(Waldorf, MD) The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have announced that Stan Cliburn is back as manager, and Daryl Thompson will return to his role of player/pitching coach. The new staff will also include former MLB and Blue Crab pitcher Mat Latos as bench coach, and hitting coach Daisuke Yoshida returns to the organization after playing part of two seasons with the Blue Crabs in 2009 and 2010 seasons, and also was on the staff in 2019. “I am very excited to have these baseball men on the Blue Crabs coaching staff, managers are only as good as the coaching staff around them,” said Blue Crabs Field Manager Stan Cliburn. 

Manager Stan Cliburn returns for his sixth season at the helm of the Blue Crabs. In two different managerial stints with the club, he has authored a record of 338-319 in five seasons. The Blue Crabs have made the playoffs three times in five seasons at Cliburn’s direction.  In his first go around with Southern Maryland in 2015, Cliburn made the postseason before leaving to manage the New Britain Bees for two seasons. He then returned to Southern Maryland in 2019 and guided them back to the playoffs in 2021.  The last three years have been winning seasons, which also included an 83 win season and a trip to the playoffs in 2022.  That year, Stan led the Blue Crabs to an astonishing 48-18 first half record, which was a record-shattering .727 win percentage, a league-best by a sizable margin.  Cliburn is set to manage his 32nd season of his career, spanning many levels from Triple-A to independent ball. Cliburn is 17th all-time in minor league wins as a skipper, carrying 1,962. He is just 38 wins away from 2,000, which would put him in elite company.  There are only 12 minor league managers in baseball history who have eclipsed 2,000 wins. In his playing days, Cliburn was a former fifth round selection by the California Angels in 1973. Both he and his twin brother Stew eventually made it to the big leagues, they are one of just 10 sets of twins to both make it to the show in MLB history. 

Former nine-year big league pitcher and former Blue Crab closer Mat Latos joins Cliburn’s staff for the 2024 season as bench coach.  Latos had a brilliant career as an MLB starter notching a career record of 71-59 while carrying an ERA of 3.64, and pitched in 197 games, collecting over 1,000 strikeouts.  His best year came in 2010 with the Padres, where he tied a career high with 14 wins, pitched to a career low 2.92 ERA, had a career best 189 K’s while hurling 184.2 innings. That year Latos finished 8th in the CY Young voting. He followed that year up with several straight years of throwing over 200 innings and became a mainstay in the Padres and Reds rotations. From 2010-2014, Latos posted an ERA under 3.50 and WHIP under 1.25 in each season. In 2011, Latos was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in a blockbuster deal for Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, and Edinson Volquez.  In 2013 with Cincinnati, he won 14 games for the third time in his career, throwing 210.2 innings, striking out 187, and pitched to a 3.16 ERA in 32 starts.  

Originally drafted in the 11th round in 2006 by the San Diego Padres, his lengthy career saw him playing for eight different teams, the Padres, Reds, Marlins, Dodgers, Angels, White Sox, Nationals, and Blue Jays. He also pitched for the Blue Crabs at the end of his career, with his first season in 2019. He was named an Atlantic League Postseason All-Star, Mid-Season All-Star, and the ALPB Relief Pitcher of the Year. “Latos will be very valuable with the pitching staff and on the bench with me, especially with his major league and closer experience as a Blue Crab,” said Cliburn.  Latos is a local of this area and was born less than an hour from Regency Furniture Stadium in Alexandria, Virginia. 

 

Daryl Thompson returns in his role as starting pitcher/pitching coach, this will be his 12th year with the Blue Crabs and fifth as pitching coach. This hometown hero holds the ALPB record in games started, wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and winning percentage. Thompson is a three-time ALPB Pitcher of the Year in 2019, 2021, and 2022. In 2019, he was also named pitching coach for the Blue Crabs, becoming a player/coach for the first time in his career while also winning his first ALPB Pitcher of the Year. In 2021, Thompson returned to the Blue Crabs as a player/coach, and had another great season, going 16–3 with a 3.20 ERA over a league-high 169.0 innings pitched. He was named ALPB Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season.  The following year in 2022, he started 27 games for the Crabs, nailing down a 15–4 record and 3.43 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 186.1 innings pitched. Thompson was named an Atlantic League All-Star, and he was again named the ALPB Pitcher of the Year for the third straight season. With three POTY awards, he has the most in ALPB history.  In his stewardship as pitching coach, his first two seasons, himself and his bullpen swept all ALPB yearly pitching awards. He has had several bullpen arms win ALPB Reliever of the Year Awards, including new bench coach Mat Latos in 2019, and Endrys Briceno in 2021. “Daryl does an outstanding job on the mound, and the four other days he isn’t pitching he gives our pitching staff valuable lessons and teaches really well,” said Cliburn. Thompson was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the eighth round in 2003, eventually making it to the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 tossing five shutout innings against the Yankees in his debut.  

Daisuke Yoshida comes over from the Staten Island staff last year where he was the bench coach under former Yankees World Series champion infielder Homer Bush for the Ferry Hawks. Yoshida will handle the hitting and third base coaching duties this year for the Blue Crabs. Yoshida played parts of two seasons with Southern Maryland in 2009 and 2010. “Daisuke has been with me before here in the Atlantic League, he coaches an outstanding third base, and works so well with hitters, he does a great job pregame with his batting practice and cage work as well,” said the Blue Crabs Skipper.  He and Cliburn worked together for the New Britain Bees in 2017, and Yoshida coached third base in 2019 here in Southern Maryland.  

 

“The Blue Crabs coaching staff will look different this year. While change can be hard to adapt to, this change should be an easy transition as we welcome Mat Latos and Daisuke Yoshida back for their homecoming,” said Blue Crabs General Manager Courtney Knichel. “We are so grateful to have longtime manager Stan Cliburn as well as our own hometown prodigy Daryl Thompson leading the helm.” 

 

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About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs    

 

The Blue Crabs play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, MLB’s Premier Partner League. The Blue Crabs are set to kick off their 16th season of baseball at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland. For more information on the Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit http://www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information. For media requests, contact Jacob Dunaway at 301-638-9788 ext. 204 or at [email protected]   

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)   

 

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagu