Former Nashville Sounds player Jason Wood named manager
Mike Organ
Jason Wood was named the Nashville Sounds manager on Tuesday.
The announcement came from the Texas Rangers, the Sounds' new affiliate.
Wood, 49, played for the Sounds in 2000 and 2001 as part of his 18-year professional career. He is the second former Sound to return to manage the club, joining Marty Brown, who played from 1988-89 and managed from 2001-02.
As an infielder for the Sounds, Wood played in 201 games and hit .240 with 86 runs, 37 doubles, 15 home runs and 83 RBIs.
He played in 153 major league games with Oakland (1998), Detroit (1998-99) and Florida (2006-08).
Wood’s staff in Nashville will include hitting coach Howard Johnson, pitching coach Brian Shouse, bench coach Geno Petralli, bullpen coach Eric Gagne, athletic trainer Carlos Olivas and strength and conditioning coach Al Sandoval.
This will mark the fifth consecutive year Wood will manage at the Triple-A level.
He was Round Rock’s manager from 2015-18 and compiled a 280-283 (.497) record. He led the Express to the 2015 American Southern Division title and a berth in the 2015 Pacific Coast League championship.
Wood managed Double-A Frisco in 2014 and Advanced-A Myrtle Beach from 2011-13. He guided his team to the playoffs in each of those four seasons. In his managerial career, Wood has a 582-536 (.521) mark.
Johnson, 58, had a 14-year big league career and spent time with Detroit (1982-84), the New York Mets (1985-93), Colorado (1994) and the Chicago Cubs (1995). He was a National League All-Star in 1989 and 1991, when he led the National League in home runs (38) and RBIs (117).
Shouse, 50, played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues with Pittsburgh (1993), Boston (1998), Kansas City (2002), Texas (2003-06), Milwaukee (2006-08) and Tampa Bay (2009).
Petralli, 59, played parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues with Toronto (1982-84) and Texas (1985-93).
Gagne, 43, was the 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner. He played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2006), Texas (2007), Boston (2007) and Milwaukee (2008). He pitched in two games for the Sounds in 2008.
Olivas, 41, and Sandoval, 33, were at Round Rock last season.
The entire 2018 Nashville Sounds field staff led by manager Fran Riordan will be in Las Vegas, the new home for the Oakland Athletics’ Triple-A team.
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Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.