Barnstormers coaches have a lot of baseball experience
Chatham-Kent Barnstormers’ manager Dan Norman
As the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers play their first Intercounty Baseball League season, they will have something a lot of other IBL teams are lacking—experienced coaches.
Both manager Dan Norman and pitching coach Gilberto Rondon played in the major leagues, but also spent significant time in the minor leagues as players. They have also spent years coaching in various MLB organizations, internationally, college and in independent baseball.
Combined, the duo has probably close to 100 seasons of baseball experience. They are baseball lifers who have seen just about anything and everything that could possibly happen on the baseball field.
In addition, the Barnstormers hired former Toronto Blue Jays minor league outfielder and major league coach Steve Charles of London as their hitting coach.
They will all pass on that knowledge they learned to the young Barnstormers squad.
“We’re so excited to have Dan with the team. He is a values-based leader, on and off the field, bringing a high level of experience, an impressive work ethic, and a dedication to the fans and community,” said Barnstormers’ general manager Harry Muir, when they announced Norman as the manager last year.
The 69 year-old Norman played in 192 games in the major leagues. He played with the New York Mets and Montreal Expos between 1977 and 1982. Norman bounced around the minor leagues before retiring in 1987.
Originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1974, Norman was part of the haul the Mets received in a trade for star pitcher Tom Seaver.
Following his playing career, Norman became a coach and was involved with a few Major League organizations. Norman spent time with the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers as a minor league manager, with the Cleveland Indians as a minor league hitting coach, as well as the Florida Marlins.
Barnstormers’ pitching coach Gilberto Rondon pitched for the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976-1979.
Overall, Rondon pitched in 23 games in the majors. Rondon also had a long minor league career spanning from 1973 to 1984.
Following his playing career, he became a coach in numerous MLB organizations as well as independent clubs such as; Toronto Blue Jays, New-York Mets, Trois-Rivieres Saints, Empire State Greys.
Rondón was a coach for Puerto Rico during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He was the pitching coach for the Bravos de León of the Mexican Baseball League for the 2018 season.
Rondon comes from a baseball family, as his father Diomedes Maldonado, was a Dominican professional baseball player and scout. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 85 Major League Baseball games over all or part of three seasons between 1960 and 1963 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. He made his major league debut at age 41.