Julio Vinas
Julio Cesar Vinas (born February 14, 1973 in Miami, Florida) is the field manager for the 2013 Birmingham Barons, and a veteran of the 1995 Birmingham Barons roster.
Vinas hit .557 as a senior at Miami American High School and was selected in the 33rd round of the 1991 Major League amateur draft by the Chicago White Sox. He debuted with the Gulf Coast League's GCL White Sox as a first baseman. In 1992 he played both first base and catcher for the Utica Blue Sox of the Class A New York-Penn League and the South Bend White Sox of the Midwest League. He stayed with South Bend as a full-time catcher in 1993 and also played that year with the Florida League's Sarasota White Sox, where he set career highs with 68 runs and 43 walks.
With Birmingham Barons, Vinas was a backup to starting catcher Scott Vollmer. That year he batted .269 with 47 runs on 100 hits, 61 RBI and 6 home runs. Vinas was promoted to the Nashville Sounds of the AAA American Association and later traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He got time as a designated hitter for the Rochester Red Wings of the AAA International League in 1998 and played his best season there in 1999 with 20 home runs and 83 RBI. In 2000 Vinas was traded to the Cleveland Indians and debuted with the Akron Aeros, later playing for the Pawtucket Red Sox as a member of the Boston organization. He returned to Rochester before ending his playing career after the 2001 season.
From 2002 to 2009 Vinas coached in the Baltimore Orioles system, including five as the organization's hitting coordinator. He spent 2010 as a coach with the GCL Yankees. In 2011 the White Sox hired him to manage the WInston-Salem Dash and he compiled a 69-71 record in the Carolina League. In 2012, as manager of the Single-A Kannapolis Intimidators, Vinas went 61-78. In December of that year he was named the 67th manager of the Birmingham Barons, which started the season with a 5-3 record.
| Preceded by: Bobby Magallanes |
Birmingham Barons manager 2013- |
Succeeded by: ? |
References
- Harvey, Alec (December 18, 2012) "Julio Vinas named new manager of the Birmingham Barons." The Birmingham News