Bees Name New Skipper

NEW BRITAIN—The New Britain Bees have named Mauro “Goose” Gozzo the third manager in team history. Gozzo replaces Wally Backman and returns to the Bees for his second season in the Atlantic League after working as the team’s pitching coach in 2018.

Born in New Britain, Gozzo began his professional career after being drafted out of Berlin High School by the New York Mets in the 13^th round of the 1984 MLB amateur draft. He spent three years in the Mets organization before being traded to the Kansas City Royals as part of a deal for David Cone. After a couple of campaigns with the Royals organization, he joined the Toronto Blue Jays, where he would make his Major League debut in 1989. The right-hander had a six-year big league career, also playing for the Cleveland Indians (1990-91), Minnesota Twins (1992), and Mets (1993-94). Over the course of 48 career MLB appearances (13 starts), he compiled a 7-7 record in 124.0 innings pitched.

In the minors, Gozzo appeared in 349 games, including 126 starts. He won 79 games with a 3.83 ERA and 692 strikeouts in 1,134.2 innings over a span of 12 years.

Gozzo led the New Britain pitching staff to a 3.71 ERA in 2018, which ranked third in the Atlantic League. Prior to joining the Bees, he has been involved with a multitude of baseball initiatives. Gozzo has been a private instructor, teaching the likes of big leaguers Matt Cain and Drew Pomeranz, and also coached a nationally ranked elite competitive travel team in the Connecticut area for nine years.

“It’s a great honor to be named manager of the Bees and be able to coach in an area where I grew up and began my baseball career,” said Gozzo. “After being a part of the Bees coaching staff last season, I’ve seen the wide array of talent that the Atlantic League has. I’m excited to manage these exceptional players and help them reach their goal of getting back to the affiliated ranks, while also putting a winning team on the field here in New Britain.”

“Mauro is an outstanding teacher and homegrown talent,” noted Bees general manager Brad Smith. “To be able to bring on someone with his skills and connection to the local community is a win for everyone. Mauro excelled in the pitching coach role for us this past year and we look forward to a successful 2019 season with him at the helm.”

—Staff Reports