Modesto Roadsters manager JT Snow has his staff. But how does he plan to win?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- JT Snow sought advice from veteran executives and managers to shape his strategy.
- Roadsters will target undrafted players, focusing on pitching, defense and some power.
- Snow rejects in-dugout analytics, preferring hands-on coaching and fundamentals.
After learning he was hired to lead what was then known as the Modesto Glow Riders, now called the Modesto Roadsters, manager JT Snow said he spent hours on the phone with his friends and his mentors to get advice on how to approach his first job as a professional baseball manager.
The six-time Gold Glove winner has some coaching experience, but not much. He was hired as the Oakland Ballers bench coach in 2024 after potentially losing out on a coaching job with the San Francisco Giants because he missed a phone call from its then president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi.
“The last time I managed was my son’s 12-year-old little league team,” Snow told the crowd during his announcement as Roadsters manager. “But I think you guys are going to be happy with what we’re going to do.”
Among the list of famous friends and mentors he called for advice was Brian Sabean, who led the San Francisco Giants to four World Series appearances as the club’s general manager from 1997 to 2014. Three of those appearances (2010, 2012 and 2014) resulted in championships.
Snow played for the Giants from 1997 to 2005 and was a key player in the 2002 World Series — hitting .407 with four RBI and one strikeout in 29 plate appearances. The Giants lost in game seven to Snow’s former team, the Anaheim Angels. It was the only World Series appearance during Sabean’s tenure that didn’t result in a championship.
Next on his call list was Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona, who was also the manager of the Boston Red Sox and led the team to two World Series championships, including the famous 2004 series that broke Boston’s 86-year drought known as the “Curse of the Bambino.”
Snow also talked to Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo — who was the Red Sox’s bench coach when they won the World Series in 2013. As manager of Arizona, he led the team to a World Series appearance in 2023.
“They all said the same thing: Once the game starts, that two and a half, three hours is like the best part of your day,” Snow told The Bee.
A lot of the advice he got was not on how to win, but on how to lose. Managing disgruntled players, dealing with losing streaks and keeping up team morale were common topics of advice across his calls, Snow said.
But Snow will need to figure out how to win. When asked about his coaching philosophy heading into the season, he said a focus on baseball fundamentals combined with an old-school approach to the game is how he wants to do it.
“I think I’m going to try and manage the way that I played during my career, and that was to try and win the game that night,” said Snow. “Do everything you can to win the game that night. Some games are going to get away from you early. You got to make some adjustments, but we’re going to try and win every night.”
Snow and team owner Dave Heller said they want to take advantage of overlooked players who didn’t make the MLB draft. Once 40 rounds, the draft was cut in half during the 2021 season. Those extra 20 rounds that no longer exist are where Snow and Heller hope to pick up players.
Snow and Heller said their goal is to develop these players and hopefully help their chances of making the MLB one day. The Pioneer League is a partner league of MLB, meaning player data is shared with major-league scouts for consideration.
The team’s philosophy seems to be centered around pitching and defense, with some power at the plate if they can get it. This, Snow said, is to take advantage of what he considers to be a pitcher-friendly John Thurman Field that has short corners but a deep center field with two power alleys.
“I’ve been around the game a long time, and if you see the game the last few years, even the World Series this year, it’s about throwing strikes and putting the ball in play and catching the ball on defense and running the bases,” said Snow. “So it’s those four aspects that we’re looking at.”
Analytics, a staple in modern professional baseball, are out of the question for the Roadsters. Snow said there will be no “analytics guy” and iPads will not be in the dugout.
“We’re gonna watch the game, we’re gonna learn… I think a lot of the fundamentals have gone by the wayside in baseball,” said Snow.
As for its staff, the Roadsters announced that its coaching roster was filled on Monday with the hiring of Garry Templeton II as hitting and bench coach.
Templeton spent nine years as a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks and later worked as an instructor of Major League Baseball’s annual scout school. Before coming to Modesto, he served as the bench coach for the Pioneer League’s Idaho Falls Chukars in 2025.
He’ll join Roadsters pitching coach Alex Leach, who will be doing double duty as the current head baseball coach at Modesto Junior College. Snow stated he was “thrilled” to have his coaching roster complete.
“Alex has deep roots in Modesto and the Central Valley and his playing career in the Pioneer League, together with his scouting history and professional baseball, will be huge for the Roadsters,” Snow said in a press release. “And Garry Templeton is a baseball lifer… His playing career, coaching career, and years of scouting for MLB clubs make him an enormous asset as our hitting and bench coach.”
The Pioneer League has not yet released its schedule for the 2026 season, but opening day is expected to happen sometime in May.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
