Manny Acta

Manny Acta
Acta in May 2010.
Cleveland Indians – No. 11
Manager
Born: January 11, 1969 (1969-01-11) San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 2, 2007 for the Washington Nationals
Career statistics
Games	410
Win–Loss Record	158–252
Winning %	.385
Teams
Washington Nationals (2007–2009) Cleveland Indians (2010–present)

Manuel Elias Acta (born January 11, 1969, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball manager for the Cleveland Indians. He is the former manager of the Washington Nationals (2007–2009). In the Dominican Winter League, he managed the Tigres del Licey from 2002–2004, including leading them to victory at the 2003 Caribbean Series. Acta managed the Dominican Republic team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Playing career

Houston Astros

Acta was signed by the Houston Astros at age 17 as a first baseman. He reached Double-A as a backup first baseman and an outfielder at age 20. Acta played baseball professionally for six seasons, all in the Astros' system, but never reached the major leagues as a player. The Astros organization would eventually send him to scouting school in Florida to utilize his analytical skills rather than his athletic talent.

Coaching career

Minor Leagues

In 1991, Acta became a player-coach at the A level, and soon after that quit his playing career and focused solely on coaching. He became the manager of an A-level team in 1993, and he managed in the minors through 2000. He led the Kissimmee Cobras to a Florida State League championship in 1999.

Montreal Expos

Acta was hired as the third base coach for the Montreal Expos under Frank Robinson in 2002, and held that position through 2005.

New York Mets

After failed interviews for managerial positions with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, Acta was hired as the third base coach for the New York Mets under Willie Randolph. He held this position for two years.

Washington Nationals

Acta as manager of the Washington Nationals in 2007.

Acta was hired as manager of the Washington Nationals on November 14, 2006, returning to the franchise that gave him his first major league job (the Nationals were the Expos prior to its relocation following the 2004 season). Acta received the job for his youth and enthusiasm, as well as knowing a few of the Nationals players from his third base coaching job with the Expos. In his first season with the Nationals, Acta did a credible job managing the team that was projected to be one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. He is one of the few managers who is aware of and employs sabermetric ideas and concepts, similar to those used by A's GM Billy Beane and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. With his team beset by many injuries, Acta maintained a positive influence on his young Nationals. In his first year with the Nationals he earned votes for NL Manager of the Year, coming in sixth in that contest.

On July 12, 2009, Acta reported to ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas that he had been fired as Nationals manager following a 5–0 loss to the Houston Astros. The Nationals announced on their website on July 13 that an announcement concerning the dismissal was forthcoming, which served as a confirmation of the firing. Nationals bench coach Jim Riggleman assumed the position as interim manager for the remainder of the season.

Cleveland Indians

On October 25, 2009, the Cleveland Indians announced that they had hired Acta as their manager, signing him to a 3-year contract with an option for an additional year. The team struggled in his first year, barely improving from their 2009 campaign at 69–93. In his 2nd season, the Indians improved by 11 games to 80–82 after starting out the season 30–15. The Indians remained in first place until the All Star break when they eventually succumbed to the Detroit Tigers. On September 29, the Indians announced they have picked up Acta's option for the 2013 season.

Personal life

The fatal plane crash on October 11, 2006, that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his pilot crashed into Acta's apartment building in New York while he was still coaching for the Mets. Acta wasn't there at the time because he had gone to Shea Stadium to prepare for that night's Game 1 of the NLCS between his Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals. The game would end up being rained out.

Acta is also involved in helping the community. His ImpACTA Kids Foundation (www.impactakids.org) has raised a significant amount of awareness and donations in providing children with the opportunities to achieve their dreams. As of 2010, the ImpACTA Kids Foundation has awarded $5,000 in college scholarships in the United States and neared completion of an athletic/education youth complex in Consuelo, Dominican Republic.

References

• Manny Acta profile provided by mwlguide.com
• Column by Tim Brown provided by Yahoo! Sports

Sporting positions
Preceded by Steve Dillard	Auburn Astros Manager 1993–1995	Succeeded by last Auburn Astros Manager
Preceded by first Auburn Doubledays Manager	Auburn Doubledays Manager 1996	Succeeded by Mike Rojas
Preceded by Jim Pankovits	Quad City River Bandits 1997	Succeeded by Mike Rojas
Preceded by John Tamargo	Kissimmee Cobras Manager 1998–2001	Succeeded by last Kissimmee Cobras Manager
Preceded by Jeff Cox	Montreal Expos Third Base Coach 2002–2004	Succeeded by last Montreal Expos Third Base Coach
Preceded by Matt Galante	New York Mets Third Base Coach 2005–2006	Succeeded by Sandy Alomar, Sr.
Preceded by Frank Robinson	Washington Nationals Manager 2007-2009	Succeeded by Jim Riggleman
Preceded by Eric Wedge	Cleveland Indians Manager 2010–present	Succeeded by incumbent