DAYTON - Jamie Dismuke, who was to manage the Dayton Dragons this summer, has instead taken a job as hitting coach for the Class AAA Gwinnett (Ga.) Braves in the Atlanta Braves organization.
"It's a better situation for me," said Dismuke, who lives with his family in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he has spent the last few years as hitting coach (and the final month of last season as manager of the Class AA Lookouts). "Gwinnett is an hour and 45 minutes from my home. It's perfect for my family, plus it's a Triple-A job." The Reds have not announced who will take over the Dragons after letting go of Donnie Scott, who managed the team the last two seasons.
Leon Roberts, a former minorleague hitting coordinator with the Reds, was announced as the Dragons manager for 2007. However, before the season, he took the same job with the Braves that Dismuke is taking, when the franchise's AAA team was in Richmond, Va.
Now Roberts is the Braves' minorleague coordinator, and he helped pry Dismuke away from the Reds.
Dismuke spent the last nine years in the Reds' organization, and said he told Cincinnati player development director Terry Reynolds the move had nothing to do with dissatisfaction with the Reds or the job in Dayton.
"It wasn't an easy decision," Dismuke said. "It wasn't about money or anything. Terry understood. He's a class act." Reynolds could not be reached Tuesday night.
Dismuke was to be part of an all new Dragons field staff, including hitting coach Todd Benzinger and pitching coach Rigo Beltran.
