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Brian McRae, the former Major League Baseball player entering his second year as head coach of the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League, has named his coaching staff for the 2018 season at Royal Athletic Park.
Headlining the staff additions, for the franchise鈥檚 sixth season, is former MLB infielder Todd Haney as assistant coach. Haney played parts of five seasons with the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
The 52-year-old from Galveston, Texas, hit .244 with three home runs in 101 games played, mostly as a second baseman. Haney and McRae played together at Wrigley Field with the Cubs, and with the Mets at Shea Stadium.
Haney played one season for the single-A Bellingham Mariners, and his minor pro experience included stops in Calgary, Ottawa and Tacoma. He was a Mariners draft choice in 1987.
Returning are assistant coaches Jason Leone, who works at Indiana-Kokomo, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school, and Troy Birtwistle, a Victoria product who joins Leone for a second season.
Not returning, due to his increased coaching and academy involvement in his native San Diego, is 2017 pitching coach Mike Spears. His replacement is 34-year-old Ian Sanderson, who serves as pitching coach of Lower Columbia College Red Devils of the junior college Northwest Athletic Conference loop, located in Longview, Washington.
McRae, who led the HCats to the playoffs and to within a game of the WCL championship in his first year with the HarbourCats, is entering the final year of his two-season contract. The HarbourCats were 29-25 in 2017, the team鈥檚 third-straight winning season, and second year in the post-season.
鈥淏rian and I have talked about extending his contract. He enjoys Victoria and coaching in front of our fans,鈥� HarbourCats managing partner Jim Swanson said.
鈥淚鈥檓 aware that a person like Brian, with his playing and coaching experience, will also be talked about for jobs at the college and pro level, so we are fortunate to have him here leading our team, bringing a pro-style environment that helps players prepare for the next level.鈥�
