Poldberg Moves On

FORMER NATURALS MANAGER BIDS FAREWELL TO TEAM

 FILE PHOTO 
Former Naturals manger Brian Poldberg’s mark on Northwest Arkansas will last for years to come after he was promoted to manager of Triple-A Omaha, Neb., within the Kansas City Royals farm system.

FILE PHOTO Former Naturals manger Brian Poldberg’s mark on Northwest Arkansas will last for years to come after he was promoted to manager of Triple-A Omaha, Neb., within the Kansas City Royals farm system.

Monday, December 9, 2013

— Brian Poldberg left big shoes to fill.

Poldberg was named Northwest Arkansas’ first manager after the team moved to Springdale in 2008, and earlier this month the Naturals’ parent-club, the Kansas City Royals, announced that the only manager Northwest Arkansas has ever known would become the new manager at Triple-A Omaha, Neb.

But Poldberg’s mark on the Naturals will last for many years to come. The 56-year-old leaves behind a record of success that would be hard to improve upon — playoft berths in his first four seasons (2008-11), Texas League North Division titles in back-to-back years (2009-10), and a Texas League Championship in 2010.

“There was a mixed reaction,” Poldberg said. “The last six years have been outstanding. Coming to a brand-new ballpark the first year, going to the playoffs the first four years, the championship game twice, everything was outstanding. The fan following was great.”

Indeed the skipper of 14 minor league seasons leaves behind a legacy at Arvest Ballpark, but a rare coincidence makes the new post a somewhat familiar one for both the outgoing and incoming Naturals manager. Former New York Mets and Detroit Tigers catcher Vance Wilson is the new Naturals manager.

“The good thing is that I get to go home,” said Poldberg, who lives in Carter Lake, Iowa— just miles away from Werner Park, the home of the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. “In ’91 I coached in Omaha, so in 31-plus years, I have only been home for one summer, so that was the big plus.”

Poldberg said that Wilson is a perfect fit for the Naturals. Wilson has lived in Springdale for almost two decades.

“I am happy for Vance,” Poldberg. “Vance is in the same camp that I am in. He gets to stay home with his family during the season, which is something that we don’t get to do a lot of. Your pass list is going to be a lot bigger.”

Managing in Omaha will also be different. Players are one step from the Royals, and there are more plane trips in the expansive Pacific Coast League. Every road trip in the Texas League is by bus.

“Going into a new place is going to be different,” Poldberg said. “Following (former Omaha manager Mike) Jirschele, they won it all last year and won the PCL two years ago, so I’m walking into a situation where they expect to win too, which is good. It’s going to be a new experience, it’s going to be fun.”

At the helm of the Naturals, the team was 424-412 in the regular season under Poldberg, with a record that stood 57 games over .500 (307-250) in his first four seasons that also included a decorated postseason resume.

But what Poldberg will remember best is the players that filtered through Springdale. Some are in the lineup in Kansas City while others are with other teams.

“This year we had the stories of Ed Lucas (Florida) and Cody Clark (Houston) making their Major League debuts, two grinders that just stayed with it and finally got to the big leagues,” Poldberg said. “They’re the guys that really stick out, but there were some other great guys. Anthony Seratelli is a guy that you’d hope gets a break like that. Then there’s the Hosmers, and the Moustakases, and there were some great, big name guys that came through there.”

The move to Omaha will mark the first time Poldberg has put on a Triple-A uniform in 23 years when he served as the team’s hitting coach. It will be almost the same uniform he wore in 1985 when he was a catcher, six years earlier, for the Omaha Royals.

“You’re dealing with older players,” Poldberg said. “Guys that have been up and down from the Big Leagues, and a lot of guys thinking they should be back in the Big Leagues. It’s tough sometimes because they just feel that they should be there, and so it’s dealing with egos.

“In Double-A you have younger guys, they’re hungry and they just want to get to the next level. They haven’t been there before, so it’s a little different atmosphere.”

In total, the 2014 campaign will be Poldberg’s 34th season in professional baseball. He was signed by the New York Yankees in 1980 and joined the Royals organization in 1983, where he played five seasons at Omaha. Poldberg has coached or managed eight Royals affliates and he spent three seasons on the Royals staff in Kansas City before moving to Arkansas.

“The other thing I am looking forward to is that I am going to be back with LC,” Poldberg said of reuniting with pitching coach Larry Carter, who was the Naturals pitching coach for five seasons.

Wilson will make his debut as the Naturals manager April 3 when they open the season at Frisco. The home opener is April 10.