Stump Merrill
Encyclopedia
Carl "Stump" Merrill is a former manager
in Major League Baseball
who served as manager of the New York Yankees
in and . He has spent some thirty years in the Yankees organization, and has also managed several of that team's minor-league
affiliates.
at the University of Maine
, where he also played football
and earned a degree in physical education
. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies
in the free-agent
draft. He spent that season in the class-A New York-Penn League with the Batavia Clippers
, and the following year with single-A teams in Bakersfield
and Eugene
. In and , Merrill was at the double-A level with the Reading Phillies
, and returned to Eugene in and while that team was at the triple-A level. His playing career ended after the 1971 season due to a leg injury.
. He led the team to the best overall record in the league that season, and to a first-place finish in . When the Yankees moved their affiliation to the Nashville Sounds
team, Merrill moved as well, guiding the team to two more first-place finishes in and .
In and , Merrill managed the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League
, winning the league championship in 1982. For the 1984 season
, he jumped to the triple-A level, managing the Columbus Clippers
to another first-place finish.
Merrill joined the New York Yankees in as first-base coach for manager Yogi Berra
, but was recalled to Columbus in mid-season to again serve as that team's manager. He rejoined the major-league team in as a coach on Lou Piniella
's staff.
During the season, Merrill was sent to the Albany-Colonie Yankees, then the team's double-A affiliate in the Eastern League. He won the league title that season, and did so yet again in , guiding the Prince William Cannons
to the Class A Carolina League
championship.
In , Merrill began the season with Columbus before getting the call to take charge of the New York Yankees in June when Bucky Dent
was fired as manager. Stump spent the rest of that season and all of in New York. He was replaced by Buck Showalter
prior to the 1992 season
and served that season as a roving minor-league instructor.
During and , Merrill once again managed the Columbus Clippers before spending as a special assignment scout
. In , Merrill guided the Clippers for a third time, winning the International League
title, the Governor's Cup. Along the way, Merrill won his 1000th game as a manager on August 2, 1996. He remained with the Clippers for the and seasons before returning to New York.
In and , Merrill had a two-year stint as Special Assistant to the General Manager under Brian Cashman
. He returned to the dugout in to manage the Yankees' double-A farm club, then the Norwich Navigators
. When the Yankees changed affiliations after the 2002 season
, Merrill moved with the team once more, managing the Trenton Thunder
in and .
Stump returned to New York in and was once again named Special Assistant to the General Manager. He continues to hold that position as of the start of the 2006 season
.
Note: Year-by-year career details taken from Norwich Navigators media guide and game programs.
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who served as manager of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in and . He has spent some thirty years in the Yankees organization, and has also managed several of that team's minor-league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
affiliates.
Playing
Merrill began his baseball career as a catcherCatcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, where he also played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and earned a degree in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in the free-agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
draft. He spent that season in the class-A New York-Penn League with the Batavia Clippers
Batavia Muckdogs
The Batavia Muckdogs are a minor league baseball team based in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. The Muckdogs are the current Short-Season A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals...
, and the following year with single-A teams in Bakersfield
Bakersfield Blaze
The Bakersfield Blaze are a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California, USA. They are a Class A – Advanced team in the California League and are a farm team of the Cincinnati Reds. The Bakersfield Blaze play their home games at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark...
and Eugene
Eugene Emeralds
The Eugene Emeralds is a minor league baseball team in Eugene, Oregon, United States. They are a short-season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been a farm team of the San Diego Padres since 2001....
. In and , Merrill was at the double-A level with the Reading Phillies
Reading Phillies
The Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
, and returned to Eugene in and while that team was at the triple-A level. His playing career ended after the 1971 season due to a leg injury.
Managerial
Merrill's managerial record started in with the West Haven Yankees of the Eastern LeagueEastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
. He led the team to the best overall record in the league that season, and to a first-place finish in . When the Yankees moved their affiliation to the Nashville Sounds
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
team, Merrill moved as well, guiding the team to two more first-place finishes in and .
In and , Merrill managed the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
, winning the league championship in 1982. For the 1984 season
1984 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey...
, he jumped to the triple-A level, managing the Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
to another first-place finish.
Merrill joined the New York Yankees in as first-base coach for manager Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, but was recalled to Columbus in mid-season to again serve as that team's manager. He rejoined the major-league team in as a coach on Lou Piniella
Lou Piniella
Louis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...
's staff.
During the season, Merrill was sent to the Albany-Colonie Yankees, then the team's double-A affiliate in the Eastern League. He won the league title that season, and did so yet again in , guiding the Prince William Cannons
Potomac Nationals
The Potomac Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Nationals play in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, and are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.-History:...
to the Class A Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
championship.
In , Merrill began the season with Columbus before getting the call to take charge of the New York Yankees in June when Bucky Dent
Bucky Dent
Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...
was fired as manager. Stump spent the rest of that season and all of in New York. He was replaced by Buck Showalter
Buck Showalter
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American Major League Baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles. He has previously served in a similar capacity with the New York Yankees , Arizona Diamondbacks , and Texas Rangers...
prior to the 1992 season
1992 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Atlanta Braves ; Pat Borders, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Roberto Alomar*National League Championship Series MVP: John Smoltz...
and served that season as a roving minor-league instructor.
During and , Merrill once again managed the Columbus Clippers before spending as a special assignment scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
. In , Merrill guided the Clippers for a third time, winning the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
title, the Governor's Cup. Along the way, Merrill won his 1000th game as a manager on August 2, 1996. He remained with the Clippers for the and seasons before returning to New York.
In and , Merrill had a two-year stint as Special Assistant to the General Manager under Brian Cashman
Brian Cashman
Brian McGuire Cashman is an American Major League Baseball executive for the New York Yankees.-Early life:Cashman was born in Rockville Centre, New York and raised in Washingtonville, New York. He was raised in an Irish Catholic family. He moved with his family to Lexington, Kentucky, where his...
. He returned to the dugout in to manage the Yankees' double-A farm club, then the Norwich Navigators
Connecticut Defenders
The Connecticut Defenders were a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 season, when the Defenders relocated to Richmond,...
. When the Yankees changed affiliations after the 2002 season
2002 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - Anaheim Angels*Postseason - October 1 to October 27Click on any series score to link to that series' page....
, Merrill moved with the team once more, managing the Trenton Thunder
Trenton Thunder
The Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...
in and .
Stump returned to New York in and was once again named Special Assistant to the General Manager. He continues to hold that position as of the start of the 2006 season
2006 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*The 2006 World Baseball Classic final 4 teams are Japan, Cuba, Korea and the Dominican Republic, with the United States at 3–3 failing to qualify for the semi-finals. Under the leadership of manager Sadaharu Oh and veterans Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japan ...
.
Note: Year-by-year career details taken from Norwich Navigators media guide and game programs.
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career managerial record