Dave Turgeon will finally get his chance to manage the State College Spikes.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Thursday that Turgeon is joining pitching coach Justin Meccage and hitting coach Dave Howard in State College the next season.
The Pirates, of course, made the same announcement regarding Turgeon last year.
But those plans changed five days before 2011 New York-Penn League season commenced. The organization shuffled Turgeon to West Virginia to serve as the Power’s pitching coach and handed the Spikes over to outfield/base running coordinator Kimera Bartee.
With Bartee returning to his coordinator role, Turgeon is bracing to actually manage in State College next summer.
“I’m obviously excited to get this opportunity,” Turgeon said. “Even though it didn’t work out in State College last year, it was still a great experience for me. I got to impact some guys and I really grew professionally as a coach. I’m flattered to think my bosses feel enough confidence in me to plug me into different areas.”
Turgeon spent last spring and extended spring training working with prospective Spikes. He followed the team throughout last summer, exchanging text messages and emails with Bartee, Meccage and coach Edgar Varela.
In West Virginia, Turgeon replaced popular pitching coach Jeff Johnson, who took a leave of absence because of a family illness. The organization entrusted Turgeon with a pitching staff that included multiple high 2009 draft picks who received six-figure signing bonuses.
“I was pretty consumed learning 13 new names and developing relationships,” Turgeon said, “but I still tried to follow the Spikes pretty closely. We worked together for a fairly long period of time and put in a lot of work. I couldn’t not think about them.”
Turgeon returned to managing during the Pirates fall instructional league program. He said he had an inkling since being assigned to West Virginia last June that he would spend 2012 managing in State College. Turgeon, 46, visited State College last winter as part of the annual SpikesFest and returned to his Sarasota, Fla., home impressed with the franchise and community.
“Part of being in player development is that we have each other’s backs,” Turgeon said. “We fill slots when needed. We are a team. Ideally, it would have been nice to go to State College, but the best thing for the organization was for me to be in West Virginia.”
The Spikes’ 2012 coaching staff should be a close one. Meccage, 31, worked closely with Turgeon before last June’s re-shuffling. Meccage and Turgeon are former college coaches who established a relationship before joining the Pirates’ development staff last year. Meccage’s duties last season involved grooming a staff that included early-round 2010 draft picks Nick Kingham and Stetson Allie.
“It was a great, great experience to go through as a coach on the professional side,” Meccage said. “I learned that it’s a grind and it was a very good experience learning that kind of lifestyle. It was neat and exciting to see some of these guys that we had since spring training grow and mature.”
Howard and Turgeon worked together in West Virginia last summer. The duo competed against each other in 2001, with Turgeon managing the NY-PL’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Howard leading the Hudson Valley Renegades. Howard, 53, managed the Renegades from 2001-05 and has spent three seasons with the Pirates as a Single- A hitting coach.
“For me, personally, he’s an unbelievable resource to have at my side,” Turgeon said. “I worked with him every day last summer and we had some really good brainstorming sessions. He has strong opinions about aspects of the game — and I absolutely love that.”
Turgeon is one of two new managers in the Pirates’ farm system. Rick Sofield replaces former Spikes manager Gary Robinson in West Viriginia. Robinson joined the organization’s professional scouting department last week.
Dean Treanor (Triple-A Indianapolis), P.J. Forbes (Double-A Altoona), Carlos Garcia (High-A Bradenton) and Tom Prince (Gulf Coast League) are returning in 2012.
The Pirates named Brad Fischer as their minor league field coordinator. Fischer managed the Spikes in 2008 and worked last year as a player development advisor.
