Charlie Manuel — Week of June 27^th

Charlie Manuel Managerial Stats

Charles Fuqua Manuel, Jr. (born January 4, 1944 in Northfork, West Virginia) is the current manager of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. His team won the 2008 World Series in five games over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Although he was born in West Virginia, his family was actually living in Virginia at that time, and he lived in Virginia throughout his childhood. He was born in a car while his mother, June, was visiting her mother.[1] His father, Charles Sr., was a Pentecostal preacher, and the family lived in Wythe and Grayson Counties until they settled in Buena Vista when Charlie, the third of 11 children and the oldest son, was 12.

He became a four-sport star at Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista, playing baseball, football, basketball, and track, and captaining the baseball and basketball teams. His first love was basketball, and he had received scholarship offers in that sport, but his plans and his life would dramatically change just before his high school graduation.

In April 1963, his father, who had been ill with diabetes and heart problems, committed suicide, leaving behind a note asking that Charlie, who was already married with a child, take care of his mother and siblings.[1][2] He turned down his basketball scholarship offers to consider offers from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, and New York Yankees, ultimately signing with the Twins out of high school in 1963 for $20,000.

MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER
Manuel played from 1969 to 1972 with the Minnesota Twins and in 1974 and 1975 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, primarily as a pinch-hitter and left fielder.

JAPANESE PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
Manuel's baseball career took off when he left the United States to play in Japan. Wildly popular for his tenacious style of play and his power-hitting abilities, Manuel was dubbed "Aka-Oni" (The Red Devil) by fans and teammates.

In 1977, he hit .316 with 42 home runs and 97 runs batted in, helping the Central League's Yakult Swallows reach second place for the first time in franchise history. In 1978, he hit .312 with 39 homers and 103 RBI, powering the Swallows to their first pennant and the Japan Championship Series. In 1979, playing for the Pacific League's Kintetsu Buffaloes, Manuel became the first American to be named the Pacific League MVP after hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI. A year later, Manuel set the record for most home runs by an American with 48 and led the league with 129 RBI in only 118 games, cut short when he was hit in the face by a pitch. In 1981, he returned to the Yakult Swallows.

Manuel finished his successful run in Japan with a .303 career average, 189 home runs and 491 RBI. He was considered one of the best imported baseball players to Japan in those days, along with brothers Leron and Leon Lee and Randy Bass.

During his time in Japan, Manuel learned to speak Japanese. This has become an asset, as he has been able to communicate with players such as So Taguchi and Tadahito Iguchi.

MINOR LEAGUE MANAGER
Ultimately, injuries, including the beaning in Japan, cut Manuel's playing days short. He returned to the United States to work as a scout for the Minnesota Twins organization before turning to coaching. As a minor league manager for nine years in the Twins' (1983–1987) and Cleveland Indians' (1990–1993) farm systems, Manuel compiled a 610–588 (.509) record, winning the Pacific Coast League and International League championships in his final two seasons (1992–1993). He was named Manager of the Year three times (1984, 1992, 1993) and managed the IL All-Star team in 1993.

CLEVELAND INDIANS MANAGER
Manuel returned to the Majors in 1988 as the Indians' hitting coach (1988–1989, 1994–1999), where under his tutelage, the Tribe led the American League in runs three times (1994–1995, 1999) and set a franchise record in 1999 with 1,009 runs, becoming the first team to score 1,000 runs since the 1950 Boston Red Sox. The club also led the league in home runs in 1994 and 1995. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the Indians' manager.

He was fired as manager of the Cleveland Indians on July 12, 2002 over a contract dispute.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES MANAGER
Shortly after he was fired as manager for the Cleveland Indians, Manuel was hired by the Phillies as special assistant to the general manager. After the 2004 season, Manuel was hired as the club's 51st manager, replacing Larry Bowa.[3] In his first season, Manuel and the Phillies went 88–74, only one game back of the Wild Card.

In 2006, Manuel and the Phillies finished just short of the playoffs once again, this time three games back of the wild card. However, the season did have certain positives that boded well for next season. Second-year slugger Ryan Howard hit a franchise record 58 home runs, second baseman Chase Utley was named a starter in the 2006 MLB All-Star Game, and rookie pitcher Cole Hamels showed progress and the potential that he could one day become the club's ace.

After starting the 2007 season with a horrible 4–11 record, Manuel and the Phillies had to battle countless injuries all season, including losing newly acquired pitcher Freddy Garcνa for the season. Howard, Utley, and Hamels also missed significant playing time. Hamels led the pitching staff with a 15–5 record, while Jimmy Rollins had a huge season, including a MLB record for at-bats in a season with 716 through all 162 games played. In a dramatic finale to the season, the Phillies captured the National League East title from the collapsing Mets, but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Colorado Rockies.

Manuel finished second in balloting for the National League Manager of the Year Award for 2007.

On October 29, 2008, Charlie Manuel guided the 2008 Phillies to their second world title. It was his first World Series ring after years of close calls (including the 1997 Cleveland Indians). Manuel reached a contract agreement with the Phils on December 9, 2008 that will keep him with the team through the 2011 season.