Tony DeFrancesco has managed hundreds of players over 16 seasons in professional baseball. Many eyeballs have been focused on him in the middle of team huddles offering atta-boys or suggesting do-betters. He’s dealt with multiple personalities, whether it be kids barely out of high school or veterans with fading big-league dreams.
Tuesday at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, DeFrancesco met with local media, RedHawks front office staff and Houston Astros management — most for the first time since he was named in November as manager of Oklahoma City’s Triple-A team.
After addressing a small gathering, DeFrancesco, a 47-year-old from Suffern, N.Y., sat down in front of cameras and tape recorders and said, “Now comes the easy part.â€
DeFrancesco has joined an Astros system that’s rebuilding from the big-league team down. It is the first organization DeFrancesco has worked for other than the Oakland Athletics since he retired as a player in the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system in 1991.
After so many years with the Athletics organization, why did you leave for the Astros?
“In baseball, you can move in a lot of directions. I had spent so many years with the A’s and managing in Sacramento, I thought it was time to go out there and see what else was available. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be the manager of this team.â€
You’ve said that your ultimate goal is to manage in the majors. Do you think changing organizations will help you do that faster?
“Every minor league coach or manager, ultimately we all want to get to the majors at some point.
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