Clintonville native also played for Barons
Justin Jirschele will manage the Minor League baseball team he once played for.
The Clintonville native has been named manager of the Birmingham Barons, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
Jirschele played for the Barons and four other Minor League teams after the White Sox drafted him in 2012.
“We are excited to welcome Justin back to Birmingham, this time as our manager,” Barons general manager Jonathan Nelson said. “I know he brings an exciting style of baseball that Barons fans will appreciate here at Regions Field. Justin, along with our entire coaching staff, will once again have a team comprised of some of the most highly regarded White Sox prospects.”
Jirschele, 29, will enter his fourth season as a manager in the White Sox organization. After his playing days ended in 2015, he made his managerial debut in 2017 with the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators and led the team to the South Atlantic League Championship Series with a 68-69 record.
He led the Intimidators to a semifinal playoff berth in 2018 before being promoted to manage the Winston-Salem Dash last season, where he led the club to a 72-61 record.
Jirschele made stops as a player at all five of the White Sox farm affiliates: Great Falls Voyagers, Kannapolis Intimidators, Winston-Salem Dash, Birmingham Barons and Charlotte Knights. He recorded a .277 batting average with 172 hits, 70 RBIs and 52 walks.
Jirschele isn’t the first baseball manager or coach in his family. His father, Mike, was the third base coach for the Kansas City Royals on their 2014 World Series championship team and is still a coach with the team. His brother, Jeremy, has been the baseball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point since 2015.
Justin played baseball at Clintonville High School and UW-Stevens Point. He also spent two seasons with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League before being drafted by the White Sox,
“I’m extremely fortunate that the Chicago White Sox have given me the opportunity to come back to Birmingham this season,” he said. “There’s a lot of buzz and excitement around Birmingham and the Barons this year and I can’t wait to get back to Regions Field and be under those bright lights again.”