Corey Wimberly

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Corey Wimberly
Infielder / Outfielder
Born: (1983-10-26) October 26, 1983 (age 38)
Jacksonville, Florida
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right

Corey Leshaad Wimberly (born October 26, 1983) is an American manager in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) for the Boston Red Sox organization, and a former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. Entering the 2018 season, Wimberly was one of only nine African American managers, across the 160 teams of MiLB.[1]

Wimberly spent 10 seasons playing in the minors, including four seasons at the Triple-A level, before retiring after the 2016 season. Listed at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg), he was a switch hitter and threw right-handed.

Playing career[]

Amateur[]

Wimberly attended Alcorn State University in Mississippi, where he played college baseball for the Braves. As a freshman in 2004, Wimberly earned multiple honors: Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, SWAC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, First-Team All-Conference, and Second-Team All-Blackcollegebaseball.com.[2] After batting .420 in 42 games in 2004, he hit .462 in 38 games in 2005.[3]

Professional[]

Wimberly was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round of the 2005 MLB Draft; he signed with the Rockies, receiving a signing bonus of $145,000.[3] Wimberly played in the Rockies' farm system from 2005 through 2008, reaching as high as Double-A. In February 2009, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Matt Murton. With Oakland, Wimberly spent most of 2009 in Double-A, batting .296 in 70 games, and all of 2010 in Triple-A, batting .284 in 135 games.

In December 2010, Wimberly was traded to the Indianapolis Indians, Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Indianapolis during the 2011 season, he hit .238 in 56 games, spending three stints on the disabled list. In November 2011, he elected to become a free agent. In December 2011, Wimberly signed with the New York Mets and was assigned to their Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons. In 39 games with Buffalo he hit .301, while spending nearly two months on the disabled list. In November 2012, he again elected to become a free agent.

In April 2013, Wimberly joined the Gwinnett Braves, Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, where he hit .234 in 25 games. The Braves released him at the end of May. In June, he joined the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. He hit .260 in 59 games for Pensacola. In November 2013, he again elected to become a free agent. In December 2013, Wimberly signed with the Minnesota Twins, and was assigned to the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats. During the 2014 season, he hit .252 in 72 games for New Britain, and additionally played in several Gulf Coast League games while rehabilitating from an injury.

Overall, in 10 minor league seasons, Wimberly batted .289 with 12 home runs and 253 RBIs in 820 games. He played games at all infield positions except first base, and at all outfield positions. He stole 50 or more bases in a season three times, including 59 with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers in 2008.[4]

Wimberly finished his playing career with Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, batting .340 and .338, respectively.

Post-playing career[]

Following his playing career, Wimberly joined the Boston Red Sox organization in 2017 as assistant manager for the Class A Greenville Drive.[5] In January 2018, Wimberly was named manager of Boston's Class A Short Season affiliate, the Lowell Spinners;[4] the team finished the season with a record of 37–38.[6] In January 2019, Wimberly was promoted to manager of Boston's Class A-Advanced affiliate, the Salem Red Sox;[7] they went on to compile a 67–70 record.[8] He was named to return to Salem in 2020,[9] but the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] In January 2021, Wimberly was promoted to manager of Boston's Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ Dorsey, David (March 21, 2018). "Of 160 minor league managing jobs, nine belong to African Americans". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  2. ^ McClean, Tony (April 29, 2005). "College Baseball's "Secret Weapon": Alcorn State's Corey Wimberly". blackathlete.net. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Corey Wimberly". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Lowell Spinners hire new manager, Corey Wimberly". The Eagle-Tribune. North Andover, Massachusetts. January 9, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  5. ^ McNair, Rick (January 11, 2018). "Red Sox minor league organizational changes announced". bosoxinjection.com. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  6. ^ "2018 New York-Penn League Final Standings". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "Red Sox Announce Personnel Moves in Player Development and Minor League Field Staffs". MiLB.com. January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  8. ^ "2019 Salem Red Sox". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "Red Sox announce personnel moves in player development and Minor League field staffs". mlb.com (Press release). Boston Red Sox. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Adler, David (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "Red Sox announce personnel moves in player development and Minor League field staffs". MLB.com (Press release). Boston Red Sox. January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Preceded by
Iggy Suarez
 Lowell Spinners manager
2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Salem Red Sox manager
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Portland Sea Dogs manager
2021–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""