Jack McKeon

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John Aloysius McKeon (born November 23, 1930 in South Amboy, New Jersey^[1]), nicknamed Trader Jack, was a manager in Major League Baseball, most recently for the Florida Marlins. When he retired after the 2005 season at age 74, he was the third oldest manager in major league history, behind only Connie Mack and Casey Stengel. He currently works in the Marlins' front office.

McKeon previously managed the Kansas City Royals from 1973 to 1975, the Oakland Athletics in 1977 and 1978, the San Diego Padres from 1988 to 1990, and the Cincinnati Reds from 1997 to 2000. From 1981 to 1990, he served as general manager of the Padres, forming the team which won the 1984 National League pennant.

McKeon was named National League Manager of the Year in 1999 and 2003. The latter award was a result of leading the Marlins, who had a record below .500 when he took the job as their manager during the season, to a World Series victory. On October 2, 2005, just after the Marlins won the last game of the 2005 season, McKeon announced that he would not be returning the following season. McKeon led the Marlins to three of the four winning seasons in franchise history, but there was a consensus within the organization that a managerial change was in order. Players complained that McKeon was too abrasive, and clubhouse tension mounted as the season soured.

As a manager, he won 1,011 games and lost 940, for a winning percentage of .518, over all or parts of 15 seasons. He is the only manager in Marlins history to date with a winning record for his tenure with the team (241-207, .538 in just under three seasons).

As a player, McKeon, a catcher, spent his entire career in the minor leagues. He managed in the farm system of the original Washington Senators franchise, and its successor, the Minnesota Twins, before joining the Royals in 1968 as skipper of their Class A High Point-Thomasville farm team. He led their AAA affiliate, the Omaha Royals of the American Association, from 1969 through 1972, and won two league championships.

McKeon is also the author of two books, Jack of All Trades and I'm Just Getting Started.

Recently, the Miami Herald reported that after attending a Florida Marlins game, McKeon has aspirations to return to managing baseball.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - managerial record