Casey Candaele Returns for Sixth Season as Bisons Manager, Staff Set

The Buffalo Bisons announced Feb. 12 that Casey Candaele will return as manager for a sixth season, a continuity move the club framed as essential to player development and organizational stability. The team release called Candaele "the winningest manager in the team’s modern era," crediting him with 327 wins in less than five seasons, a figure the organization is using as its benchmark heading into 2026.

The announcement also finalized the Bisons’ 2026 coaching staff, balancing returning voices with a few new hires. Drew Hayes will continue as pitching coach in his third season in Buffalo after serving with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2022 and 2023. Cesar Martin remains bench coach, while Chris Schaeffer returns as a position coach. Trevor Cho and Henry Leake will continue as assistant hitting coach and assistant pitching coach respectively. The club named Matt Young its hitting coach for 2026, replacing Ryan Long from the 2025 staff. Athletic trainer Jason Schwartzman returns to Buffalo, joined by new athletic trainer Roelvis Vargas, and the high‑performance team again includes Taylor Whitley with Zach Kollar assisting on strength and conditioning. Stephanie Boville resumes duties as team dietician and Alec Schulte joins as technology assistant.

The composition of the staff underscores the Bisons’ role as the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple‑A affiliate and as a conduit for Blue Jays talent. Buffalo’s Oct. 23, 2025 release argued the minor‑league coaching and support staff had "a major imprint on Blue Jays postseason run," and the current hires reflect a continued emphasis on pitching development and performance services that feed the major league club. Hayes, in particular, has been singled out by the organization for his role developing Blue Jays pitching prospects.

Candaele’s return is as much a cultural touchstone as a technical one. A former major‑league utility player, Candaele appeared in 754 MLB games, hit .250 for his career with 483 hits and 139 RBIs, and made his major‑league debut on June 5, 1986. He was a member of Buffalo’s 1997 American Association championship team, and his family story connects to baseball lore: his mother, Helen Callaghan, starred in the All‑American Girls Professional Baseball League. Local coverage has highlighted his bond with players and fans dating back to his playing days, and an anecdote in Buffalo News captured his hands‑on approach when it noted, "Bisons manager Casey Candaele gave Trey Yesavage three options during a meeting last month in Rochester. The third one was clearly the best ch…"

Some earlier reports cited different win totals for Candaele and other milestones - older articles listed 266 Bisons wins or 365 managerial wins across the Blue Jays organization since 2018 - but the team’s Feb. 12 release uses the 327 figure for Bisons wins as its official tally. That framing, and the largely returning staff, signal the organization is betting on continuity as it prepares for another season of shuttling prospects to Toronto and contesting at Triple‑A. Next up is spring training and roster finalization, where the staff’s work with pitchers and hitters will be tested and the Blue Jays will monitor which Buffalo players are ready for big league opportunities.