Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Phillies have hired Ryne Sandberg as the new manager of their AAA affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
Sandberg spent the last 4 seasons as a manager in the Chicago Cubs farm system. He began in 2007 with the Single A Peoria Chiefs and was promoted to AA Tennessee in 2009. In 2010, Sandberg was named manager of the year while managing at AAA Iowa in the Pacific Coast League.
The Phillies have been trying to get Sandberg back for years after trading him along with SS Larry Bowa to the Chicago Cubs for Ivan DeJesus in one of the worst trades in franchise history. 25-years later the 10-time All Star is back in the Phillies organization.
Sandberg had hoped to take over the Chicago Cubs managerial vacancy but was passed on for Mike Quade. The 51-year old hall of fame 2nd basemen replaces Dave Huppert who managed the Iron Pigs for the past 3 seasons.
Sandberg will start with the Iron Pigs and could be groomed to take over for current Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. While the Phillies and Manuel are expected to agree to a contract extension (Manuel’s current contract ends after the 2011 season), there are questions as to how long the soon-to-be 67-year old manager will continue to manage.
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