Former Pelicans manager Rocket Wheeler moves to Double A
It will be hard for Ralph "Rocket" Wheeler to top the experience of managing in his hometown.
He won't have that opportunity in 2011, but he has gladly accepted a promotion as consolation.
As an employee of the Atlanta Braves, the 25-year Pawleys Island resident can't manage the high Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans for a sixth consecutive season because the Pelicans are now an affiliate of the Texas Rangers, who were purchased in August by a group headed by Pelicans owner Chuck Greenberg.
Wheeler has been rewarded by the Braves for the work he did in Myrtle Beach. He will be managing the Double-A Mississippi Braves in Pearl, Miss., which is outside of Jackson.
"It's a promotion up, it's going to be a new challenge, and I'm looking forward to that new challenge," Wheeler said.
The move to the Double-A Southern League brings Wheeler within two promotions of the major leagues. Only the Triple-A Gwinnett (Ga.) Braves stand between Wheeler and Atlanta in the Braves' five-level minor league system.
Wheeler coached in the Southern League in 2001-02 for the Tennessee Smokies when he was employed by the Toronto Blue Jays organization. While the Carolina League plays with designated hitters, pitchers hit in the Southern League, so Wheeler will have more decisions to make.
"It's a chance to double switch and do all the things with the pitcher," he said. "It's a chance to manage the game more. I'm looking forward to that challenge."
Wheeler, 54, is entering his 33rd season as a professional baseball player, coach or manager. He was with the Blue Jays organization for 26 years and managed the low-A Rome Braves for three years before taking over the Pelicans in 2006.
He's one of only three Pelicans managers since the team's inaugural season in 1999, joining Brian Snitker and Randy Ingle. Of all the places he's coached, including Canada and the Caribbean, his favorite home field was BB&T Coastal Field.
"I'm very fortunate, and I've been fortunate because I got to manage in my home base and that doesn't happen very much in our game," Wheeler said. "The fans here have been great and supportive of the ball team. Since Chuck came in and bought the club, we've had a great relationship and I still have a great relationship with him. [Pelicans general manager] Scott Brown and before him North Johnson, we've all had good relationships.
"Am I going to miss them? Sure I'm going to miss them. It's time to move on and sometimes you have to do that. I'm with the Braves and you have to move on with the Braves."
Though the Pelicans have struggled in terms of wins and losses in the past two seasons, they had the best record in all minor league baseball in 2008 and lost in the Carolina League championship series.
Major leaguers who were played for Wheeler in Myrtle Beach include Elvis Andrus, Tyler Flowers, Jason Heyward, Craig Kimbrel, Freddie Freeman and Jordan Schafer.
"Rocket did a terrific job," Greenberg said. "He is such a dedicated professional; always upbeat. Sometimes he had a stronger pool of players to work with than others, but his dedication and commitment was first class at all times."
Wheeler said he signed two-year contracts with the Braves in 2005-06 and 2007-08, and has been on one-year extensions in each of the past two seasons. Contracts run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, so if the Rangers were interested in keeping Wheeler in Myrtle Beach, they would have had to ask the Braves for permission to speak to him about switching affiliations.
"Those decisions would have been made by the player development staff with the Rangers, but I certainly told them how highly I thought of Rocket and how good a representative he has been for the Braves," Greenberg said. "But I also knew he had a shot at a promotion. The combination of him being under contract and having a chance at a promotion made any chance of keeping him quite a long shot."
In Mississippi, Wheeler will be working with hitting coach Gary Ingram, pitching coach Mike Alvarez, who finished the 2008 season in Myrtle Beach, and trainer Ricky Alcantara, who was with the Pelicans in 2006.
As for Wheeler's 2010 staff in Myrtle Beach, four-year Pelicans hitting coach Rick Albert is headed to the Braves' rookie ball team in the Gulf Coast League and pitching coach Kent Willis was released by the Braves. Wheeler also worked for several years with trainer Chas Miller. "They have been great people to work with and made my job easier," Wheeler said.
Wheeler also had the pleasure of working with his son, Marty "Missile" Wheeler, for the past five years. Missile, the custodial engineer at Waccamaw Intermediate School, has served as the Pelicans' bullpen catcher. He, sister Katie, who is a junior at South Carolina, and Wheeler's girlfriend Tonya Morton will likely attend some games in Mississippi, as early as opening weekend.
"Missile will catch in the bullpen for me whenever he visits," Wheeler said. "I'll put him to work for me up there. When the Rangers come in [to Myrtle Beach], he may work some up there at the ballpark if they need him."
Though Wheeler is returning to the ritual of living out of a suitcase rather than his home from March through September, he's appreciative to be invited to spring training for a 33rd consecutive year.
"I'm happy to be in baseball," Wheeler said. "It's a great game, a great sport. And what we do to get these kids ready for the next level, it's a challenge to us."
Greenberg said he expects the Rangers to name the Pelicans coaching staff by the end of next week.
This story was originally published November 25, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Former Pelicans manager Rocket Wheeler moves to Double A."