Cinco de Mayo Birthday

Marlins manager Mike Redmond (seen last September at Citi Field) turns 44 today.
Ever noticed that a disproportionate number of managers are former catchers? Redmond, who spent 13 years as a backup with the Marlins, Twins and Indians, falls into that category. Does that mean he's a true student of the game, someone who always "saw the whole field" while playing?
There appears to be a disproportionate representation of catchers among current major league managers: Joe Girardi, Ned Yost, Mike Scioscia, Brad Ausmus, AJ Hinch, Bruce Bochy, Mike Matheny, Lloyd McClendon, Bob Melvin and Kevin Cash. That's 10 out of 30 -- a full one-third of the total! Add three more -- Jeff Bannister of the Rangers played just briefly in the majors... Joe Maddon was a minor league catcher and outfielder during the late '70s, and Fredi Gonzalez of the Braves was a minor league catcher before going into coaching. Our total is 13 -- nearly half of the current crop of managers have catching experience!!

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