…of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
After being snubbed by the Chicago Cubs last month, Ryne Sandberg decided that if he wasn’t good enough for their top managerial position, he wasn’t going to be part of their organization.
So…the Hall of Famer returned to the team that originally drafted him back in 1978.
This…according to Allentown, Pennsylvania’s The Morning Call:
Ex-Chicago Cub great Ryne Sandberg, a former player in the Phillies minor league organization, was named Monday morning as the new manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Sandberg, 51, spent the last four seasons as a manager in the Cubs’ minor league system. He is a Hall of Fame second baseman.
He replaces Dave Huppert, who managed the IronPigs — the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate — the first three years of their existence.
Sandberg has spent the last four years as a manager in the Cubs organization with stints with the Peoria Chiefs (2007-2008), Tennessee Smokies (2009) and Iowa Cubs (2010).
He beings to the Phillies organization a career mark of 284-277…a .506 winning percentage. Last season, he was named the Pacific Coast League’s Manager of the Year after posting a career best 82-62 record.
As a player, the 1984 National League MVP had a .285 batting average and 2,386 hits over his 16-year career. He was a ten time All-Star, seven time Silver Slugger and won nine Gold Gloves at second base. He was enshrined in Cooperstown in 2005.
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