Mobile's Turner Ward Named Southern League Manager Of The Year
Published on September 2, 2011 under Southern League (SL1) News Release
MARIETTA, GA - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs is pleased to announce that Mobile BayBears manager Turner Ward has been named its Manager of the Year as voted upon by the league's field managers, radio broadcasters and print media.
In his first year managing the BayBears, Ward led the team to capture the Southern League South Division title in the second half. With only four games left in the season, they are eleven games ahead of the division's second place team, Mississippi. The BayBears have been extremely successful this season with an impressive overall record of 82-54, which is a winning percentage of .603. Mobile's record this year is the best it has had since 1998, when Mike Ramsey led the BayBears to a Southern League Championship.
Ward was given a talented team this year, including Southern League MVP and All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, as well as All-Stars Ryan Wheeler (second base) and A.J. Pollock (outfield). This high level of talent was not lost on Ward, who was able to convert it into a well-rounded, consistently winning team. As a whole, the team leads the league with 697 runs, a .353 on-base percentage, and is second in hits (1245), RBI (637) and team batting average (.272). Besides leading the league in wins, Mobile also has the most saves (46) as well as the lowest WHIP (1.32) and runs allowed (596). The BayBears 1043 strikeouts are the second-most in the league. Ward led the team through two significant winning streaks, a seven game streak May 30-June 5, and an eleven game streak July 2-13.
Mobile native Turner Ward is the ninth manager in the history of the BayBears and the first from the Port City. He is the second BayBears manager to win Manager of the Year. This is Ward's third managerial position. He was at the helm of the Bradenton Pirates in 2006 and the State College Spikes in 2007, both Pittsburgh farmhands. The last three seasons, Ward has spent at home in Mobile as the BayBears hitting coach.
Ward spent 12 years in the major leagues after being drafted by the New York Yankees in 1986 as an 18th- round draft choice. He broke into the bigs as an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians before ending up with Toronto, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Philadelphia. He was also a part of the Blue Jays' back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and '93. He was a career .251 hitter in 626 big league contests after attending Satsuma High School and the University of South Alabama.
Southern League Stories from September 2, 2011
- Smokies Hold on for 3-2 Win in Birmingham - Knoxville Smokies
- Mississippi beats Carolina - Carolina Mudcats
- Smokies Ignite Barons, 3-2 - Birmingham Barons
- Lucas Blasts Braves to Fourth Straight Win - Mississippi Braves
- Stars' Bats Silent in 2-0 Loss to Mobile - Huntsville Stars
- BayBears Blank Stars to Even Series - Mobile BayBears
- Offense Stays Silent in 4th-Straight Defeat - Montgomery Biscuits
- Lookouts Cruise to 8-2 Victory over Biscuits - Chattanooga Lookouts
- Catricala Homers But Generals Fall to Suns Again - Jackson Generals
- Suns Defeat Generals 4-3 - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Dan Nelson and Billy Bullock to Gwinnett Andrew Wilson and Marcus Lemon to Mississippi - Mississippi Braves
- Turner Ward Wins Manager of the Year Award - Mobile BayBears
- Chen Rejoins Smokies Roster Friday - Knoxville Smokies
- Hand Recalled to the Major Leagues - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- RHP James to Nashville - Huntsville Stars
- Attalla Named Southern League Groundskeeper of the Year - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Mobile's Turner Ward Named Southern League Manager Of The Year - SL1
- Jackson Generals Notes Friday - Jackson Generals
- Southern League Announces End of Year Awards - SL1
- Smokies to Begin Playoffs Thursday, September 8 at Smokies Park - Knoxville Smokies
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