Twins hire Hank Conger as first base, catching coach

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins filled out their staff by hiring Hank Conger as their first base and catching coach on Friday.

Conger played seven seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Los Angeles Angels. He played for Tampa Bay in 2016, his last year in the majors. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was a coach for the Rays then.

The Twins have not previously designated a catching coach, but bench coach Bill Evers worked with players at that position until his retirement after the 2021 season.

The Twins also moved Tommy Watkins to third base coach and Tony Diaz to assistant bench coach. Luis Ramirez was promoted to assistant pitching coach, the first career major league assignment for the Venezuela native.

With Conger, Ramirez, bench coach Jayce Tingler and hitting coach David Popkins, the Twins have four new coaches this season.

___

More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports