RiverCats skipper manages to make do

RiverCats manager Tony DeFrancesco, left, stands atop the dugout as he speaks to students.

Playing the hand he has been dealt is nothing new for Tony DeFrancesco. His challenge as manager of the Sacramento RiverCats is to make the winner out of it without the benefit of bluffing.

Last Wednesday’s game at Raley Field epitomized that challenge. DeFrancesco had only nine position players available against the Nashville Sounds, so at least filling out the lineup card was easy.

The RiverCats won 8-1 behind a stellar effort by veteran John Halama, who pitched seven shutout innings in his debut with Sacramento. The A’s signed the 38-year-old left-hander on May 23.

DeFrancesco returned to the RiverCats last season.

Players come and go because Sacramento is a pit stop for those on their way to the major leagues or for those who made it to the show and did not stick. DeFrancesco spoke from experience when he said there is no such luxury as job security.

 DeFrancesco managed the RiverCats from 2003 to 2007 and was then promoted by the A’s to become their third-base coach. The RiverCats won the Pacific Coast League in 2003, ’04 and ’07.

His success in Sacramento did not do him much good once he arrived in Oakland, however. DeFrancesco lasted only one season with the A’s, who overhauled their coaching staff after finishing 75-86 in 2008.

Former A’s infielder Mike Gallego was hired to coach third base, and Todd Steverson was promoted to coach first. Steverson had replaced DeFrancesco in Sacramento, so the RiverCats had an opening.

The 45-year-old DeFrancesco returned to the RiverCats instead of accepting the A’s offer to serve as a roving instructor.

The demotion derailed DeFrancesco, who has aspirations to be a major-league manager. There is little chance of such an opportunity coming his way, however, as long as he is toiling in the minors.

“It rarely happens that a Triple-A manager gets a big league job,” said Francesco, who has managed at each minor-league level with the A’s. “You have to spend some time in the major leagues.”

In that regard, DeFrancesco is no different than the players he manages. They all want to go to the show, but DeFrancesco makes a point of reminding them to focus on the task at hand instead of thinking about what the future might hold.

“I try to sell to them that if the team does well, they will do well,” he said. “If they’re only worried about their individual stats, that takes their focus away from the game. I have to remind these guys to play like a RiverCat.”

The RiverCats begin a four-game series against the Tacoma Rainiers on Tuesday night at Raley Field. For tickets, go to http://www.rivercats.com.