Cleveland Indians To Name Terry Francona Manager

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona has been out of the game for almost a year. In that same amount of time, Francona has found himself back in the game.

The 2004 and 2007 World Series champion manager has been chosen by the Cleveland Indians to be the next manager of the club, replacing Manny Acta, who was fired prior to the end of the 2012 season, and Sandy Alomar Jr.

This comes as a surprise to some since Francona will not be managing a largely talented team, but his relationship with GM Chris Antonetti and Indians president Mark Shapiro will give him a better comfort level than where he was during the end of his tenure in Boston. Francona’s father Tito also played with the club in the early 1960s.

In 12 years that he has managed the Philadelphia Phillies and the Red Sox, Francona has recorded 1,029 wins to go along with his two World Series championships. Francona was the one to help the club break the Curse of the Bambino. Knowing that, the Indians hope to be the next team that he helps break the curse with. The Indians have not won a World Series since 1920.

The team this year went 68-94 as catcher Carlos Santana seemed to be the best player on the club. Santana hit 18 home runs and batted .252/.365/.420 this year. It was a bit of down year for a team that started off hot but if the injuries subside and the pitching stands out a bit more, the Indians have a chance to compete in the American League Central in 2013.

Follow Ryan Gaydos on Twitter.