5 things to know about Ron Roenicke
Roenicke has previous major league managing experience.
The Red Sox aren’t looking far to find their next manager.
Boston is planning to make bench coach Ron Roenicke the team’s next manager once the MLB’s investigation concludes, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.
In Roenicke, the Red Sox are getting someone who has years of coaching experience. The 63-year-old has spent the last 28 seasons coaching baseball in either the minor leagues or the major league.
Roenicke is replacing Alex Cora, who was fired last month for his role in the Astros cheating scandal.
Here are four things to know about the expected 48th manager in Red Sox history.
Roenicke has major league managerial experience
The Red Sox manager job won’t be the first time Roenicke has been an MLB manager. Roenicke was the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011-2015.
Roenicke’s tenure in Milwaukee peaked in his first season. In 2011, the Brewers went 96-66 en route to winning the NL Central. The Brewers knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the NLDS before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS in six games.
Roenicke never made it back to the playoffs with Brewers after his first season. However, he did have a winning record during his time in Milwaukee. He went 342-331 in his five seasons as the Brewers manager.
The Brewers fired Roenicke on May 3, 2015 after a 7-18 start to the season.
Roenicke has won the World Series twice in his coaching career
Red Sox fans know that Roenicke was the team’s bench coach when they won the World Series in 2018.
That wasn’t the only time he’s won a World Series. He also won one in 2002 with the then-Anaheim Angels, where he was the third base coach.
Roenicke was the Angels’ third base coach for six years before he was promoted to bench coach in 2006 to replace Joe Maddon, who left to become the Tampa Bay Rays’ manager.
Roenicke played eight seasons in the majors
Once the Red Sox make the hire official, Roenicke will be Boston’s fifth-straight manager that played in the MLB before their coaching days.
Roenicke enjoyed an eight-year playing career. However, he had trouble finding a longterm home. After spending most of his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, played for five other teams over the remainder of his career.
Roenicke was an outfielder who hit .238 from the plate in his career to go along with 17 career home runs and 113 RBI.
Roenicke has family members that have played in the majors
Ron Roenicke isn’t the only Roenicke that had a major league career.
Roenicke’s brother, Gary, played 13 seasons in the MLB. Like Ron, Gary also played in the outfield, but he enjoyed a much better playing career, including a World Series win with the Baltimore Orioles in 1983. Gary Roenicke was also inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame.
Roenicke also has a nephew, Josh Roenicke (son of Gary), who played in the majors. Josh Roenicke pitched for four teams in his six-year MLB career. After bouncing around minor league teams for four years, Roenicke signed with the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 2018. Roenicke still plays for the Lions.
Roenicke was Alex Cora’s manager in Double A
Roenicke spent two seasons as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Double A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions.
Roenicke’s short time in that role was a successful one. He won the Texas League Manager of the Year in 1997 en route to winning the Texas League title.
He also coached Alex Cora during his time in San Antonio. In fact, Roenicke’s impressive job as the Missions manager is the reason why Cora hired him to be his bench coach in 2017.
“Well, he got my attention in ’97. We didn’t have a good team in that Texas League,” Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne in 2017. “We barely had prospects, and we ran away with the first half and the second half, and then we won the whole thing. He’s a guy that is always paying attention to the game and pays attention to details.”
Roenicke said last month that he is still friends with Cora.
“I’m close with him,” Roenicke said in the aftermath of Cora’s firing. “He’s a good friend. So, any time something like that happens, it’s just a sad, sad day. It’s a sad time for all of us.”
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