We have not reached the Ides of March but keeping with the Roman theme, it is the XII of March. Two I's is better than one, as they say. Let's talk about Minor League Baseball, as I say. Welcome to the Baseball Traveler newsletter. |
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGERS |
Does the name Stan Wasiak ring a bell? If not, maybe it should. Wasiak, "The King of the Minors," is Minor League Baseball's all-time winningest manager. He piloted 18 teams over 37 consecutive seasons, wrapping up his career in 1986 with a record of 2,530-2,314. While no one has been able to match Stan the Man-ager in the wins column, one current skipper is getting very close and others are not far behind. As we enter the 2026 season, these are Minor League Baseball's winningest active managers. Note: Win totals only reflect the manager's Minor League Baseball experience, not necessarily the entirety of his career. |
Rick Sweet, Nashville Sounds (Triple-A MIL)
MiLB managerial debut: 1987
Organizations: Seattle, Houston, New York Mets, Montreal, San Diego, Detroit, Cincinnati, Milwaukee
Record: 2,438-2,234
Sweet enters the season just 92 wins shy of Wasiak on the all-time list and third overall (behind Bob Coleman’s 2,496), making him a virtual lock to claim the top spot in 2027 should he decide to keep managing. That would be 40 years after his managerial debut, when he led a Bellingham Mariners team that featured 17-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. on its roster. This year marks Sweet's sixth consecutive season with the Sounds and seventh overall. He is already that franchise’s all-time managerial wins leader; last season the team gave away a Rick Sweet bobble-stache.
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Pat Kelly, Louisville Bats (Triple-A CIN)
MiLB managerial debut: 1986
Organizations: San Diego, Montreal, Cincinnati, Toronto, Atlanta
Record: 2,092-2,251
This article is about wins, yes, but Kelly tops Sweet in the losses column and is just 63 behind Wasiak's all-time mark of 2,314. He's a Reds farm system stalwart, having managed eight teams in the organization since 2007. This season marks his sixth with the Bats; in 2024 he had the rare distinction of managing a squad that included his son, Casey, on the roster. That year he also notched his 2,000th career victory, making him one of just seven Minor League managers to achieve the feat.
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John Shoemaker, Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A LAD)
MiLB managerial debut: 1987
Organization: Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 1,915-1,806
This will be Shoemaker's 50th season (!) with the Dodgers, going back to when he was drafted by the organization as an infielder in 1977. The Ontario Tower Buzzers, entering their inaugural season in the California League, will be the 13th L.A. farm club that he's managed. Shoemaker is now just 85 victories away from joining Sweet and Kelly in the 2,000 wins club. All these decades later it's strange to think about how his career could have gone in a different direction: Shoemaker was the Chicago Bulls' sixth-round draft pick in 1978. |
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Dave Brundage, Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A SF)
MiLB managerial debut: 1995
Organizations: Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco
Record: 1,908-1,923 Brundage's eight-year playing career, from 1986-94, was mostly at the Triple-A level. He's primarily managed at the Triple-A level as well, dating to his 2006 season at the helm of the Tacoma Rainiers. Brundage has been with Sacramento since 2017, and in 2026 should surpass Tony DeFrancesco as the River Cats' all-time wins leader (Brundage has 537 wins in Sacramento; DeFrancesco had 578). Like Shoemaker, Brundage is on pace to notch his 2,000th win in 2027. |
Marty Pevey, Iowa Cubs (Triple-A CHC)
MiLB managerial debut: 1996
Organizations: Toronto, Chicago Cubs
Record: 1,466-1,511
Pevey, a catcher by trade, played 13 seasons professionally (including a 13-game stint with the Montreal Expos in 1989). He then immediately transitioned to a managerial role, leading teams throughout the Blue Jays organization from 1996-2005. He joined the Cubs organization in 2009 following a stint as Toronto's first base coach, and since 2013 has served as the manager of the Iowa Cubs. He now has 822 wins at the helm of this Des Moines-based franchise, a formidable total in and of itself.
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Who's next on the list?
6. Mike Guerrero (Biloxi Shuckers, Double-A MIL) – 1,445-1,275
7. Kevin Boles (Montgomery Biscuits, Double-A TB) – 1,431-1,427
8. Pedro Lopez (Albuquerque Isotopes, Triple-A COL) – 1,167-1,238
9. Al Pedrique (Reading Fightin Phils, Double-A PHI) – 1,127-1,094
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Minor League Baseball lost a managerial titan in 2025, as Buddy Bailey passed away on Sept. 22 at the age of 68. Between 1983 and 2024 Bailey spent 35 seasons as a manager, notching 2,417 wins (fourth all-time behind Wasiak, Coleman and Sweet). He was also a Venezuelan Professional Baseball League legend, having led the Tigres de Aragua to six winter ball titles. |
FORMER MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK OF THE WEEK! |
I've written approximately 200 editions of this newsletter. Some generate almost no reader feedback. Some, a smattering. And some, a deluge. Last week's segment on ballparks that are no longer part of the landscape fell into that last category, resulting in yours truly having an email inbox that could best be described as full to bursting. So let's keep it going! Email me your thoughts and recollections of a former Minor League ballpark that stood out to you (200 words or less, please). Photos appreciated. Benjamin.hill@mlb.com And here's one more defunct ballpark from my own road trip archives. There's plenty more where this came from. |
Hank Aaron Stadium
Mobile, Ala.
Home of the Mobile BayBears, 1997-2019 Mobile punches way above weight when it comes to producing baseball talent. Five Hall of Famers were born there and one of them had the city's Minor League ballpark named after him. Hank Aaron Stadium opened in 1997 in conjunction with the arrival of the Mobile BayBears, a Double-A Southern League team. The ballpark was unique in that the suites were at field level, with stairs leading to the primary seating bowl. In 2010, Aaron's childhood home was moved to the ballpark, refurbished and turned into a museum featuring memorabilia from his life and career, creating the Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum. I was there, and will likely never again see so many baseball legends in one place. (Willie Mays is not in the photo below, but he was there too!) |
I'VE GOTTA GO NOW, BUT FIRST AN IMPORTANT QUESTION |
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Is dipping a slice of pizza in ranch dressing a fun way to enhance the flavor, or an affront to good taste? Opinions vary, but the Tulsa Drillers' new Ranch Dippers alternate identity lets it be known which side their city's residents are on. |
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