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<p>Since its inception as a Yankees affiliate in 2007, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has had just one skipper.</p><p>That officially changed on Wednesday when the RailRiders announced that former Major League coach and manager Al Pedrique will take over the reigns of the club for the upcoming 2016 season.</p><p>He replaces Dave Miley, the winningest manager in franchise history with 714 victories, who was not retained after the 2015 season. Nothing was officially announced until Wednesday morning.</p><p>Pedrique will lead a staff that will look much different than years past with the only returning coach to the staff being bullpen coach Jason Brown, who will return for his third season with the RailRiders. Joining Pedrique as new coaches to SWB will be pitching coach Tommy Phelps and hitting coach Tommy Wilson. Other newcomers to the field staff are strength coach Brad Hyde and video manager Tyler DeClerck.</p><p>Joining Brown as a returning part of the field staff are athletic trainer Darren London and clubhouse manager Mike Macciocco.</p><p>Pedrique, who is a native of Venezuela and in the midst of a playoff run in his native country managing Caracas, has continued to climb up the organizational ladder since joining the Yankees in 2013. He started as manager with Low-A Charleston before moving to High-A Tampa in 2014 and managing Double-A Trenton last season.</p><p>In the three seasons he&#8217;s been in the Yankees minor leagues, the 55-year-old has posted a record of 217-202 (.517 win percentage).</p><p>Prior to 2013, he was in the Majors with Houston, Kansas City and Arizona over a 16-year span. The only time he was skipper though came for a brief period in 2004 when he was the interim manager in Arizona taking over for Bob Brenly, who was fired in July of that year. Pedrique started that season as the skipper of the organization&#8217;s Triple-A squad in Tucson. In an 83-game period for Arizona, he posted a mark of 22-61.</p><p>He also spent time as the bench coach for the Astros and third-base coach for the Diamondbacks. As a player, he was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1978 and played in parts of three seasons with the Mets, Pirates and Tigers. He also played parts of five seasons in the International League for Tidewater/Norfolk and Toledo.</p><p>Phelps will start his ninth season as a coach in the Yankees organization. Last season, he was with Tampa after holding the pitching coach position at Trenton from 2009-14.</p><p>Like Pedrique, Phelps was a Major Leaguer pitching for parts of 14 seasons from 1993-2006 with Montreal, Detroit, Florida, Milwaukee and the Yankees. In the Majors, he made 75 appearances going 4-5 with a 4.34 ERA.</p><p>Pedrique and Phelps will likely be reunited with many players they coached and managed earlier in their careers. Yankees prospects including Greg Bird, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are expected to spend some time with the RailRiders this season and have been under Pedrique for multiple season.</p><p>Wilson is a former draft pick by the Yankees being selected in round 23 of the 1990 draft. He played in the big leagues with the Athletics, Blue Jays, Mets and Dodgers mostly as a catcher. After his playing days, he became a scout for the Yankees.</p><p>London, the International League&#8217;s Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2006 and 2012, has spent more than two decades as the Yankees&#8217; Triple-A athletic trainer with this season marking his 24th at the level and 28th in a row with the organization.</p><p>Hyde spent the last two seasons in the Bronx as assistant strength and conditioning coach for the New York Yankees.</p><p>DeClerck spent last season in a player-development video role with the Washington Nationals&#8217; New York-Penn League club in Auburn, New York.</p><p>Macciocco, an NEPA product, spent multiple seasons in the SWB clubhouse including the team&#8217;s 2012 season without a home stadium as PNC Field was reconstructed. After a one-year run in the head role with the Double-A Mobile Bay Bears in 2013, he took over primary clubhouse duties for SWB in 2014.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">New RailRiders manager Al Pedrique, center, has come up through the Yankees minor-leauge system since serving as the Astros bench coach. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_pedrique201616155230618.jpg</photo0><caption0>New RailRiders manager Al Pedrique, center, has come up through the Yankees minor-leauge system since serving as the Astros bench coach. </caption0><photoCredit0>Carlos Osorio | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>drosengrant@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dave Rosengrant at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @tldrosengrant</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pedrique officially named next RailRiders manager