Baseball America has named Memphis Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp its 2017 Minor League Manager of the Year. Once a favorite among Redbird fans for his backflips and gritty play at second base, the 44-year-old Clapp returned to Memphis last spring for his first stint as a Triple-A manager. Despite significant roster fluctuation between the Redbirds and parent St. Louis Cardinals, Clapp led Memphis to 91 wins (the most by any Bluff City team since 1948) and the franchise’s third Pacific Coast League championship, beating El Paso in a five-game championship series.
During their title march, the Redbirds set a franchise record with an 11-game winning streak, won or split 27 consecutive series, and built an astounding record of 13-0 in extra-inning games. Clapp earned accolades as the PCL’s Manager of the Year in September, shortly after the end of the regular season. He’s the first Memphis manager to earn either of these honors.
“I’m honored and humbly accept the award in respect to all the other managers,” says Clapp, who lives with his family in Savannah, Tennessee. “Because I know the hard work that goes into their days. It’s not an easy gig.”