DeFrancesco Named Astros Manager
8/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON, TEXAS - The Houston Astros named former Seton Hall baseball player Tony DeFrancesco their interim manager. DeFrancesco becomes the first former Pirate to manage in the Major Leagues.
DeFrancesco, 49, who was working as the Astros' Triple-A manager in Oklahoma City, is a native of Suffern, NY and was drafted by first the California Angels in 1981 and then the Boston Red Sox in 1984. In between, he had three very productive seasons playing for Mike Sheppard at Seton Hall.
The predecessor to Craig Biggio behind the plate for the Pirates, DeFrancesco helped lead Seton Hall to three consecutive 40+ win seasons and a 116-41 overall record during his tenure. He helped guide the team to three straight NCAA Regional appearances and ECAC Championships in 1982 and 1984.
His final year in a Pirates' uniform, he led the team with an impressive .368 batting average and also tallied team-bests of 16 doubles and four triples.
Although DeFrancesco never made it to the big leagues as a player, he has 17 years of experience as a Minor League manager, including the last two seasons in Oklahoma City. He has 26 years of experience in baseball as a player, coach or manager and had six first-place finishes in the Pacific Coast League Pacific Southern Division while managing at Sacramento in the Oakland organization.
(Photos courtesy of the Houston Astros.)
