Buck Showalter

Buck Showalter got his start in baseball as a junior college player at Chipola College in Marianna, Florida and eventually transferred to Mississippi State University where he earned All-American honors after setting a school record by posting a .459 batting average during the 1977 season.  After his senior year he was selected in the fifth round by the New York Yankees and spent seven seasons in the Bronx Bombers’ minor league system before choosing to pursue a career in coaching at the professional level.  In 1985 he joined the Yankees organization as the manager of their Single A affiliate Oneonta Yankees and led them to 114 victories in two seasons before being promoted to manage their Double A affiliate.  In 1989 he was named Manager of the Year by Baseball America and was eventually named the Yankees manager in 1992.  During his four years as the Yankees manager he won 313 games and earned AL Manager of the Year honors in 1995.  He’s was named manager of the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and led the club for their first three seasons. Largely due to his building efforts, the Yankees and Diamondbacks won championships the season after Showalter left the clubs. He also managed the Texas Rangers and served as a baseball analyst at ESPN before his longest managerial tenure with the Baltimore Orioles. He spent nine seasons with the club, making three playoff appearances and winning his third AL Manager of the Year Award.