Louisville Bats Release Comprehensive 2026 Media Guide With Full Roster, Staff Details

The Louisville Bats published their 2026 media guide on Issuu on March 23, three days before the club opened the season at Louisville Slugger Field. It is the most comprehensive reference document the organization produces each year, compiling player biographies, staff directories, historical records, and a full season outlook in one place. For anyone covering or closely following the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A affiliate, this is the first document you pull up.

The Manager Who Won 2,000 Games

The guide centers, appropriately, on a coaching staff headlined by one of the most decorated managers in minor league history. The Bats named their coaching staff for the 2026 season, led by the return of Manager Pat Kelly. Kelly returns for his seventh season leading the Bats after taking home one of minor league baseball's most prestigious honors: on December 8, 2025, Minor League Baseball announced he was the recipient of the 17th annual Mike Coolbaugh Award, presented annually to an individual who has shown outstanding work ethic, knowledge of the game, and skill in mentoring young players.

The résumé behind that award is staggering. Kelly began his managerial career in 1986 with the Single-A Charleston Rainbows and has since managed 17 different affiliates across every level of minor league baseball, as well as two stints as the bench coach at the major league level for the Reds. With a 3-2 win over St. Paul on July 11, 2024, Kelly became the seventh manager in minor league baseball history to win 2,000 games, and with a 332-403 record as the Louisville manager, he is currently second all-time in franchise history in managerial wins, behind only Rick Sweet's 539. Entering 2026, Kelly carries a career record of 2,092-2,251.

The Coaching Staff

The staff assembled around Kelly brings both organizational continuity and fresh outside perspective. Hitting coach Daryle Ward is back for his second season in Louisville after spending the prior two seasons in the same role for Double-A Chattanooga, and 2026 will mark his 11th as a coach in the Reds' system. Ward, the son of two-time major league All-Star Gary Ward, was a .263 hitter over 11 major league seasons from 1998-2008 between the Astros, Dodgers, Pirates, Nationals, Cubs, and Braves.

The pitching side of the staff pairs a veteran of big league bullpens with a younger coach cutting his teeth quickly through the system. Pitching coach Cornelius returns for his second season in the Reds organization with the Bats after spending the previous three seasons as the major league bullpen coach for the Colorado Rockies, marking his 37th season in professional baseball; he pitched in 12 pro seasons, including 45 major league appearances for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, and New York Mets from 1995-2000. Phillips makes his Reds organizational debut in Louisville in 2026 after spending the past three seasons as a bullpen coach for Double-A Frisco, High-A Vancouver, and Triple-A Buffalo across the Rangers' and Blue Jays' affiliates.

Rounding out the staff, Harrison is back in Louisville for his second season after spending the 2023 season as a coach on the Bats staff; in the interim, he managed High-A Dayton for two seasons, leading the Dragons to the playoffs in 2024 and guiding the squad to a franchise-record 15-game winning streak late in the 2025 season. On the support side, Laughlin starts his ninth season in professional baseball, his seventh in the Reds organization and third with Louisville. Nick Mundy is back for his third season as the Bats' Video and Technology Specialist in his fourth season in the Reds organization, having spent the past winter as Director of Data Analytics for the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League.

The Roster and Players to Watch

The player biography section of the guide carries real weight this year given the talent filtering through Louisville as the last stop before Cincinnati. Sal Stewart impressed many observers with his 118 games in the minors in 2025, posting especially eye-catching numbers in his 38 Triple-A games: .315/.394/.629 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 165 plate appearances with the Louisville Bats. That performance earned Stewart a promotion to the big leagues before the 2025 season ended.

Edwin Arroyo is likely to open 2026 at Louisville, with the switch-hitting shortstop working to regain full offensive form after recovering from major surgeries. In 120 games at Double-A Chattanooga, Arroyo batted .284/.345/.371 with three home runs, 44 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Outfielder Hector Rodriguez has also put up solid numbers across Double-A and Triple-A and will begin 2026 as one of Louisville's starting outfielders, with hopes for an MLB call-up by midseason.

Baseball America's organizational tool rankings highlight the pipeline quality running through Louisville: Hector Rodriguez rates as the best hitter in the system, Rece Hinds carries the best outfield arm, and Rhett Lowder owns both the best slider and the best control among all Reds prospects.

Historical Records and Franchise Context

The historical section of the media guide grounds this franchise in deep minor league baseball roots. The Cincinnati Reds farmhands play their home games at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky, a ballpark that opened in 2000 and is widely regarded as one of the better Triple-A venues in the country. By 1998, the franchise had lost its St. Louis Cardinals affiliation, joined the Milwaukee Brewers, and rebranded as the Louisville RiverBats; in 2002, they moved into Louisville Slugger Field, dropped "River" for just "Bats," and switched from the Brewers to the Reds.

The 2025 season saw the Bats finish with a 71-79 record, 18 games behind the eventual International League and Triple-A National Champion Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the overall standings. That context matters: this is a franchise with championship hardware in its history and the organizational depth to compete again.

Season Opener and Broadcast Details

The Bats opened the 2026 season at Louisville Slugger Field on Friday, March 27, at 7:15 p.m. against the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The opening weekend features dollar beers on Friday night, Kids Opening Day on Saturday afternoon, and pregame autographs with Bats players and coaches before the Sunday series finale. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch handle the call for all games on Sports Talk 790 AM, and Bats games are also live streamed free on the MiLB and Bally Live apps.

The media guide on Issuu serves as the authoritative anchor for all of it: who is on the roster, who is coaching them, where this franchise has been, and what it is chasing in 2026. With Pat Kelly two seasons into his post-2,000-win chapter and a pipeline of legitimate prospects pulling toward Cincinnati, there is plenty worth tracking in Louisville this year.