The Nashville SoundsMinor League Baseball team has been led by 29 managers since its establishment in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1978. Managers are responsible for team strategy and leadership on and off the field, including determining the batting order, arranging defensive positioning, and making tactical decisions regarding pitching changes, pinch-hitting, pinch-running, and defensive replacements. As of the completion of the 2019 season, Sounds managers have led the club for 6,004 regular season games in which they compiled a win–loss record of 3,083–2,921. Their teams have qualified for the postseason on 14 occasions and have a postseason record of 42–41. Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Darwin Barney was hired to manage the Sounds. Three managers have guided the team to win a leaguechampionship. George Scherger led the Sounds to win the Southern League championship in the 1979 season as the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Johnny Oates managed them to another Southern League title in 1982 as the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. In 2005, as the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, Frank Kremblas led the team to win the Pacific Coast League championship. Four managers have been selected as their league's Manager of the Year. Stump Merrill won the Southern League Manager of the Year Award, Rick Renick won the American Association Manager of the Year Award, and Frank Kremblas and Steve Scarsone won the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year Award. Mike Guerrero won the 2013 Mike Coolbaugh Award in recognition for his contributions in developing and mentoring young players in the Brewers organization. Three managers have been selected for midseason All-Star teams. George Scherger coached the 1979 Southern League All-Star team. Two others participated in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Pete Mackanin coached the National League team in 1991, and Rick Renick managed the American League team in 1994. Trent Jewett won 320 games from 1998 to 2000 and 2003 to 2004, placing him first on the all-time wins list for Sounds managers. Having managed the team for 625 games over five seasons, he is also the longest-tenured manager in team history. The manager with the highest winning percentage over a full season or more is Stump Merrill, with.622. Conversely, the lowest winning percentage over a season or more is.437 by manager Mike Guerrero. From June to July 1988, the Sounds went through five different managers. Jack Lind was fired on June 27. His position was filled on an interim basis by pitching coachWayne Garland for one game and by Jim Hoff, Cincinnati's minor league field coordinator, for five games. Former manager George Scherger was brought in on July 3, but he chose to retire after one game. Garland managed two more games before Hoff returned for seventeen. Finally, former big league skipper Frank Lucchesi was hired on July 25 to manage the Sounds for the last 39 games of the season. Four former Sounds players have also managed the team. Seven games into the 1985 season, Sounds outfielderLeon Roberts became the acting manager for seven games after manager Lee Walls was hospitalized with internal bleeding. Roberts was replaced by Gordon Mackenzie and returned to playing for the team. Retiring at the end of the season, Roberts was hired to manage the 1986 club. Coach Wayne Garland, who pitched for the Sounds in 1982, managed for three games during the 1988 managerial shuffle. Marty Brown managed from 2001 to 2002 after having played third base for Nashville in 1988 and 1989. Jason Wood, who managed the Sounds in 2019, played for the team at third base and shortstop from 2000 to 2001.
