Chicago Sports Online
Chicago Black Sox right fielder Manny Cleide won a Yogi Zimmer Diamond Glove award this week in recognition of his sterling outfield play last season.
Cleide, 24, put up a league-high 10.3 zone rating in right field last season for the Sox (then known as the Huntsville Phantoms). He also notched 20 outfield assists.
Manny Cleide
Cleide garnered 24 votes in the competition for the right field award. His closest competitor, Nashville’s Abdelwahab Kamade, had 2 votes.
It’s widely known throughout the organization that Cleide is owner Vinnie Vitale’s favorite player, although he denies it when asked.
“Hey, I love all my guys equally,” Vitale said last week. “But Manny’s special – the man can wheel and he’s got a cannon for an arm. He’s fun to watch.”
Cleide also made a name for himself last season in bunting himself on base, leading the league by a wide margin in that category at one point.
Overall, though, his offensive production was fairly pedestrian, as he slashed .254/.317/.366 with just 0.3 WAR.
He figures to hold down right field again this season, though – especially since the new Black Sox Park will feature deeper outfields than his former home park in Huntsville.
“Manny’s speed and range should make him even more valuable in the new park,” Richards said. “We look forward to unleashing him in Chicago this season and watching what he can do.”
