Wahoos Weekly: Blue Wahoos manager holds special distinction as team begins homestand
Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel and predecessor Pat Kelly were born decades apart, growing up in different Southern California communities.
Both had a passion and prowess for baseball which carried them from youth league into professional careers that transitioned into becoming managers.
They really never crossed paths that much, except now for one distinguishing reason.
Randel, 42, an Anaheim, California, native, surpassed the 68-year-old Kelly last Sunday for the most wins (219) as Blue Wahoos manager in club history.
Both took the Blue Wahoos to new heights; Kelly, a native of Santa Maria, California, located 184 miles north of Anaheim, followed Delino DeShields and led the club in 2015 to its first playoff appearance. His team in 2017 won a co-championship in its third consecutive playoff trip.
Randel led the Blue Wahoos to their first outright Southern League title in 2022 and highest win percentage season in 2023.
“It’s a great honor obviously, to be in the likes of the past managers in Wahoos history – (Jim) Riggleman, Delino (DeShields), PK (Pat Kelly), Ramon (Borrego), all those guys,” said Randel, following the team’s 9-1 win against the Mississippi Braves on May 5 to win the series and seal the record mark.
“It’s great to be in the (managerial) seat,” said Randel, prior to the team beginning on Tuesday its six-game home series with the Birmingham Barons. “It’s great to be recognized and I wished we would have done it at home in Pensacola.”
Randel has been the Blue Wahoos manager since the team in 2021 became the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. He followed Borrego, who was the team’s manager in 2019, the last season before the coronavirus struck and wiped out 2020, and Borrego’s year turned out to be the only one as a Minnesota Twins affiliate.
In 2021, Major League Baseball took over Minor League Baseball. The teams that season did not begin until late May following the after-effects of COVID-19. The Blue Wahoos wound up playing just 111 games of the scheduled 120.
In 2022, MILB teams began playing a 138-game schedule, two games less than prior years.
Kelly attained 218 wins in 418 games and three full seasons as a Blue Wahoos manager. Randel surpassed the mark on his 405th game into his fourth season as Pensacola’s manager. The playoff game wins for each manager do not count toward the career marks.
“It’s a successful time being here,” Randel said. “It’s great being here in Pensacola. The front office and the fans treat us great. It’s been good putting a nice winning product on the field year after year. My staff has been great.”
Randel also holds distinction in the Marlins’ organization as the club’s longest-tenured baseball staff member. He was drafted by the Marlins in 2002 out of Long Beach State, spent eight years in the minor leagues, then went into the coaching side with the Marlins.
Wahoos Notables
Educational Experience – The Blue Wahoos will play an 11 a.m. game on Wednesday, the second of their two Education Day games this season where area schoolchildren will comprise the bulk of the crowd. There will be 23 schools represented from three Northwest Florida counties and Baldwin County in Alabama. Approximately 2,300 students will be fill the seating bowl areas and will be treated to lunch and other amenities.
Led by Emily Mann, the Blue Wahoos group sales manager, this is part of the Blue Wahoos’ Kazoo Reading Program that has reached 35 schools and impacted thousands during visits by Kazoo, Blue Wahoos broadcaster Erik Bremer, and other members of the front office staff.
Memorable Walk – Cobie Fletcher-Vance produced one of biggest hits in Blue Wahoos franchise history with his go-ahead, grand slam in the deciding game of the 2022 Southern League championship series.
He retired following the 2023 season and is now working in the Blue Wahoos front office as he transitions into a business career. On May 3, he took another big step in that process when graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in human environmental science. He participated in commencement exercises at Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum.
He was saluted on Alabama’s social media channels. Fletcher-Vance played three seasons for the Crimson Tide from 2016-2018 before getting selected as a 16th-round pick by the Oakland Athletics, then joining the Miami Marlins organization prior to the 2022 season.
Special Distinction – When former Blue Wahoos pitcher Eli Villalobos made his major league debut May 5 with the Miami Marlins, it carried two distinctions. He’s the 134th Blue Wahoos member in club history to reach the big leagues, the fourth player this season.
But he also became the 1,000th player in Jacksonville’s baseball franchise history to make an MLB debut. The Jumbo Shrimp were formerly the Jacksonville Suns and members of the Double-A Southern League before moving to Triple-A.
Villalobos threw a scoreless inning on May 5 in the Marlins win against the Oakland A’s. He then threw a scoreless inning in the team’s win at Oakland. He then threw 1.1 scoreless innings in the Marlins’ loss Monday to the LA Dodgers.
Villalobos pitched in 53 games for the Blue Wahoos across the past two seasons,
Strange Moment – Most of the time, players find out they have been traded following a game or when arriving at the ballpark to begin the day. But one of the Blue Wahoos newest members, Nathann Martorella, who played left field and batted third in Tuesday’s game, found out while on second base.
Martorella was playing for the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate in the Texas League of the San Diego Padres, when he was motioned to come out of the game. On a now-viral video, Martorella is seen looking around with a “what, me?” look before a pinch runner trots toward him. After reaching the dugout Martorella learned he was part of a four-player deal from the Padres’ minor league system in exchange for Marlins star infielder Luis Arraez. And Arraez, of course, played for the Blue Wahoos in the first six weeks of the 2019 season as a Minnesota Twins affiliate.
On Deck – The Blue Wahoos will get a good gauge this week when facing the first-place Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The six-game series continues through Sunday.
The Barons have been the season’s biggest bright spot within the White Sox organization. They have raced to a 19-7 start that is the best record among all 30 Double-A level teams in Minor League Baseball. Catcher Edgar Quero leads the Southern League with 21 RBI and is tied for the league-lead with five homers. Designated hitter Wilfred Veras leads the league with a .363 batting average that includes seven doubles, four homers and .571 slugging percentage.
Want to go?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Tuesday through Sunday (May 12)
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
GAMETIMES: Tuesday’s game is at 6:05 p.m.; Wednesday is 11:05 a.m.; Thursday-Saturday are 6:05 p.m.; and Sunday’s start time is 4:05 p.m.
PROMOTIONS:
Tuesday – Doggone Tuesday: Fans permitted to bring their beloved dogs to the game. In addition it’s a one-price Tuesday with a $18 purchase that includes a hot dog, soda and chips, plus a reserved seat in a sponsorship by Pepsi.
Wednesday – This will be an 11 a.m. start time for the second Education Day presented by Florida Power & Light. It also is a Business Person Special with groups able to purchase 10 tickets for $100.
Thursday – Mullet Thursday: Wahoos team takes alter identity as Pensacola Mullets, complete with uniforms. Also, alcoholic beverage specials throughout the game. And it is Healthcare Appreciation Night.
Friday – Giveaway Friday features a Blue Wahoos team photo poster to fans, provided by DLUX. In addition, the Blue Wahoos will become the Malmo Oat Milkers as part of a Minor League Baseball partnership with Oatly, the world’s largest oat milk company. Throughout the season, across the nation of minor league teams, each of the 120 teams in MiLB will play a home game as the Malmo Oat Milkers
Saturday – Fireworks Saturday features post-game fireworks show provided Bodacious Shops.
Sunday – On Mother’s Day 2024, it will be a Family and Military Sunday presented by Great Clips and WKRG-News5. Active/retired military receive a ticket discount and children 12 years and under attending the game can participate in running the bases following the game, along with family toss in the outfield with soft baseballs for 30 minutes.
How to watch
LIVE STREAM: A live audio broadcast of all games are available on www.bluewahoos.com, the MiLB First Pitch App, along with video streaming on Bally Live and MLB.tv (subscription required).
TV: Pensacola’s BLAB-TV will air the Friday-Saturday games live.
TICKETS: Available for all games through www.bluewahoos.com/tickets, along with visiting the stadium box office Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. through the game each night and Saturday (2 p.m. opening), Sunday (12 p.m. open) or by calling 850-934-8444.
Southern League Standings
(Through games on May 7)
NORTH DIVISION
Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox) – 20-7
Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs) – 15-12
Rocket City Trash Pandas (LA Angels) – 14-13
Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds) – 8-19
SOUTH DIVISION
Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins) –15-13
Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays) –15-13
Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers) –14-14
Mississippi Braves (Atlanta Braves) – 9-19
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel becomes all-time wins leader
