CLEVELAND | Manny Acta’s record didn’t overwhelm the Cleveland Indians. They looked much deeper than at his wins and losses - lots of losses.
Acta, fired as the Washington Nationals manager in July after 2 1/2 seasons, was hired Sunday by the Indians, who gave him a three-year contract with a club option for 2013. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The club will introduce the 40-year-old Acta - the Indians’ 40th manager - at a news conference Monday. He’s the first Cleveland manager hired from outside the organization since John McNamara in 1990.
The Indians chose Acta over two other known finalists: Class AAA manager Torey Lovullo and former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who may have eliminated himself from consideration when he arrived at a second interview earlier this week and admitted that he not done his homework on Cleveland or the American League and wasn’t sure he wanted the job.
Acta, on the other hand, wanted it badly.
After he was let go by the Nationals, Acta spent countless hours watching the Indians on TV. He studied their lineup, their strengths and weaknesses. He has worked with young players before, and now he’ll get a chance to turn a new group into winners.
“I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family,” Acta said in a statement. “I look forward to working with this talented group of young men who seem to possess a lot of energy and passion for their work. I believe we will grow together as a team, with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.”
Acta also interviewed for Houston’s opening and Astros general manager Ed Wade told television station KRIV and the team’s Web site that they offered him the job Saturday. Acta was drafted by the Astros and spent 16 years in their organization as a player and coach, but decided to accept Cleveland’s offer.
“We are very excited to have Manny Acta on board as our major league manager,” Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said in a statement. “After speaking with an impressive array of candidates, we feel that Manny is a very strong and experienced leader who possesses great energy and enthusiasm along with tremendous communication skills and a positive mindset that will command a presence in the dugout, clubhouse and with our fans.”
Acta, Lovullo and Valentine were the only candidates to have a second interview with the Indians, who did their initial interviews by phone. The club had planned to interview Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly and Los Angeles Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke this week.
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