| Tom Runnells | |
|---|---|
_-_Chattanooga_Lookouts_-_1988.jpg) Runnells in 1988 | |
| Shortstop /Second baseman /Manager | |
| Born: (1955-04-17)April 17, 1955 (age 70) Greeley, Colorado, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 10, 1985, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 6, 1986, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .174 |
| Hits | 8 |
| Managerial record | 68–81 |
| Winning % | .456 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager As coach | |
Thomas William Runnells (born April 17, 1955) is an American formerinfielder,coach and manager inMajor League Baseball (MLB).
Runnells attended theUniversity of Northern Colorado and originally signed with theSan Francisco Giants. He played parts of two seasons (1985–86) with theCincinnati Reds, appearing in 40 games andbatting .174 in 46at bats without ahome run orrun batted in. He was aswitch hitter who threw right-handed. Runnells began his managerial career with Cincinnati's AAEastern League affiliate, theVermont Reds, in1987. In1989, hisIndianapolis Indians won theAmerican Association championship and the "AAA Classic", earning him a promotion to a coaching position with the parentMontreal Expos.
On June 2,1991, he was promoted again to manager of the Expos, who were lodged in last place in theNational League East Division after 49 games.[1] His time as Expos manager was short but tumultuous. Succeeding the very popularBuck Rodgers, he had trouble establishing his credibility with the media and the team. He was General ManagerDave Dombrowski's hand-picked man but failed to replicate his minor league success as the Expos finished the1991 season in last place for the first time since1976.
He then proceeded to try to shake up the team through various moves. Most notably, he shifted three-timeGold Glove winnerTim Wallach from third base to first base in order to clear a spot in the lineup for recently promoted prospectBret Barberie. Although Runnells was harshly criticized for moving the popular Wallach, the move appeared to make some sense at the time. Barberie had seen time at all four infield positions while in the minors. However, he was blocked from second base (his best position) byDelino DeShields, didn't have the range to play shortstop, and wasn't physically capable of playing first base. Wallach was 33 years old and his best years appeared to be behind him, so it appeared logical to ease the transition by moving him to first and putting Barberie at third. However, both players got off to sluggish starts in April.[2]
With a career major league managing record of 68-81 (.456), Runnells then returned tominor league baseball, managing in thefarm systems of theDetroit Tigers and theColorado Rockies. In the spring of 1995, Runnells managed the Tigersreplacement players inspring training during the1994–95 Major League Baseball strike.[3]
On May 29, 2009. Runnells was promoted toBench Coach of theColorado Rockies whenmanagerClint Hurdle was fired and bench coachJim Tracy replaced him. He retired from the Rockies after the 2016 season.
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| MON | 1991 | 51 | 61 | .455 | 6th in NL East | - | - | - | - |
| MON | 1992 | 17 | 20 | .459 | 2nd in NL East | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 68 | 81 | .456 | - | - | - | - | ||
· Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Tulsa Drillers Manager 2004–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colorado Springs Sky SoxManager 2006–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colorado RockiesBench Coach 2009–2016 | Succeeded by |