Los Angeles Dodgers minor league manager Juan Apodaca won the Arizona Complex League manager of the year after leading his team to a 40-20 season and the league title.
After earning the top seed in the postseason, the Dodgers’ rookie-level affiliate won three straight games to clinch the title.
The 2024 title was the third crown for Los Angeles at the ACL level. It was the first championship for the Dodgers rookie-level affiliate since 2018.
The ACL Dodgers ranked in the top five in different offensive categories this season. The club led the league in on-base percentage with a .395 clip.
The offensive dominance propelled the ACL Dodgers in their first two games of the postseason. The club defeated the ACL Giants 7-1 in the semifinals and took out Arizona 8-1 in Game 1 of the Finals.
“First of all, I want to thank God for letting us be part of this victory. Second of all, I want to thank all of our staff that helped us to make this happen,” Apodaca wrote in a post via his Instagram. “Thank you for letting me be part of this special team. I want to thank my family for always being there and supporting me. For the players, for me it has been a huge honor leading you and for all of your trust in me. We are the champions.”
The Dodgers announced that Apodaca would be joining the minor league coaching staff in February. The 37-year-old replaced Jair Fernandez as manager of the ACL Dodgers. Fernandez was named the manager of the Dodgers’ High-A affiliate at Great Lakes for the 2024 season.
Apodaca previously was a bench coach for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2022 and the Tulsa Drillers in 2023.
Apodaca is a former minor league player himself. He spent nine seasons in the minors and reached Triple-A in 2013 with the Durham Bulls.
The catcher hit a combined .250 with 40 home runs and 212 RBIs. He also spent 14 seasons in the Venezuelan and Mexican Leagues, where he recorded 52 homers and 316 RBIs in 603 combined games.
Apodaca began his career with the Boston Red Sox in March of 2010. He signed as an international free agent out of Caracas, Venezuela.
