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When the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders open their 2019 slate April 4 in Buffalo, they will be led by a new manager for the second straight season.
RailRiders manager Bobby Mitchell is out after just one season at the helm. The New York Yankees will not renew his contract when it runs out at the end of the year.
“They didn’t renew it. I’m not really sure why or whatever. It happens,” Mitchell, 63, told the Times Leader in a phone interview on Monday. “I was a little surprised, obviously. I’m not really sure. I didn’t get much of an explanation.
“I enjoyed my time there. So I was disappointed.”
Mitchell came to the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate after spending the two previous seasons with the Double-A Trenton Thunder.
Despite a season in which included 275 roster moves, Mitchell was still able to guide Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to a 73-65 record, the International League wild card and a trip to the Governors’ Cup Finals. It was the third straight season the RailRiders made the Finals.
In his two seasons with the Thunder, Mitchell managed to a 179-103 record, which was good for a .635 winning percentage, and back-to-back Eastern League Championship Series appearances. He was named Eastern League Manager of the Year in 2017 after going 92-48.
Mitchell also managed future Yankees such as Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Tyler Wade, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams and Stephen Tarpley.
“That is what we all get the most satisfaction out of — seeing guys go to the big leagues and perform well and help the big-league club,” Mitchell said. “We sent a lot of guys up there the last three years. And that’s our main job, to get that done. The Yankees are an elite organization and I enjoy the people there a lot.
“I enjoyed the winning, the development part of it, the kids. It’s hard to always leave the kids. That’s tough. Hopefully you make a positive impact on them and they go forward.”
For a player like Mark Payton, the move to let Mitchell go comes as a disappointment.
In their three seasons together, a growing of sense trust formed between the pair. Their games were similar — Payton is a left-handed, small-ball outfielder just like Mitchell was — and by the time the RailRiders were making their playoff push in August, Payton was often the player Mitchell chose to bat leadoff despite Payton nursing a lower body injury at the end of the regular season.
“It was nice for me to play for a manager that trusted me and allowed me to do what I needed to do,” Payton said. “Just tried to help the team win because that’s what we cared about. Especially down the stretch, we were fighting for a playoff spot and when we got into the playoffs when every game means a lot — especially in a five-game series.
“It was nice to play for a manager that trusted me, and gave me the ability to kind of think the game through and kind of make my own decisions.”
As it stands, Mitchell is unsure of what his future holds.
Ideally, Mitchell would like to stay in professional baseball, but he wasn’t overly optimistic that something could open up in time for spring training despite it still being “early” in the process for coaching changes.
“I’m not really sure right now,” Mitchell said. “There’s not a whole lot out there. There were a couple options that I thought might work out that didn’t. I’m kind of hanging out right now to see if there’s any other options that come up. It’s still a little early for making changes and stuff, but I wouldn’t anticipate being in pro ball. I’m kind of looking into different things.”
Regarding the RailRiders’ managerial change, a Yankees spokesmen said that the team is in the process of determining all staff for all affiliates at this time and won’t comment specifically about any one coach or manager.