As the Las Vegas Aviators prepare to open their season Friday night against Salt Lake at Las Vegas Ballpark, manager Fran Riordan enters his seventh year at the helm with a reputation that extends well beyond the Pacific Coast League. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay offered high praise for Riordan, calling him an extension of the major league staff.
“In some ways, it hurts Fran to be this good. You don’t want to replace him because the job he has done is phenomenal,” Kotsay said. “I consider him an extension of our staff given how he prepares young players to come to the big leagues. It’s terrific. There is constant communication and he does a great job with that.”
Riordan, who has spent 25 seasons in professional baseball and 11 with the A’s organization, has long been considered ready for a promotion to a major league coaching staff. His steady hand has been instrumental in developing homegrown talent like Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and Lawrence Butler, all of whom were drafted by Oakland and rose through the system.
“Hopefully, by the time they get to me, they’re almost a finished product,” Riordan said. “I think if you look at the success of some of our homegrown players we’ve had the last few years making their mark, it has been a group effort throughout the organization.”
Riordan’s approach to handling players who struggle or are sent back down is deliberate: he gives them a few days to process disappointment, then addresses them directly. “There’s no point in coming down and sulking that you’re in the minor leagues again because all it is is another opportunity to get better and improve and develop where the lights aren’t as bright,” he said.
Last season, despite constant roster turnover, the Aviators won the Pacific Coast League championship for the third time in franchise history and advanced to the Triple-A national championship game, where they lost to Jacksonville. Riordan was named PCL Manager of the Year for the third time in six seasons.
“Players are expected to work, they’re expected to learn, they’re expected to get better so they can help the major league club and at the same time help the Aviators win,” Riordan said. “We had a great team last season. We did great things.”
The A’s are building toward a planned relocation to Las Vegas in 2028, and many of their future big leaguers will pass through Riordan’s clubhouse. Kotsay’s comments underscore the value Oakland places on Riordan’s ability to prepare players for the majors while maintaining a winning culture at Triple-A.
