Wednesday, December 5, 2001
Lenn Sakata Lenn Sakata will move up a notch in the San Francisco Giants organization next season when he manages the Shreveport (La.) Swamp Dragons in the Class-AA Texas League.
climbing the
Giants’ ladder
The former major leaguer will
manage Double-A ShreveportBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comSakata managed the past three seasons in the Class-A California League.
He guided the San Jose Giants to the first and second half Northern Division titles this past summer. The Giants were leading the Bakersfield Blaze, two games to one in the semifinal round of the California League playoffs, when terrorists struck New York and Washington.
San Jose and the Lake Elsinore Storm were declared co-champions by California League president Joe Gagliardi.
In 2000 he managed Bakersfield, also a Giants farm team, to the second half title and the second-best overall record (80-60) in the California League.
Following the 2000 season, San Francisco's vice president of player personnel, Dick Tidrow, asked Sakata where he wanted to manage in 2001. He opted to stay in the California League for another year due to family considerations. But, this year he felt it was the right time to move.
"They wanted me to move up. It's a promotion. If you want to move up in the organization, you can't keep saying no," the 47-year-old Sakata said.
"As difficult as it might seem, I'd still like to see if I can manage in the big leagues. It's going to take some time, but this game keeps you young."
Sakata's efforts receive high marks from Jack Hiatt, San Francisco's director of player development.
"He's done a fantastic job for us, not only with the wins and losses, which has been unbelievable with the very young clubs we've given him, but he does the best he can with what we give him. He is a workaholic, shows up at the stadium at noon for a 7 p.m. game. His work ethics are beyond reproach, yet he is very laid back and the kids love him," Hiatt said.
"Lenny is the consummate professional. Players look forward to playing for him. They know they will get a lot of work, that he will tell them not always what they want to hear, but they are lucky to have him."
Sakata will have a number of players he has managed before at Shreveport, so they will know what to expect of him and he of them.
"We won't have to dance around at the beginning of the season, so that's a plus," Sakata said. "It's not a good hitters park and the humidity saps the players, so we'll have to do the little things to win."
The Texas League is historically a league with older players, but San Francisco does not sign many six-year free agents just to put a team on the field that will win.
"We were young at Shreveport last year and we'll be young again," said Hiatt.
"We're going to sink or swim with our own players. We're going to have a tough time. There will be some talent for the future there and there's no better person with patience to put them with than Lenny.
"He has a tremendous future with the San Francisco Giants. He is highly regarded and destined for bigger things with this organization. The whole organization, from top to bottom, is a Lenny Sakata fan."
Sakata spent 14 seasons, 10 in the major leagues with Milwaukee, Baltimore, Oakland and the New York Yankees, in pro baseball before entering the managerial ranks in the Anaheim Angels farm system, where he worked his way up to the Triple-A level.
Then, receiving an offer he couldn't refuse, he spent four years coaching in Japan before he returned to this country in 1998 and joined the Giants' organization.
A graduate of Kalani High School, he was the shortstop on the Falcons' 1970 state championship team, considered one of the best prep teams ever in Hawaii.