|
http://savannahnow.com/node/210095
Mets hire Teufel to manage Sand Gnats
Sports
Noell Barnidge | Thursday, January 11, 2007 at 12:30 am
Tim Teufel, a member of the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets, on Wednesday was named manager of the Savannah Sand Gnats.
The 48-year-old former Clemson All-American second baseman has spent five of the last six years coaching in the Mets' minor-league system. He has compiled a 113-96 record in three seasons as a minor-league manager.
Teufel, who played 11 years in the majors, including six with the Mets, replaces Bobby Williams, 30, who was 56-83 as the Sand Gnats' manager last season.
The Washington Nationals were the major-league affiliate for Savannah the last two years, but the Nationals terminated their relationship with the Sand Gnats on Sept. 20, 2006.
The Mets signed a two-year Player Development Contract with the Sand Gnats on Sept. 27, 2006, to serve as their low-Class A affiliate.
Teufel played at Grayson Stadium when he was a member of the Southern League's Class AA Orlando (Fla.) Twins from 1980-82, and they played the Savannah Braves. His last visit to the Coastal Empire was in 1982.
"I didn't get to do much, tourist-wise," Teufel said, laughing. "I was making about $700 a month, and had about $10 a day for meal money. But I know Savannah is a really nice city, very historic. I'm looking forward to it. I'm a big fan of the Food Network, and I know you guys have The Lady & Sons there, so I'll be visiting Paula Deen's establishment quite a bit."
Teufel intends to cook up a winner on the field. He managed the 2003 Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets' New York-Penn League affiliate, to a division championship with a 47-28 record. Prior to managing, he spent two seasons as the Mets' roving infield instructor.
In 2004 and 2005, Teufel managed the St. Lucie Mets, New York's Florida State League affiliate in Port St. Lucie, Fla., going 66-68. He was replaced by Hall of Famer Gary Carter, a fellow member of the 1986 World Series champion Mets.
Teufel spent last year as an owner of a tile establishment in Port St. Lucie, but he said he is "in the process of dissolving that partnership."
"I love coaching," he said. "I love being around the game. You get the itch. You love the game. It's easy to come back. It wasn't a hard decision."
Teufel said he will arrive in Savannah the first week of April. Opening Day is April 5 against the Asheville (N.C.) Tourists at 7:05 p.m. at Grayson Stadium. He intends to field a competitive team.
"I manage the game to win," Teufel said. "I'll sacrifice bunt. I like to move the runners over. I'll steal. I like to hit and run, moving runners over to third with less than two outs. It's about doing all those little things. That produces winning baseball.
"In our organization we like to win at every level possible. My primary concern is to give these guys a place to play where they can get better, hone their skills and get to the next level."
In 1986, Teufel was 4-for-9 hitting in the seven-game World Series against the Boston Red Sox, including a home run in Game 5. He started at second base in Game 1, and his error on a routine grounder by Rich Gedman allowed Jim Rice to score the game's only run.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE TEUFEL FILE
Age: 48
Hometown: Greenwich, Conn.
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Family: Lives with Valerie, his wife of 25 years, and their daughters, Kelly and Amber. Kelly is a high school sophomore, Amber is a sixth-grader. Their oldest daughter, Kenley, is a freshman at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Their oldest child, Shawn, is a sophomore at Liberty and plays on the Flames' baseball team.
College: Clemson (1979-80); in 1980, hit .387 with 11 HRs and 66 RBIs, and was named All-American and All-Atlantic Coast Conference. At Clemson, hit .367 in 101 games with 24 HRs and 116 RBIs. Had 26 stolen bases.
Major Leagues: Selected by Minnesota in the second round (38th overall) of the 1980 amateur entry draft; played for Minnesota (1983-85), New York Mets (1986-90), San Diego (1991); New York Mets (1991); San Diego (1992-93). In 11 years, batted .254 with 789 hits, 86 HRs, 379 RBIs in 3,112 at-bats; stole 23 bases in 1,073 games.
Managerial experience: 113-96 record in three seasons with the 2003 Brooklyn Cyclones (47-28) and 2004-05 St. Lucie (Fla.) Mets (66-68).
|
