Casey Candaele

Casey Todd Candaele (born January 12, 1961) is an American former utility player and professional baseball coach. His mother, Helen Callaghan St. Aubin and her sister, Marge Callaghan, played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was depicted in the movie A League of Their Own. Candaele and his mother represent the only mother/son combination to have both played professional baseball.

The Seattle Mariners hired Candaele as their first base coach during the 2015–16 offseason. He worked with them until the end of the 2017 season. In January 2018, the Toronto Blue Jays hired Candaele to manage the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays. Candaele managed the Blue Jays' top affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, before becoming the interim major league bench coach in 2022.

Playing career A switch hitter, Candaele was born in Lompoc, California, on January 12, 1961. Candaele played prep baseball at Lompoc High School and attended the University of Arizona, where he played collegiate baseball for the Wildcats and was a part of the 1980 College World Series champion team.

He was signed by the Montreal Expos on August 15, 1982, as an amateur free agent.

Candaele split the 1983 season between Class A and Class AA baseball. With the West Palm Beach Expos of the Class A Florida State League, he batted .305 in 127 games; he played 5 games for the Memphis Chicks of the Class AA Southern League. He spent the 1984 season with the Jacksonville Suns, batting .273 in 132 games with the team then, over the next two seasons, was with the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians of the American Association, batting .259 in 302 games in 1985 and finishing the 1986 season with a .302 average in 119 games.

Candaele made his major league debut for the Expos on June 5, 1986, pinch hitting for pitcher Dan Schatzeder and striking out against Charles Hudson in a 7–3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Olympic Stadium. He finished the 1986 season with 24 hits in 104 at-bats for a batting average of .231.

In 1987, his first full year in the major leagues, Candaele batted .272 with one home run and 23 RBI in 138 games. Candaele played the first half of the 1988 season with the Expos, batting .172 in 38 games, with 20 hits in 116 at bats. He also played 79 games for the Bisons in the 1997 season, finishing with a .228 batting average. He then continued playing for another three seasons, shuffling around the minors, retiring after the 2000 season. During the long offseason between the 2019 and 2021 seasons (no minor league seasons in 2020), the Blue Jays assigned Candaele as manager for their Triple–A club, the Buffalo Bisons, for the 2021 season.

The Blue Jays promoted Candaele to become their major league bench coach on July 13, 2022. On November 30, it was announced that Candaele would return to Triple–A Buffalo as the club's manager for the 2023 season. On August 17, 2025, Candaele notched his 313th victory as manager of the Bisons, surpassing Marty Brown for the most wins of any manager in Bisons history.

Nickname Houston Astros Hall of Fame announcer Milo Hamilton called Candaele "Mighty Mite" for his aggressive play despite his diminutive size. His mother Helen Callaghan, one of the best players in the league's history, won a batting title while collecting a .257 batting average and 354 stolen bases in her 388-game career over five seasons.