Top Cat Change for Sactown in 2003
River Cats' new manager Tony DeFrancesco keeps rising through the A's ranks.

There's a new top cat in town.

The Sacramento River Cats have announced that Tony DeFrancesco will be their field manager for the 2003 season.

"This is the No. 1 managerial job in Minor League Baseball, and I am very excited to get started," DeFrancesco said. "I have heard wonderful things about the fans in Sacramento, as well as Raley Field and the River Cats front office. My family and I are anxious to meet all of the great River Cats fans, and to become a part of the Sacramento community."

DeFrancesco, 39, becomes only the second manager to lead the River Cats since they relocated to Sacramento for the 2000 season.

He replaces former skipper Bob Geren, who will join the Oakland Athletics' major league coaching staff in 2003. Geren led Sacramento to a 231-201 mark and two Pacific Coast League South Division Championships (2000 & 2001) during his tenure.

The upcoming season will mark DeFrancesco's 10th as a manager in the Oakland A's organization. He joins the River Cats after four seasons as the manager of the Midland Rockhounds, Oakland's Double-A affiliate that went 75-64 last season in the Texas League.

During his tenure in Midland, DeFrancesco won a combined 290 games and improved his lifetime managerial record to 522-524 (nine seasons).

"Tony is the perfect fit for the River Cats franchise," River Cats Senior Vice President & General Manager Gary Arthur said. "He has great appreciation and knowledge of the game of baseball, and he will be a wonderful ambassador in the community. Additionally, he knows the ins and outs of each of the great young players we will have in Sacramento next season, including four talented starting pitchers he managed in Midland last season."

DeFrancesco made his managerial debut in 1994 with the Athletics' Arizona League affiliate, followed by two seasons (1995-96) with Southern Oregon (Rookie) and two seasons (1997-98) with the Visalia Oaks (Single-A). Prior to his first managerial job, he served as a coach at Southern Oregon and a roving catching instructor in the A's system.

A ninth-round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 1984 Draft, DeFrancesco played eight seasons of professional baseball between the Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds organizations. A catcher, he had his best professional season in 1984 when he batted .299 and was named a New York-Penn League All-Star while with the Elmira Pioneers (Rookie).