by Patrick Bailey, Charleston Gazette

2/12/2010: Charleston, WV – Donald Lawrence, the new bench coach for the West Virginia Coal Sox who will serve as manager Armando Zamora’s right-hand man for the next five years, is happy to be returning to the organization.

Lawrence, a catcher, retired from professional baseball in 2008 after spending a season as the starting catcher for the AAA Mansfield Mohicans.  He served as a voice of veteran wisdom to the entire club, taking prospects like Zi-xing Chen and José Ramírez under his wing.  It was his ability to work well with the youngest and most raw players on the club which made him an ideal choice to serve next to Zamora.

“I always knew I wanted to coach,” said Lawrence.  “In fact, that’s what I was already doing when I signed that deal to play in Mansfield.”  Although the Coal Sox had Willie Jeffries originally slated to start at Mansfield heading into the offseason that year, the organization did not feel that Jeffries had a future with the club.  He would be dealt to San Antonio in June.  They signed Lawrence as their regular, meant to be a mentor to the younger players on the team, a role he took to like a fish to water.  He’ll be asked to reprise that role this spring.

“I spent last year trying to avoid admitting to myself that I couldn’t stay away from baseball,” Lawrence says.

So what does Zi-xing Chen, former mentee of Lawrence, think about the catcher’s return to the dugout?

“Championship!” Chen grinned.