Charlie Manuel signed with the Minnesota Twins for $20,000 prior to the 1963 season by-passing college in order to provide for the family after his father committed suicide. Charlie was a four-sport star (baseball, football, basketball and track) in high school and had scholarship opportunities after graduating but decided he needed to work to help support is family.
Manuel started his pro baseball career in 1963 near his home with the Wytheville (Virginia) Twins of the Appalachian League, hitting .358 with seven home runs in 58 games. Manuel worked his way through the Twins system and in the spring of 1969 under manager Billy Martin finally made the Minnesota Twins roster.
Manuel who was known as Chuck instead on Charlie in his playing days could not win a regular outfield position and suffered some injuries and in his four seasons on the Twins roster from 1969-1972 never appearing in more than 83 games. In 1973 Manuel spent the entire season with AAA Tacoma and after the season ended he and catcher Glenn Ezell were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jim Fairey and Mike Floyd.
Manuel appeared in just four games with the Dodgers in 1974 and 15 games in 1975 never starting any of them and after the 1975 season ended so did his big league career as a player as the age of 31. In parts of six big league seasons Manuel played in 242 games hitting just four home runs (all in a Twins uniform) and had a career batting mark of just .199.
Manuel’s career as a player in the major leagues was over but he was not done playing. It turned out that he was just beginning the best part of his playing career, not in the United States but in Japan. The Yakult Swallows of Tokyo signed Manuel and treated him as a star. Despite his concerns about playing baseball in Japan, between 1976-1981 Manuel played like a man possessed in Japan’s Central League, hitting .303 with 189 home runs and 491 RBIs for the Swallows and the Kintetsu Buffaloes. His .324 average, 37 home runs, and 94 RBIs for Kintetsu in 1979 earned him the league MVP, the first American player to be so honored. He followed up his MVP season by slugging 48 home runs for the Buffaloes in 1980, which long stood as a record for an American player in Japan. Manuel played for two pennant-winning teams in his six seasons in Japan. His power at the plate and his reddish hair earned Manuel the nickname Aki Ono (Red Devil) among the fans and players in Japan.
Manuel left baseball as a player after the 1981 season and signed on with the Minnesota Twins as a scout in 1982. Manuel missed being on the playing field and was named the manager of the Minnesota Twins Wisconsin Rapids team in 1983. Manuel then moved on to manage AA Orlando in 1984 and 1985 and the AAA Toledo and Portland in 1986 and 1987.
Manuel moved on to the Cleveland Indians in 1988 and served as a hitting coach for two seasons before again going back to the minors as a manager. Manuel took over as the Cleveland Indians skipper from 2000 thru July of 2002 at which point he was fired. Manuel had numerous health issues between 1990 and 2001 including two heart attacks, bypass surgery, diverticulitis, kidney cancer, and gall bladder removal surgery.
Manuel then moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies in a front office capacity and after the 2004 season the Phillies fired their manager Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel got the job. Manuel managed the Phillies from 2005 until mid 2013 when he again got the axe after winning exactly 1,000 games, two pennants and a World Championship (in 2008) for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Now Charlie Manuel is enjoying retirement in Florida.
Sporting News – April 5, 1969 – Chuck Manuel