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PCL1 Las Vegas Aviators

Las Vegas's Riordan Named Manager of the Year

August 27, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Las Vegas Aviators News Release


The Pacific Coast League announced Tuesday that Las Vegas Aviators manager Fran Riordan has been elected the Pacific Coast League's Manager of the Year. This is Riordan's first Manager of the Year award, and the Las Vegas franchise's third winner. Riordan joins Brad Mills (2002) and Wally Backman (2014) as the only Las Vegas skippers to win the award.

Riordan, who was tabbed the League's top manager through a vote of field managers, media representatives, broadcasters and team officials, has guided the Aviators to, at the time of print, a tie for the PCL's best record (80-53) and currently hold a 3.0 game lead in the Pacific Southern Division over the El Paso Chihuahuas.

The Virginia Beach, Va., native has recorded 18 seasons overall in professional baseball, and has been with the Oakland Athletics organization since 2015. As of August 26, Riordan has an overall managerial record of 1021-978 and a 152-121 record at the Triple-A level. Last year, in his first year managing at Triple-A, Riordan guided then Oakland affiliate Nashville Sounds to a 72-68 mark and a second-place finish in the American Southern Division to the eventual Triple-A Champion Memphis Redbirds.

Prior to managing Triple-A, Riordan guided Double-A Midland to a 67-71 record and the Texas League Championship in 2017 and served as skipper for Low-A Beloit of the Midwest League from 2015-16. Before joining the Oakland organization, Riordan spent 13 total seasons as either a manager or player/manager for four clubs; Dubois County, Richmond Roosters, Kalamazoo Kings and Florence Freedom. He led the Richmond team to back-to-back league championships in 2001 and 2002 and guided the Kalamazoo squad to a first-place league finish and championship in 2005. Riordan is the all-time wins leader in Frontier League history with 625 wins, and was a 2014 Frontier League Hall of Fame inductee.

Before coaching, Riordan enjoyed a seven-year career playing professional baseball in the Frontier League, including four seasons playing for Richmond (1997-98, 2001-02) two seasons with Dubois County (1999-2000) and North Shore (2003). He appeared in 501 career games and hit .281(525-for-1,869) with 95 doubles, 11 triples, 55 home runs and 349 RBI.

Riordan won a competitive Manager of the Year race. Eight other PCL skippers received votes including Round Rock's Mickey Story, who finished as runner-up to Riordan.

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