Jerry Manuel

Jerry Lorenzo Manuel Sr. (born December 23, 1953), nicknamed "the Sage", is an American former professional baseball second baseman, coach, and manager. As a Major League Baseball player, he played for the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, and San Diego Padres. As manager, he led New York Mets and Chicago White Sox, for which he was named 2000 AL Manager of the Year. He further coached for the Expos, Mets, and Florida Marlins, with whom he won the 1997 World Series.

He currently works as an analyst for MLB Network.

Playing career Manuel played sparingly in the major leagues 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 13 RBIs in 96 games. Although his major league playing career was brief, Manuel was the starting second baseman for the Montreal Expos in their only postseason series victory in 1981. He was 1-for-14 (.071) in the series and was replaced by Rodney Scott in the NLCS.

Other than Montreal, Manuel played for the Detroit Tigers and the San Diego Padres and ultimately retired in 1984.

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. Manuel played just under 100 games.

Coaching and managerial career Manuel held a variety of coaching positions over the next six years. He was originally hired by the Chicago White Sox in 1985 to scout Northern California. Manuel spent the next three years as the Expos' roving infield instructor (1987) and their minor league field coordinator (1988–89). In 1990, Manuel became a manager for the first time as he was named the manager of the Southern League's Jacksonville Expos, and was named the league's manager of the year. Midway through the campaign, he was brought up to Montreal to serve as the third base coach for the Expos, Days after the World Series victory, Manuel's father, Lorenzo Manuel, died.

Over one month later, in December, Manuel signed a multi-year deal to manage the Chicago White Sox. One day after the season ended, on September 29, Manuel was fired. He was replaced as White Sox manager by Ozzie Guillén.

His 2003 Topps baseball card reads: "Jerry has a philosophical air about him that makes him a sage influence and respected leader on his teams. After six seasons directing the White Sox fortunes, he's risen to fourth on the franchise's managerial wins list. Formerly, he was a pro player for 15 years and 12-year coach/Minor League manager. Manuel and Ken Williams form the first African-American GM/manager tandem in MLB history."

New York Mets (2005–2010) Coach

After departing the White Sox, Manuel joined the New York Mets organization in 2005 as the first base and outfield coach under new manager Willie Randolph. Manuel became Randolph's bench coach in 2006, a position he remained in until 2008.

On October 4, 2010, the Mets announced that both Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya would not return for the 2011 season.

Managerial record

Team Year Regular season PostseasonGamesWonLostWin %Finish Won Lost Win % ResultCWS 162 2nd in AL Central – – – –CWS 161 2nd in AL Central – – – –CWS 162 1st in AL Central Lost ALDS (SEA)CWS 162 3rd in AL Central – – – –CWS 162 2nd in AL Central – – – –CWS 162 2nd in AL Central – – – –CWS total 971 NYM 93 2nd in NL East – – – –NYM 162 4th in NL East – – – –NYM 162 4th in NL East – – – –NYM total 417 Total 1388

Post-MLB career After leaving Major League Baseball, Manuel went back to his home in the Sacramento area and started the Jerry Manuel Foundation to "Educate African American young men with charter school standards and train them in the fundamentals of baseball."

On January 16, 2014, it was announced that Manuel would be brought on as the Director of Baseball Operations at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California.

Manuel served as a bench coach for Team USA during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Personal life Manuel is married and has four children, including fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo, founder of the streetwear label Fear of God.