Frank Kremblas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frank Kremblas (born October 25, 1966 in Carroll, Ohio) is the current manager of the Nashville Sounds Triple-A minor league baseball team, and a former minor league player in the Cincinnati Reds farm system from 1989 to 1996. He currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] His father, Frank Kremblas, Sr., was a three-year-letter winner on the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 1956 to 1958 and quarterbacked the team to a share of the 1957 national championship.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Kremblas played baseball at his hometown high school, Canal Winchester High School, where he would later be inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. He went on to play collegiate baseball at Eastern Kentucky University where he was All-Ohio Valley Conference in 1987 and 1988. As a member of the Columbus All-Americans, his team won a Great Lakes Collegiate League title. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 23rd round of the June 1989 Major League Baseball draft.

During the 1989 season, he played for the Gulf Coast Reds Rookie league team. For the 1990 season, he was promoted to the Single-A Cedar Rapids Reds. He was promoted again in 1991 to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. Kremblas spent the 1992 season with the Lookouts before being promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 1993. He would spend the first half of the 1994 season back in Chattanooga before returning to Indianapolis. Again, he spent part of the 1995 season in Chattanooga before finishing up with the Indians. His last season was spent entirely with the Indians after which he retired from his playing career.

During his playing career he divided his time between playing catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, outfielder, and pitcher. However, most of his time was spent playing the infield; he only pitched a career total of nine innings.

[edit] Managerial career

In 1998 Kremblas became the manager of the Gulf Coast League Expos, a Rookie League team. He was promoted to the Single-A Cape Fear Crocs in 1999. After the California League All-Star break of 2000, he became manager of the Mudville Nine. In 2001 he guided the High Desert Mavericks to the second round of the California League playoffs.

Kremblas was made skipper of the Double-A Huntsville Stars in 2002, where he would stay through the 2004 season. During his time with the Stars he also served as manager for the 2004 Southern League All-Star Game, coach for the 2003 All-Star Futures Game, and coach for the 2003 Arizona Fall League Peoria Saguaros.

In 2005 he was promoted to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds where he guided the team to win the Pacific Coast League Championship. In both the 2006 and 2007 seasons, he managed the team to win the American North Division title before losing in the conference finals. At the conclusion of the 2007 season, he was named the PCL Manager of the Year.

[edit] Winter league managerial career

On April 14, 2008, Kremblas accepted an offer to manage the Caracas Lions (Leones del Caracas), of the Venezuelan Winter League, in October 2008.[2] He will become the team's 32nd manager since it was established in 1952. This will be his third year with a winter league baseball team; he previously coached in Venezuela in 2000 and managed in Mexico in 2004.[2]

[edit] Career affiliations

Playing Career
Year Level Team League Major League Affiliation
1989 Rookie Gulf Coast Reds Gulf Coast League Cincinnati Reds
1990 A Cedar Rapids Reds Midwest League Cincinnati Reds
1991 AA Chattanooga Lookouts Southern League Cincinnati Reds
1992 AA Chattanooga Lookouts Southern League Cincinnati Reds
1993 AAA Indianapolis Indians International League Cincinnati Reds
1994 AA Chattanooga Lookouts Southern League Cincinnati Reds
AAA Indianapolis Indians International League Cincinnati Reds
1994 AA Chattanooga Lookouts Southern League Cincinnati Reds
AAA Indianapolis Indians International League Cincinnati Reds
1996 AAA Indianapolis Indians International League Cincinnati Reds
Managerial Career
Year Level Team League Major League Affiliation
1998 Rookie Gulf Coast Expos Gulf Coast League Montreal Expos
1999 A Cape Fear Crocs South Atlantic League Montreal Expos
2000 A Mudville Nine California League Milwaukee Brewers
2001 A High Desert Mavericks California League Milwaukee Brewers
2003 AA Huntsville Stars Southern League Milwaukee Brewers
2003 AA Huntsville Stars Southern League Milwaukee Brewers
2004 AA Huntsville Stars Southern League Milwaukee Brewers
2005 AAA Nashville Sounds Pacific Coast League Milwaukee Brewers
2006 AAA Nashville Sounds Pacific Coast League Milwaukee Brewers
2007 AAA Nashville Sounds Pacific Coast League Milwaukee Brewers
2008 AAA Nashville Sounds Pacific Coast League Milwaukee Brewers


[edit] References

  1. ^ "Frank Kremblas." Nashville Sounds. April 5, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Patton, Maurice. "Katin proves to be good in a pinch." The Tennessean. 15 April 2008.