An Interview with Greeneville Astros Manager Josh Bonifay

Earlier this month, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Greeneville Astros Manager Josh Bonifay. I first talked to Bonifay last year when he was the hitting coach for the Lexington Legends (and where he earned an All-Star nod as a coach). Our first conversation went well despite the fact that the Southern gentleman in him (born in Georgia, schooling and permanent home in North Carolina) insisted on ma'aming me and making me feel ancient.

I was impressed with the detail in which he described the various player's strengths and weaknesses in the batter's box. That detailed approach certainly has helped the first year Manager as his new team is on the cusp of earning a playoff berth under his direction and has earned him Manager of the Year honors in the Appalachian League.

Josh Bonifay (R) - August 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

After getting Bonifay's take on various players to use in my interviews and write-ups, I turned the conversation to him and his experience as a first year manager. Here is what he had to say, edited for brevity and clarity ~

Managing Philosophy
"You can see all that new gray hair coming in just this year but it’s been a lot of fun. I love doing it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love being a part of the kids' lives. I want [them] to be true professionals. [That’s] what I really talk about. I want them to do the right things. I want them to respect the game of baseball. I want them to be a true professional. And I just want them to conduct themselves the way they should. I want to be involved in the community. We do a lot of community stuff here. I want them to be clean-shaven. I want them to learn that people respect people who do their job the right way; people respect people who take the time to clean up the dugout while we’re on the road. They respect that. And if they respect you, in life you’re going to be successful. And that’s what I want from them. I want them to get better on the field, and believe me we do a lot of work to get better on the field. I just want them to be good people too. I want them to understand that not everybody’s going to be a big-league baseball player, not everybody’s going to be a professional athlete their whole lives, but if they know how to be on time, if they know how to do things the right way, when they leave and go to a real job, nobody has to teach them how to do that anymore, and they’re successful in life. They know how to grind. They know how to get things done and work ethic. All those little things I love to teach, I love to talk about. You just want to be an impact on the kids' lives and I was fortunate to have a lot of coaches that took time for me and that made that a big priority, to be a good person, to be a good baseball player, just be a true professional is what I call it."

Being a New Manager
"I love it. I love it. The challenge is just understanding what all goes into it. My other thing [hitting coach] was watch video, look at numbers, see counts, see what they can hit, see what they can’t hit, what we need to work on mechanically. Now it’s just where do we need to be on bunt plays? Where do we need to be on defense? Watch the whole field. Is this guy getting ready on time? Is he moving with two strikes? Are we throwing through? Do I need somebody hot [to] pitch? Do we want to pinch hit? Where is our pitching staff? Do we have a bullpen? Is our bullpen available tonight?"

Managing Rookie Level Baseball
"That’s the beauty about minor league baseball, in my opinion. You’re going to make errors. We’re going to mess up. I’m going to mess up as manager. You’re going to make mistakes. And we’re all going to learn from it. These players have all the tools. If they learn, one day it clicks, and then they're in the big leagues. And you’re like, 'Gosh, I was with that dude a couple years ago and now he’s making 10 mill a year.'"

Working Close to His Home in Charlotte
"Love being close to home. My wife is [a physical therapist] in Charlotte and it’s been awesome [since she can set her own schedule and visit often]. I have a real good support group my first year. My wife’s here. I’ve got a lot of support, a lot of love from her, a lot of love from her family, a lot of love from my family and they’re all close. I love that."

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

I will leave you with a mental image I have of Josh from the trip. Early work and BP under his direction were extremely organized and efficient. There was no wasted time, effort or energy. One day when I was observing, the field drills were done and it was time for BP. Josh trotted over to the BP cage, grabbed it, dug in his heels and was quickly dragging it into place. Another staff member started to pull the L-screen in front of Josh, but I heard someone tell him, "Let him go. He will run you right over with that thing." Nobody should get in the way, either, of his desire to develop these players into men, first and foremost, and then into major league ballplayers.

Thank you for your time and insight, Josh. The best of luck to you in guiding your team to the playoffs!