaws drafted in the 33rd round of the 2011 draft out of the University of Nevada. He played 59 games for the BlueClaws in 2021, hitting three home runs and driving in 30 runs. Stassi made his big-league debut with the Phillies on April 3, 2017. He follows former BlueClaws pitching coach Matt Hockenberry as the second former BlueClaws player to serve as a coach for the team.

Australia native Adamson returns as the bench coach. He joined the Phillies organization in 2020 and was scheduled to manage the BlueClaws before that season was cancelled. He did manage the BlueClaws in 2021 and spent last year in the Florida Complex League. He was previously on the Adelaide Giants of the Australian Baseball League.

After playing professionally 2012 through 2022, Lail joins the organization as a coach. Originally an 18th round pick of the Yankees in 2021, Lail made his big-league debut on August 12, 2019. He pitched in the big leagues for the Yankees, White Sox, and Mariners. He spent time with the Phillies in Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2021 and pitched for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League and in the Blue Jays system in 2022.

Flaherty has been with the Phillies since 2020 and spent last year as the Assistant Athletic Trainer with Lehigh Valley.

Jesse’s first year in the organization was 2022 with both the Florida Complex League Phillies and the BlueClaws.

Opening Night at the Jersey Shore is set for April 11 and is the first of 11 fireworks nights scheduled for 2023.