Beasley, LeCroy, Rupp and Daubach named Nats minor league managers

Brian Rupp, who managed the Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks, will be the new manager of the Single-A Potomac Nationals, the parent Nationals announced today. Rupp spent three seasons at the helm of the Kansas City Royals' advanced Single-A club. The 40-year old Rupp has extensive coaching experience with the Cardinals and the Royals, and reached as high as the Triple-A level as a player, winning the Arizona League batting title and Most Valuable Player award in his first professional season. Joining him on the staff is pitching coach Chris Michalak and batting coach Marlon Anderson, both of whom had the same positions with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns last season. Former P-Nats coach Mark Harris goes to the Suns as their batting coach. Brian Daubach continues as manager in Hagerstown. Franklin Bravo is the pitching coach for the Suns. Tony Beasley is the new manager for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, Matt LeCroy the new skipper for Double-A Harrisburg and his pitching coach, Paul Menhart, joins him with the Senators. Randy Knorr, of course, is the new Nationals bench coach. Troy Gingrich and Greg Booker are listed as coaches for the Chiefs. Eric Fox and Menhart are the coaches for Harrisburg. Gary Cathcart continues as the manager for the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays and will be the Nationals' coordinator for instruction, with emphasis on team fundamentals until mid-June when the New York-Penn League season begins. Here's the Nationals' press release on all the minor league staff appointments for 2012.