As a Player, Charlie Manuel Was 'The Red Ogre'

How good was Charlie Manuel as a hitter? 

Consider the following: Carl Yastrzemski was the last major leaguer to win a triple crown (leading his league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in). Yastrzemski accomplished this feat in 1967, 44 years ago.

That very same season, Charlie Manuel, a young prospect in the Minnesota Twins system, also won a triple crown, albeit, in the Midwest League.  Charlie duplicated Yastrzemski’s feat while playing with the Wisconsin Rapids. In 111 games, Manuel batted .313, with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs. 

Manuel also achieved success in 1968 with Charlotte in the Southern League, as he was named to the All-Star Team. However, Manuel’s major league career was put on hold shortly thereafter, when he tore up his knee. Keep in mind that back in those days, knee surgery often ended playing careers, as corrective surgery procedures were in their infancy. 

In the years that followed, Charlie had brief opportunities in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins in 1969 through 1972, and with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974 and ’75.  His two managers in the major leagues were Billy Martin, a volatile, often hostile figure and Walter Alston, a firm, but quiet commander.

In 1976, Charlie travelled to the Far East and began a legendary career in Japan.

Charlie Manuel’s Japanese debut was not a memorable one, as he struggled offensively and also was adversely affected by his knee injury. Charlie managed to hit only .243 that initial season with the Yakult Swallows, with just 11 home runs and 32 RBIs in 84 games. However, the Japanese were apparently far more advanced in the technique of knee surgery, and soon Charlie Manuel’s once promising career would be revitalized.

The year 1977 heralded the commencement of what is now a Japanese legend.  With a surgically repaired knee, Charlie Manuel, then 33-years old, finally exhibited the potential that scouts had predicted for him many moons earlier.  In an incredible year with the Yakult Swallows, in 114 games, Manuel batted .316, clobbered 42 homers and drove in 97 runs in a mere 358 at bats.

Displaying great plate discipline, Charlie drew 49 walks and only struck out on 60 occasions.  Old Charlie also managed to steal three bases on his healed knee. To show that was not a fluke, Charlie followed that feat with an even more impressive year in 1978, batting .312, with 39 home runs and 103 RBIs. 

In 1979, Charlie began a new chapter in Japanese folklore after signing on with the Kintetsu Buffaloes.  Charlie batted a robust .324, with 37 home runs and 94 RBIs in a mere 97 games!  In doing so, Manuel was named the 1979 MVP, becoming the first American to be so honored with that distinction. 

However, it was the following season with Kintetsu that placed Charlie amongst the elite players in Japanese baseball history. In 1980, Charlie batted .325, with 48 home runs (at the time an American record for Japanese baseball) and 129 RBIs in 118 games! 

Charlie was now a legend in the Land of the Rising Sun and was given the sobriquet, “Aka Oni,” which sort of translates into “Red Devil.” However, my understanding was that the nickname was affectionate, so I took the time to consult Daigo Fujiwara, an outstanding journalist and “Informational Graphic Artist” at the Boston Globe.  Mr. Fujiwara hails from Okazaki-Shi, Aichi, Japan and was gracious enough to inform me that “Aka Oni” more accurately translates into “Red Ogre,” a Japanese mythical creature.  So there, I guess ol’ Charlie was the first “Shrek.” 

In 1981, gravity, which catches up to all of us, began to sap Manuel’s productivity, and at the age of 37, Charlie, returning to Yakult, batted just .260, with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 81 games. 

At that point, Charlie’s now illustrious coaching and managing career ensued, a career which somehow led him to Philadelphia, where Charlie Manuel has doubtlessly become one of the most beloved sports figures in what is generally considered a very tough town. 

Charlie has now managed eight full seasons in the major leagues.  In the seasons that he’s been permitted to manage for the entire year, Charlie has five division titles and three second-place finishes. Can you name another manager who has done that? 

The mark of a true leader is what adjustments he or she makes as a campaign progresses. In the mythical “second-half” of his seasons in Philadelphia, that is, games after the All-Star break, Charlie has compiled a 268-171, .610 winning percentage. That, too, is unsurpassed. 

It says here that the Phillies recent run of success will continue only as long as Charlie “Aka Oni” Manuel is at the helm. We are blessed to have him.