STAFF REPORT TCPALM USA TODAY NETWORK - FLORIDA The St. Lucie Mets have named Reid Brignac the 19th manager in club history. He will be joined on the staff by pitching coach Jerome Williams, hitting coach Tommy Joseph and bench coach Jay Pecci.
Brignac, 35, was set to begin his Mets coaching career as the Columbia Fireflies manager in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic cancelled the minor league season. Now Brignac shifts to St. Lucie, the new Low-A affiliate of the Mets.
As a player, Brignac appeared in parts of nine seasons in the major leagues with Tampa Bay, Colorado, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York (AL) and Miami. He retired in 2018. Brignac was originally selected by the Rays in the second round of the 2004 draft out of St. Amant High School in Louisiana.
'It has been a rough year for everyone and we are all excited to get back to playing baseball. Let’s go Mets!' Brignac said.
Jerome Williams begins his third season in the Mets organization and his first as the St. Lucie pitching coach. Williams joined the Mets in 2018 after a 20-year playing career.
Williams pitched for 11 years in the major leagues with the Giants, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, Rangers, Phillies, Nationals and Astros. He compiled a 52-66 record with a 4.59 ERA in 236 games. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (39th overall) in 1999.
Tommy Joseph enters his first year with the Mets organization as the St. Lucie hitting coach after retiring from his playing career following the 2020 season.
Joseph spent two season in the majors with Philadelphia from 2016-17. He hit .247/.297/.460 with 98 runs, 42 doubles, 43 home runs and 116 RBI in 249 games.
Joseph appeared in 11 seasons as a professional in the Giants, Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox organizations. He was a second round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2009.
Pecci starts his third season in the Mets organization and his first as St. Lucie bench coach. He previously served in the same role for the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2019.
Pecci played seven seasons of affiliated baseball with Oakland, Seattle and San Francisco. He was picked by the Athletics in the 11th round of the 1998 draft out of Stanford.
Austin Dayton will serve as the St. Lucie trainer. Dayton begins his fourth season with the Mets and his first with St. Lucie.
Kory Wan returns to St. Lucie as the performance coach. Wan was the performance coach for St. Lucie in 2016 before taking the same role for Binghamton the last three seasons.
The St. Lucie Mets are scheduled to open their season on May 4 at Clover Park against the Jupiter Hammerheads. Ticket information, game times and promotions will be announced in the coming weeks.
