List of Nashville Sounds coaches


The Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team has played in Nashville, Tennessee, since being established in 1978 as an expansion team of the Double-A Southern League. They moved up to Triple-A in 1985 as members of the American Association before joining the Pacific Coast League in 1998. With the restructuring of the minor leagues in 2021, they were placed in the Triple-A East, which became the International League in 2022. In the 2025 season, the Sounds' coaching staff is led by manager Rick Sweet and includes Eric Bunnell, Tim Doherty, Zack Jones, Bryan Leslie, Justin Meccage, and David Tufo.
Six former Sounds players later served as coaches for the team. Wayne Garland of the 1982 starting rotation returned as pitching coach from 1987 to 1988. Don Cooper, who pitched out of the bullpen in 1980, served as pitching coach from 1994 to 1996. Reliever Steve Wilson retired from the Sounds during the 1995 season and became the team's pitching coach. Fred Dabney, a reliever on the 1993 team, returned to coach pitchers from 2012 to 2014. Éric Gagné, who made two major league rehabilitation starts in 2008, served as bullpen coach in 2019. Jim Henderson, a reliever from 2011 to 2012 and in 2014, returned to the Sounds as pitching coach in 2021. Outfielder Gene Roof and catcher Buddy Pryor were player-coaches who coached hitting while also playing on the team. Two coaches also managed the Nashville club. Pitching coach Wayne Garland filled in as interim manager for three games in 1988 after the dismissal of manager Jack Lind. Richie Hebner, who was the hitting coach from 1998 to 2000, became the team's manager for the second half of the 2000 season when Trent Jewett was hired as the Pittsburgh Pirates' third base coach. Four coaches have been selected to participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game: Stan Kyles, Rich Gale, Bob Skube, and Rick Rodriguez.
Pat Dobson's 1980 to 1981 pitching staffs had a 3.18 earned run average, the lowest recorded under all pitching coaches. Darold Knowles and Stan Kyles are the longest-tenured pitching coaches, having each served four full seasons. Hitting coaches Jeff Livesey and Sandy Guerrero led their hitters to batting averages of.276, the highest under all hitting coaches. Al LeBoeuf, who coached hitting for five seasons, is the longest-serving hitting coach.

Coaches

Pitching

No.CoachSeasonWinsLossesW%ERASO
-1978–1979147138.5163.321,630
11980–1981178108.6223.181,804
21982–1984239198.5473.732,357
319857170.5043.84783
419866874.4794.25755
51987–1988137145.4863.891,833
61989–1990160133.5463.521,784
719916578.4553.77886
819926777.4653.821,033
91993–1994164123.5713.701,951
1019948361.5763.531,041
1119948361.5763.531,041
1219948361.5763.531,041
19956876.4724.04931
1319956876.4724.04931
19967767.5353.77880
19977469.5174.64881
141998–1999147136.5194.731,894
1520006379.4444.80854
162001–2004280289.4924.323,961
172005–2008299273.5234.134,327
187569.5214.25882
197569.5214.25882
207767.5354.27938
217767.5354.27938
7173.4934.271,003
7173.4934.271,003
7173.4934.271,003
222012–2014201231.4654.223,353
2320156678.4583.951,037
242016–2018223198.5303.923,279
2520196672.4785.481,158
2020——————
2620216556.5294.161,108
272022–2024252191.5694.304,216
2820247868.5344.401,286
292025–present8563.5743.911,277
302025–present8563.5743.911,277

Hitting

No.CoachSeasonBAHRRBI
-1978–1979.256108977
11980–1982.2702731,922
21983.272100650
31983–1984.2681991,244
-1985.25296521
41986.27485600
5.25775535
6.25775535
-1988–1990.2532461,594
1991–1992.2551991,086
71993–1996.2645272,482
81997.269153659
91998–2000.2734822,049
102000.258138639
112001.276130616
122002.262110608
132003.266116585
2004.272180642
142005–2006.2692721,279
152007–2008.2672781,267
162009–2011.2763941,978
172012.259119507
182013–2014.2602491,145
192015.26584548
202016–2018.2614081,864
212019.261179658
2020————
2021–2024.2546212,778
222024–2024.244133688
232025–present.249134687
242025–present.249134687