Coach Bios:

Coach Carlos Alfonso

"Treat everyone with dignity and respect. Fear is like fire, you can let it burn you or you can embrace it and make you warm."

Instructor/Coach:
Carlos A. Alfonso (born December 18, 1950 in Havana, Cuba) is a former minor league baseball player and manager, as well as a former minor and major league coach. He is currently the Tampa Bay Rays Director of International Operations. He Helped open Rays Academies in Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. In January 2014 he became the Houston Astros Coordinator of International Development and Special Assignment Scout.

EDUCATION:
Alfonso graduated from Naples Senior High School (Naples, FL) in 1968. He won the Scholar Athlete of the year and also was inducted in the National Honor Society. Alfonso attended Miami Dade JC, Edison JC, Brevard JC as well as University of South Florida and Florida International University. He majored In Psychology and minored in Spanish.

PLAYING CAREER:
Alfonso played in the Houston Astros organization from 1968 to 1975 and in the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1976. He was originally a third baseman & catcher in his first two professional seasons, however in 1969 he also pitched (although in 1970 he spent a few games at second base). He spent from 1972 to 1976 at the AAA level. He went 39-35 with a 3.71 ERA in 234 appearances as a pitcher (101 starts).

MANAGERIAL CAREER:
From 1979 to 1981, Alfonso managed the Daytona Beach Astros. He led them to the playoffs in 1980, however they lost in the first round. They were league champions in 1981, even though they finished with a regular season record barely above .500 - 68-67. In 1985, he managed the Columbus Astros and led them to the Southern League Playoffs, in 1986 the Tucson Toros and in 1993 and 1994 the Phoenix Firebirds in the Pacific Coast League. He also managed in the Winter Leagues in Mexico, Hawaii, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

MINOR LEAGUE COACHING CAREER:
Save for the years he managed, he was a Pitching Coordinator in the lower minors in the Astros system from 1982 through 1984. During that time period he was also the Houston Astros Minor League Spring Training Coordinator.

MAJOR LEAGUE COACHING CAREER:
Alfonso was a Major League Bullpen Catcher and Coach for the Houston Astros in 1977. Alfonso was a San Francisco Giants Major League Pitching coach in 1992, and from 1996 to 1999 he was on their staff as a first base and Bullpen coach and Major League Spring Training Coordinator. From 2000 to 2005, he served as their administrative coach, which included coordinating Major League Spring Training and administering the defense and pitching charts as well as video and advance scouting reports.

EXECUTIVE CAREER:
In 1978 he was the Houston Astros Traveling Secretary. From September 1986 through December 1991 he held posts of Director of Minor League Operations and Director of Player Development for the San Francisco Giants. In 1995, he was the Giants coordinator of Latin America Instruction. In 2006, Alfonso was named the Tampa Bay Devil Rays director of international operations. In October 2013 Alfonso became Special Assistant to the International Department of the Tampa Bay Rays. On February 2014, Alfonso became Coordinator of International Development and Special Assignment Scout of the Houston Astros.

Coach Mike Devine

Pitcher of the Year!
Coach Devine has been playing baseball almost his entire life, currently in his 25th consecutive year, starting with tee ball at 5 years old, to now, which he is currently entering his 9th season as a professional pitcher. Mike has accumulated over 600 career innings pitched, including over 300 games, 400 innings and a career ERA under 2.50 as a reliever. Currently, Mike plays in the summer for the Saint Paul Saints of the American Association (2019 Champs) and in the winter in the Dominican Republic for Aguilas Cibaeñas in Liga de Beisbol Professional (LIDOM). Mike has also played in the Liga Mexicana de Pacifico for MexiCali (2018) as well as multiple years in each of Traverse City, Cleveland, and Wichita, KS.

Prior to his professional playing career, Mike grew up as a shortstop and pitcher in Pittsburgh, PA and earned a Division 1 scholarship to Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 2012 with a degree in Economics and Business. Mike currently ranks 3rd in the VMI career record book in games pitched (90) and saves (15) and 5th in Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (8.65).

Over the past 5 years, in between games and seasons, Mike has found a passion working with youth players who are always looking to get better and take their game to the next level in all areas, physical and mental. Mike and his fiancé, Julie, just moved to the Tampa area this fall after living in Naples, FL the past 6 years.

“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to work with players who want to put the work in and who want get better. The atmosphere set by Coach Pryor and the facilities at the Farm and Four Leaf are exactly what I was looking for when I moved to Tampa, there is no excuse not to get better!