Former Longtime Cleveland Manager Named Minor League Manager

Eric Wedge, who managed Cleveland for seven seasons, was named manager of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers on Wednesday.

Jul 8, 2007; Toronto, ON, Canada; Cleveland Indians manager (22) Eric Wedge looks on during their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. Toronto won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images | Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have recently had strong success at the manager position, as three of the team's last four skippers have been named American League Manager of the Year at least once.

Current manager Stephen Vogt earned the honor this past season, and Terry Francona, who became the Cincinnati Reds' manager this offseason, was named AL Manager of the Year three times during his 11-season tenure with the Guardians.

And after an 11-year hiatus from professional baseball managing, the third skipper in this group is joining the professional ranks once again.

On Wednesday, the Tulsa Drillers, the Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced that 2007 American League Manager of the Year Eric Wedge has been named their new manager.

The 56-year-old was a Minor League and Major League manager with the Cleveland organization for a combined 12 seasons from 1998 through 2009.

He managed the Class A Columbus RedStixx in 1998 before managing Advanced A Kinston the following year. Wedge then managed 2000 Double-A Akron Aeros before serving the same role with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons for the next two campaigns.

A baseball manager standing in the dugout while wearing a navy and red shirt and navy hat. — Jul 8, 2007; Toronto, ON, Canada; Cleveland Indians manager (22) Eric Wedge looks on during their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. Toronto won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images | Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

During the 2002 offseason, he became the youngest manager in MLB when Cleveland hired him as the club's next skipper. Wedge ended up serving as Cleveland's manager for the seven seasons, going 561-573 (.495) in 1,134 regular-season games.

He led Cleveland to the 2007 AL Central crown and ALCS, which resulted in him being named AL Manager of the Year.

Wedge was relieved of his duties following the 2009 campaign, and later served as the Seattle Mariners' manager from 2011 through 2013. He eventually returned to coaching when he served as the head coach for his collegiate alma mater, Wichita State, from 2020 through 2022.