Team Israel WBC has announced its coaching and front office staff for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Jerry Weinstein continues as Field Manager. Weinstein managed Team Israel in the September 2016 qualifiers. He has been a member of the Colorado Rockies organization since 2012, his current role is Developmental Supervisor as well as special assignment scouting.
Tom Gamboa will also continue as Team Israel bench coach. Gamboa was most recently the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones and has served as Kansas City Royals first base coach. Jerry Narron remains as third base coach. As a player, Narron played for the Yankees, the Seattle Mariners, and the California Angels. In addition, he managed both the Texas Rangers and the Cincinnati Reds, and most recently served as bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. Nate Fish will as remain the first base coach. Until September this year, Fish served as the Head National Team Coach for the Israel Association of Baseball.

Andrew Lorraine continues as Team Israel’s Pitching Coach. Lorraine is a former MLB pitcher, who pitched for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers. He is currently a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alon Leichman, who played on the 2012 Team Israel at the WBC qualifiers, will continue in his role as bullpen coach. Leichman was the pitching coach for the YD Red Sox of the Cape Cod League.

Adam Gladstone, who has been involved in all operational aspects of Team Israel since 2012, was appointed Assistant General Manager. Gladstone has experiences ranging from professional umpiring to player procurement, as well as being named the initial MLB Instant replay coordinator for the 2014 AL East Champion Baltimore Orioles.

Barry Weinberg remains the Team Israel Head Trainer. Weinberg has over 40 years of experience as a trainer, including serving as assistant trainer of the New York Yankees, as head trainer for the Oakland Athletics, and spent 13 years as head trainer for the St. Louis Cardinals. Dan Rootenberg was named Team Israel’s Strength and Conditioning Coach. Rootenberg is co-founder and President of SPEAR Physical Therapy and a member of the American Physical Therapy Association with extensive clinical and professional sports experience.

Alex Jacobs was appointed Director of Player Personnel for Team Israel. He is currently a scout for the Houston Astros. Jacobs has been involved with Team Israel WBC for the past four years, working as an assistant in 2012, and providing comprehensive scouting support at the WBC Qualifiers in Brooklyn. Ben Werthan has joined the Team Israel Scouting department. Werthan is currently the Advance Scouting Coordinator for the Baltimore Orioles.

A complete list of the Team Israel staff is as follows:

Front Office Position Recent Organization
Peter Kurz - General Manager (IAB)
Adam Gladstone - Assistant General Manager (Baltimore Orioles)
Yaron Erel - Finance (IAB)
Margo Sugarman - Press Officer (IAB)
Alex Jacobs - Director of Player Personnel (Houston Astros)
Ben Werthan - Advance Scout (Baltimore Orioles)
Jonah Rosenthal - Manager Baseball Ops/Scout (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Guy Stevens - Scouting/ Analytics (Kansas City Royals)
Jason Lefkowitz - Scout (Seattle Mariners)
David Klein - Baseball Operations (Menlo Park Legends)
Alison Recht - Baseball Operations (Washington Nationals)
Jeff Lantz - Communications (MiLB)
Jake Rosner - Team Coordinator (MLB)
Eric Blum Head Equipment Manager (Anaheim Angels)
Jordy Alter - Equipment Manager (IAB)
Amit Kurz - Liaison (IAB)
David Leichman - Liaison (IAB)

Field Staff
Jerry Weinstein - Field Manager (Colorado Rockies)
Tom Gamboa - Bench Coach (New York Mets)
Jerry Narron - 3B Coach (Milwaukee Brewers)
Andrew Lorraine - Pitching Coach (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Nate Fish - 1B Coach (IAB)
Alon Leichman - Bullpen Coach (IAB)
Tal Erel - Bullpen Catcher (IAB)

Staff
Barry Weinberg - Head Trainer (St. Louis Cardinals)
Justine Siegal - Mental Skills Coach (Normal CornBelters)
Dan Rootenberg - Strength/Conditioning Coach (IAB)
Yoni Rosenblatt - Strength/Conditioning Coach (IAB)

Team Israel play in Pool A of the WBC, at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from Monday, March 6 to Friday, March 10. The opening game will take place on March 6 at 19:00 (12:00 Israel time). Also playing in Pool A are Korea, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands.