Nearly three decades after the Phillies traded away future a Hall of Famer in one of the more uneven deals in franchise history, Ryne Sandberg is coming back to the team that drafted him.
The Phillies have hired Sandberg to manager their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
"I see this as a tremendous opportunity for me," Sandberg said. "It's going back to the roots to where I learned to play the game as a minor leaguer. I feel like a young kid again, almost reliving the days of almost 35 years ago when I was drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round. I look at this as going to an organization that I definitely have ties to. I couldn't be happier about the situation."
Sandberg spent the last four seasons as a manager in the Chicago Cubs' minor league system. He was 284-277-1 with two first-place finishes.
In his only season managing in Triple-A, Sandberg was named Manager of the Year in the Pacific Coast League after leading the Iowa Cubs to a tie for the best record in the Northern Division (82-62).
Sandberg was a 10-time All-Star and won nine Gold Gloves during his 16-year career with the Cubs and Phillies.
He played 13 games with the Phillies in 1981, then was part of one of the most lopsided trades in Philadelphia history. Sandberg was traded along with Larry Bowa to the Cubs for shortstop Ivan DeJesus.
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Ryno is the second former Phillies second baseman to return to the franchise to coach. Just last week former Phillies All-Star infielder Juan Samuel -- who was likely ahead of Sandberg on the depth chart in the early 80s -- was hired as the team's MLB third-base coach.
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