Jerry Manuel

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Jerry Manuel (born December 23, 1953 in Hahira, Georgia) is a manager in Major League Baseball, having led the Chicago White Sox from 1998 to 2003. He amassed 500 wins and won the American League's Central Division title in 2000, a season in which he also won baseball's Manager of the Year award. His teams were criticized for one-dimensional power hitting, poor defense and a slew of pitching injuries.

Manuel played sparingly in the major leagues in the from 1975 to 1982, mostly as a second baseman. He accumulated only 127 at bats and a .150 batting average with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 96 games. Although his playing career was brief, Manuel was the starting second baseman for the Montréal Expos in their only postseason series victory in 1981.

In a 6-season managerial career, Manuel compiled a .515 winning percentage with 500 wins and 471 losses in 971 games. He led them to four 2nd-place finishes but only one playoff appearance when he led the White Sox to a 1st-place finish in 2000. They went on to lose to Seattle in one of the 2000 American League Division Series.

During the 2005 season, Manuel was the 1st base coach for the New York Mets. Mets manager Willie Randolph has made Manuel the bench coach for the 2006 season.

[edit] Trivia

• In 1972, Manuel and Mike Ondina became the first pair of high school teammates to be drafted in the first round of a Major League draft. Both attended Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California. While Manuel played less than 100 games, Ondina fared even worse, never reaching the majors.

[edit] External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - managing record and playing statistics

Preceded by: Jimy Williams	American League Manager of the Year 2000	Succeeded by: Lou Piniella
Preceded by: Terry Bevington	Chicago White Sox Manager 1998-2003	Succeeded by: Ozzie Guillen