Missions Announce Local John Gibbons as Manager
Gibbons joins the San Diego Padres organization after spending the previous three seasons as the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals.
Gibbons began his coaching career in 1991 as a roving minor league instructor for the New York Mets. Overall he spent 12 seasons in the Mets organization (1991-2001) as an instructor, coach and manager.
His first managerial job was in 1995 with the Kingsport Mets, guiding the team to a 48-18 record and the Appalachian League championship. For his efforts, he was named the Appalachian League Manager of the Year. Gibbons managed seven years in the Mets system, making the playoffs four times and winning two championships (1995 and 1996 with St. Lucie of the Florida State League). He was also named the Eastern League Manager of the Year and the winner of the Casey Stengel Award as the Mets' Minor League Manager of the Year in 1998 with Double-A Binghamton.
He joined the Toronto Blue Jays on January 1, 2002 as the bullpen catcher before serving on their coaching staff as the first base coach on June 3 of that year, a position he held until being named manager on August 8, 2004. Gibbons remained in that role until June 20, 2008. He managed 610 games for Toronto, compiling a 305-305 career record, including an 87-75 campaign in 2006 and a second-place finish in the American League East. He is the third-winningest manager in Toronto history, trailing only Cito Gaston (894 wins) and Bobby Cox (335 wins).
Gibbons, a catcher, was the New York Mets first round selection (24th overall pick) of the 1980 First Year Player Draft out of San Antonio's MacArthur High School where he earned All-City and All-District honors. He appeared in 18 Major League games between 1984-86, all with the Mets, and hit .220 (11-for-50) with four doubles, one home run, two RBI and five runs scored.