Kevin Boles Named PawSox Manager for 2014
The Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox are pleased to announce that Kevin Boles has been named as the new PawSox manager for the 2014 season. Additionally, the clubs today announced that Bruce Crabbe has been added to the Pawtucket coaching staff joining pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who will return for his seventh season with the PawSox, and hitting coach Dave Joppie, who is back for his second year.
The 38-year-old Boles has been the manager of the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs each of the past three seasons. The 2011-2013 seasons marked his first at the Double-A level after he spent the first 10 years of his managerial career at either the Rookie or Single-A level with the Marlins, Royals, Twins, and Red Sox organizations. Overall in 13 years as a minor league manager, Boles has compiled a 797-786 career record.
Boles becomes the fifth PawSox manager in the last six years following Ron Johnson (2005-09), Torey Lovullo (2010), Arnie Beyeler (2011-12), and Gary DiSarcina (2013). Those four were all promoted to big league coaching staffs' directly from the PawSox as Johnson became Boston's 1B coach in 2010, Lovullo was Toronto's 1B coach in 2011 and then Boston's bench coach in 2013, Beyeler was Boston's 1B coach last season, and DiSarcina took the Los Angeles Angels 3B coaching job this off-season.
Under Boles the 2013 Portland club finished 68-73 and in 4th-place in the Eastern League East Division. It marked the second straight year that the Sea Dogs had a 68-73 record. Last season Boles managed three players who made an impact on the World Champion Boston Red Sox as INF Xander Bogaerts, LHP Drake Britton, and RHP Brandon Workman all began the year in Portland. Other Sea Dogs who played for Boles last season included several of the Red Sox organization's top prospects such as: pitchers Matt Barnes, Henry Owens, and Anthony Ranaudo; catcher Christian Vazquez; and infielders Garin Cecchini & Deven Marrero.
Kevin was born in Chicago, IL, went to high school in Sarasota, FL and played college baseball at the University of South Florida where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. He now resides in Northport, Washington.
A catcher, Boles was selected in the 42nd round of the 1998 June draft by the Chicago Cubs and played one season of pro ball for the Williamsport Cubs of the New York-Penn League (short-A) in 1998. He began his managerial career in the Marlins' system in 2000 at the age of 25 when he led the Marlins Gulf Coast League rookie team. In 2001 he skippered Florida's Short-A Utica team in the NY-Penn League.
He was hired by the Royals' organization in 2002 as a coach with the Gulf Coast Royals and then as manager of the Royals Arizona League rookie team in 2003. From 2004-2007 he was a manger in the Minnesota Twins' system spending four years in Single-A with three different clubs.
Kevin joined the Red Sox organization in 2008 and managed the Greenville Drive (A) in both 2008 & 2009 taking his 2009 club to the South Atlantic League finals before losing to Lakewood. In 2010, he was promoted to the Salem Red Sox (high-A) where he guided that club to a 73-65 record.
He made his Double-A debut in 2011 with Portland and was the Sea Dogs skipper each of the past three seasons. Among the players to come through Portland under his leadership in 2011 and 2012 were: Ryan Lavarnway, Will Middlebrooks, Felix Doubront, Junichi Tazawa, Alex Wilson (all in 2011), Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Jr., Bryce Brentz, Dan Butler, Drake Britton, and Brandon Workman (in 2012).
Boles spent the 2011 off-season managing the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League. He owns a career minor league record of 797-786 in 13-years. Kevin, who is currently a coach with Margarita in the Venezuelan Winter League, is the son of former Florida Marlins manager John Boles who led the Marlins in 1996 and again from 1999-2001.
Bruce Crabbe, 51, has been the manager of the Lowell Spinners (Boston's short-A affiliate) for the past two seasons and for three of the last four years. In between, he spent the 2011 season as skipper of the Salem Red Sox (high-A). Ironically, he also managed Lowell in 2006 before being succeeded by former PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina from 2007-2009. Crabbe then took over from DiSarcina in 2010.
Bruce has been in the Red Sox organization for the past nine years. His tenure with the Red Sox began in 2005 when he was the hitting coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks (A). He managed Lowell, led by pitchers Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon, for one season in 2006 while also taking on the role of Boston's minor league infield coordinator. From 2007-2009 he assumed infield coordinating duties exclusively.
He returned to the managerial ranks with Lowell in 2010 and then moved to Salem (high-A) in 2011 where he skippered notables such as Bryce Brentz, Dan Butler, Drake Britton, Chris Martin, Anthony Ranaudo, and Junichi Tazawa. For the past two seasons he's been back in Lowell where he led the Spinners to a 40-33 mark last season good for 2nd-place in the NY-Penn League Stedler Division.
Crabbe grew up in Orlando, FL and was a standout third baseman at the University of Florida where he was an All-American in 1984. He was drafted three different times between 1981-83 but decided to finish college instead, and following his graduation in 1984, was selected by the Chicago Cubs. He played in the Cubs, Braves, and Blue Jays systems and eventually reached Triple-A with the Richmond Braves in 1990 & '91 and the Syracuse Chiefs in 1992. He retired after that season, at the age of 30, and began managing in 1994 for the Butte Copper Kings (owned by MLB at the time).
From 1995-97, Bruce was a coach and the director of player development for the Colorado Silver Bullets, a professional women's baseball team. He returned to Minor League Baseball as a manager, infield instructor, and batting coach in the Texas Rangers system from 1998 to 2004. He was named Appalachian League Manager of the Year in 1999 after leading the Pulaski Rangers (Rookie League) to a 48-21 record. Crabbe reached the Triple-A level full-time from 2002-04 as the hitting and infield coach for the Oklahoma RedHawks of the Pacific Coast League.