Del Chiaro to manage Kernels in 2011

Brent Del Chiaro says playing baseball for him will be easy.

"Basically, all I'll have is two rules," the new Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager said. "I expect you to practice hard and play hard. As far as my managerial philosophy, that's it. If you can't do those things, then I'm going to have issues."

Del Chiaro, 31, was the hitting coach for the Kernels the past two seasons but was announced Tuesday by the parent Los Angeles Angels as skipper for 2011. "Delly" also played in Cedar Rapids as a catcher in 2002.

Joining him on staff will be hitting coach Mike Eylward and pitching coach Trevor Wilson. Eylward played in Cedar Rapids with Del Chiaro and was hitting coach for Rookie-level Orem last season.

Wilson was pitching coach last season for Rookie-level Tempe. He threw parts of eight seasons (169 games) in the major leagues, mostly for the San Francisco Giants.

"(Eylward) and I actually played together in Double-A and Triple-A, too," said Del Chiaro, from his offseason home in the Phoenix area. "We were roommates in Double-A ... The familiarity is good because you know how guys work."

Last season's manager, Bill Mosiello, and pitching coach, Brandon Emanuel, will be at Double-A Arkansas this season. This is the first managerial job for Del Chiaro, who coached third base much of last season, a big task for minor league managers.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity," he said. "I've known about it for awhile, so I've grown comfortable with it. At first, I was a little nervous about it.

"But I've got a great coaching staff, and that will help ease the transition. I'm just looking at it as a new challenge."