MINNEAPOLIS — Cumberland baseball had a proud moment on Major League Baseball’s biggest stage last weekend as two former Bulldog/Phoenix players, Brady North and Rayden Sierra, coached in opposite dugouts during the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins series at Target Field.
North, an assistant hitting coach with the Rays, and Sierra, an assistant hitting coach for the Twins, are both products of the Cumberland baseball program and faced off in a full-circle moment. Their paths first crossed in Lebanon, with North serving as an assistant coach during Sierra’s standout seasons in 2017 and ’18.
North was an integral part of Cumberland’s 2014 NAIA national championship team, anchoring the lineup as the starting first baseman and cleanup hitter. He began his professional coaching career just five years later. After stints in the prestigious Cape Cod League and Tampa Bay’s minor-league system, most notably leading the Bowling Green Hot Rods to record-breaking offensive numbers, North was promoted to the Rays’ MLB staff in November of 2021.
Sierra, meanwhile, was a dominant force during his time with the Phoenix. The Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, native earned first team All-America honors and was named the 2018 Mid-South Conference Player of the Year after hitting .350 with 22 home runs, 54 RBIs and 63 runs scored. He holds Cumberland’s single-game record for home runs, blasting four against Bryan College in 2018.
After a brief professional playing career and coaching stops at Volunteer State and Florida SouthWestern, Sierra joined the Minnesota Twins organization in 2020. He quickly climbed the ranks, serving as hitting coach at Low-A Fort Myers for three seasons before being named the organization’s minor league hitting coordinator in 2024. His development success earned him a call-up to the Twins’ big league staff ahead of the 2025 season.
Adding an extra layer to the story, North spent two seasons coaching Sierra at Cumberland before each launched their professional careers in different organizations.
“It’s pretty special for our program to have two former players coaching and competing against each other in the big leagues,†said Cumberland coach Ryan Hunt. “Both were great players and great people. It just shows that no matter what level you’re at, you can still make the big leagues if you keep believing.â€
The Twins and Rays both sit in third place in their respective divisions heading into the All-Star break. As of now, the Rays are 49-42, in third place in the American League East, four games behind first-place Toronto. The Twins stand at 43-47, tied for second in the AL Central with Kansas City, 14 games behind Detroit. Minnesota took the series with back-to-back one-run wins on Friday and Saturday, while Tampa Bay salvaged the finale on Sunday with a 7-5 victory.
The two teams are not scheduled to meet again during the regular season, but a potential postseason rematch in October remains on the table.
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