Milestone for Pedrique: R-Phils Skipper Reflects on Path to 1,000 Wins

(Reading, PA) - After nearly 45 years in the game of professional baseball, Reading Manager Al Pedrique has come a long way from being just a kid growing up in Venezuela.

On August 13th, the Reading Fightin Phils defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to grant Pedrique his 1,000th Minor/Major League managerial career win.

This accomplishment was another mark of the great career Pedrique has had. Though Pedrique was quick to recognize he could not have done this without the people around him.

“I didn’t do this by myself,” Pedrique said. “You need a lot of good people around you to reach this kind of milestone. I am proud of not only myself but the people that work with me to get to this point. Those are the people who motivate you to come to the ballpark and give it your best.”

Perique's career as a coach started in 1995 soon after retiring as a player. Pedrique received a call from the Kansas City Royals front office asking if he would be the manager of the short-season-A Spokane Indians. Pedrique was taken back by the offer, having no prior coaching experience on his resume.

Pedrique at first dismissed the idea of initially managing the team, claiming he thought he should be a position coach first to get some experience. After some persuasion, the organization put its faith in Pedrique from the beginning, and you can say the rest is history.

Pedrique's luxurious career has spanned between many major league organizations throughout the last 28 years. His tenures include stops in the Diamondbacks, Astros, Royals, Yankees, Athletics, Marlins and now the Phillies systems. This includes a short stint as the interim manager for the Diamondbacks at the end of the 2004 season.

Pedrique has been a staple in minor league baseball throughout his career. Pedrique has coached for teams in the area such as the Trenton Thunder and most notably the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, which he won a Triple-A championship with in 2016. Not only has the R-Phils skipper spent many years coaching in the minor leagues, but found himself in the steps of many of the players he coaches today

Pedrique spent most of his professional playing career in the minors. The New York Mets signed Pedrique at just 17-years old from Venezuela in 1978. It would take almost 10 years for Pedrique to reach his dreams of playing in the big leagues.

When asked what thing he is most proud of throughout his managerial career, it was not the wins or championships that Pedrique alluded to first. It was seeing the players that he cares so much about reaching their dreams that he once saw himself chasing.

“I am most proud when I see a player that makes it to the major leagues,” Pedrique said. “Once you see the players get to the majors and be successful, as a coach that is a present.”

In the many different organizations that Pedrique played and coached for, there was a star studded lineup of managers that Pedrique learned from that helped him to get to where he is today. That list includes Jim Leyland, Sparky Anderson, Bob Schaefer, Matt Galante and more.

Pedrique notes that one of the biggest influences in his life, next to his father, was Jose Tartabull. Tartabull was Pedrique's first hitting coach in the Royals organization in 1995.

With the amount of time that the coaching staff and players spend with each other, it is almost impossible not to build personal relations with each other. In some cases, it can play a factor when having to make discussions that could affect the players careers.

“[Tartabull]'s first advice was to remember you cannot make decisions with your heart,” Pedrique said. "We spend so many hours with these kids that we become parents, best friends. You have to learn how to separate that relationship when it comes to making tough decisions to send a kid down, release a kid or give them the great news that they are moving up.”

Though the numbers speak for themselves, Pedrique has been widely praised by players and coaches as being a pivotal influence on their development. Current Colorado Rockies hitting coach and former staff member P.J. Pilittere has credited Pedrique’s ability to build a clubhouse and culture in every organization he has been in. As he told Paul Franklin from The Times of Trenton in 2015.

“He’s mellow, a happy-go-lucky guy, but at the same time he can tighten up a clubhouse when it needs to be tightened up,” Pilittere said. “He commands respect. The players know he cares about them. He’s a delight to work for and the players love playing for him.”

Pedrique has been a mentor himself to the many players he has managed, including Aaron Judge and most recently Johan Rojas. Current R-Phils player Madison Stokes has stated the great relationship that he has built with Pedrique during the 2023 season. Much like Pedrique, Stokes is a very versatile player who can play just about any position on the diamond. Having Pedrique as a mentor has been vital to his success in Reading.

“He’s been great this year working with me at different positions,” Stokes said. “He’s got great knowledge of the game, great experience so it has been fun to play for him and pick his brain at different positions.”

This also extends down to the members of his coaching staff. Pedrique feels the responsibility not only to teach his players, but the other coaches around. He credits them for challenging him every single day at the ballpark. A challenge he has loved taking on.

“When I started, I had good people that had the passion and willingness to help me and share their knowledge,” Pedrique said. “That’s what I am doing now. You have to make people better. Not only the players, but the coaches. When you talk to people, you want to be a good influence and bring a positive attitude on a daily basis.”

This kind of culture seems to be a theme throughout the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Throughout the season, there has been a constant rotation of new players coming in and out of the R-Phils clubhouse.

This could cause a team to have difficulties gaining chemistry with one another on and off the field. Pedrique and his staff have created a welcoming environment so these new players can feel at home before they even step on the field. Pedrique attributes this culture to the Phillies staff and second year manager of the Phillies Rob Thomson to the success.

"I'm having a blast," Pedrique said on working in the Phillies organization. "They have treated me with respect and given me the opportunity to work with the players and bring my experience and knowledge into the organization. They trust me and that makes me feel good."

Pedrique and the Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday August 29 through Sunday, September 10 for a 12-game homestand to conclude the 2023 home schedule. Tickets to all games are available and can be purchased at rphils.com/tickets, by calling 610-370-BALL or in person at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.

The 2023 R-Phils season is presented by Pepsi. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter @ReadingFightins, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram @Fightins.