Legendary Phillies manager’s grandson impressing in Florida

Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel’s grandson could follow in his footsteps

Charlie Manuel was at the helm for the Philadelphia Phillies‘ second-ever World Series championship in 2008.

Now, his grandson Matthew Manuel is impressing in a Perfect Game tournament. The MLB-affiliated organization hosts amateur baseball events, tournaments, and showcases. Current MLB stars including Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Freddie Freeman are PG alums. Over 13,000 PG players have been drafted by MLB teams, and over 1,600 have debuted, including 44 Phillies.

Several current Phillies are PG alums, including Harper, Aaron Nola, Alec Bohm, and Rhys Hoskins. Their first-round pick from this year’s draft, Andrew Painter, also gained visibility through PG, as did fellow former Phillies top draft picks Mick Abel, Bryson Stott, and Mickey Moniak.

Manuel, a proud grandfather, shared his grandson’s talents with the world on Twitter Monday afternoon:

Charlie Manuel was a star in Japan’s Nippon League before coaching and managing

The elder Manuel played in both MLB and Japan’s Nippon league between 1969-1981. His six-season MLB career was unimpressive, but he excelled in Japan and became nicknamed the Red Devil (Aka-Oni) by his fans.

Over six seasons overseas, he hit .303/.385/.604 with a .988 OPS, compared to .198/.273/.260 with a .534 OPS in his six MLB seasons. In 1979, he overcame a horrific head injury to win MVP, the first American to win the award since 1964.

Manuel returned to the States to manage and coach in the minor leagues and for Cleveland before being hired as the Phillies’ 51st manager in franchise history. During his tenure, the Phillies entered their Golden Age, winning five consecutive division titles, their second World Series in 2008, and nearly repeating the feat the following year. Despite falling short in 2009, Manuel became the first and only manager in franchise history to lead the team to back-to-back World Series.

During his time as skipper, Manuel’s team experienced a wealth of individual and collective success, and many considered him a father figure. He owns a 1,000-826 managerial record over his career,

The younger Manuel is still in high school, but perhaps one day, he’ll join his grandfather in the rare club of multi-generational MLB families.