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SALT LAKE CITY — With 47 days until the season opener, the Salt Lake Bees have a new manager.
The Bees officially brought back former Major League catcher Lou Marson to the clubhouse in Salt Lake City, naming him the 11th manager in team history Saturday morning in conjunction with the Los Angeles Angels.
Marson replaces Keith Johnson, the former Salt Lake skipper who was called up by the parent club Angels last August to take on an infield coaching role.
Marson, 32, was a 2004 fourth-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies who spent six seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Cleveland Indians. A career .219 hitter with a .309 on-base percentage and .299 slugging percentage, Marson played in 236 of his career 261 games from 2010-2012 with Cleveland.
Marson spent time with the Bees as hitting coach in 2017, when he guided Salt Lake to a Pacific Coast League-best .365 on-base percentage and a league-low 896 strikeouts. Following that season, he spent the 2018 season as manager of the Double-A Mobile BayBears, who finished the season with a 66-70 record.
Joining Marson's staff are defensive coach Ray Olmedo, pitching coach Pat Rice, hitting coach Brian Betancourth, strength and conditioning coach Adam Smith and head athletic trainer Brian Reinker.
The Bees open the 2019 season on the road April 4 at the Albuquerque Isotopes. The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 against the Fresno Grizzlies at Smith's Ballpark.
