The Cleveland Indians have hired Manny Acta as their manager.
Acta signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2013, team spokesman Bart Swain said
Sunday. Additional terms were not disclosed.
Acta was fired by the Washington Nationals in July.
The Indians chose him after a second round of interviews over former New York Mets manager
Bobby Valentine and Indians Triple-A manager Torey Lovullo. The team also had been expected to
interview Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly.
"We are very excited to have Manny Acta on board as our major league manager," Indians
general manager Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "After speaking with an impressive array of
candidates, we feel that Manny is a very strong and experienced leader who possesses great energy
and enthusiasm along with tremendous communication skills and a positive mindset that will command
a presence in the dugout, clubhouse and with our fans."
The 40-year-old Acta, who was drafted by the Astros as a 17-year-old first baseman, also
interviewed for Houston's opening this offseason.
The Indians will introduce him at a news conference Monday.
Acta went 158-252 in 2 seasons with the Nationals, who fired him after a 21-61 start this
season. The Indians, though, dismissed Acta's poor record and appreciated the way he developed some
of the franchise's young players.
Cleveland tied for last in the AL Central after coming into this season with high
expectations. The Indians fired manager Eric Wedge in the final week of the season.
