Salem Red Sox Media Day this week offered the opportunity to meet the players as well as the new skipper of the Sox for 2019.
At first sight, more than one of the media gurus chowing down with the team at Mac and Bob’s in downtown Salem asked aloud, “Is that the new manager? He looks as young as many of the players.”
The observations were on target as Corey Wimberly, 35, strolled through talking to everyone.
Wimberly takes over this season for former Salem skipper Joe Oliver, who was promoted this year to Double-A Portland. Wimberly, who managed at low-A Lowell last season, had a pro career as both an infielder and outfielder in the Athletics and Pirates organization before wrapping up his playing career two years ago in the Mexican Winter League. He was drafted in 2005 by the Colorado Rockies, and at 5’8″ was known for his speed throughout his 12 years of playing at the pro-level, amassing over 400 stolen bases along the way.
Wimberly is ready to get the season going, as Salem opened the 2019 campaign Thursday night in the first of a 7-game road trip before returning to Salem for the Haley Toyota Field home opener next Thursday, April 11th.
“I’m excited about what we have,” Wimberly said of his new squad. “I think we’ve got a pretty good ball club. You’re going to see an exciting team.”
The Salem Sox players are looking at Wimberly as a player’s manager, especially with his youth. The skipper is embracing the opportunity.
“I definitely want the players to have fun. I try to keep a good vibe in the clubhouse, but when it’s game time, I’m down to business.”
As his playing career came to an end, Wimberly had managerial aspirations on his radar.
“About half-way through my playing career I started to actually think the game through a little bit more to understand the manager,” Wimberly noted. “I was managing in my head.”
Now, the Red Sox are ready to get started.
“At this point, everybody can play baseball,” the Florida native pointed out.
Salem’s first home stand will include four straight against the Frederick Keys April 11-14, followed by three games against the Down East Wood Ducks April 15-17.
In other Sox news announced this week, ten Saturday games will be televised live by WSLS-TV Channel 10 locally on their MeTV channel. The games will begin at 6:05 PM, with the exception of the 3:05 PM start on July 6th. The first Saturday broadcast is on April 13th.
“We are incredibly excited to launch this historic broadcast partnership with the Salem Red Sox,” WSLS Vice President and General Manager Jaimie Leon announced in a release. “The team is a vital part off the local community and we trust our viewers will appreciate being able to watch these games over the air for the first time.”
The opportunity for live broadcasts began in 2017 when the new video board was installed in right field. With a new HD encoder recently added, the team was ready to pursue a local broadcast partner.
Bill Turner
