New Reading manager Al Pedrique brings wealth of experience to Fightin Phils' dugout
Apr. 10—When new Fightin Phils manager Al Pedrique made his first visit to Reading in 2015 as manager of the Trenton Thunder, one thing stood out about his stop at FirstEnergy Stadium.
"When I came through here in 2015, I was treated with a lot of respect," Pedrique said. "That's the one thing you don't forget as a visitor. When I came through, they always took care of my staff, the players, and that always got my attention."
Involved with professional baseball as a player or coach for more than four decades, the 62-year-old Pedrique is excited to lead the Fightin Phils, who play their home opener against the Hartford Yard Goats on Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m. Reading was swept in a three-game series at Richmond to open the season.
"I heard good things about this place," Pedrique said. "We're going to come out and play hard, play the game the right way and give the fans a good show on a daily basis."
A baseball lifer and Venezuela native, Pedrique was signed by the New York Mets at age 17 in 1978. He worked his way through the minor leagues before making his major league debut with the Mets in 1987.
Pedrique spent just a half-season with New York before spending a season-and-a-half with Pittsburgh (1987-88) and one with Detroit (1989). He continued his professional career in the minors, playing for four Triple-A teams before retiring following the 1994 season.
"I've had a chance to do a lot of things in the game," Pedrique said. "I was lucky enough to have a good many good coaches, so I learned from those guys. A lot of those coaches helped me out, and that's what I share with these players now."
Pedrique began his coaching career in 2000 at the minor league level and methodically worked his way up. He made his major league coaching debut in 2003 as Arizona's third base coach, and served as the Diamondbacks interim manager for the latter part of the 2004 season.
Pedrique has held nine other coaching positions in the majors or minors since 2004. He led Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to a Triple-A national title in his first season at the helm in 2016.
"I feel like a lucky guy," Pedrique said. "I've done a lot of things in this game. I played all the levels (and) I got to the majors. I've coached all the levels."
Most recently, Pedrique was the infield and third base coach for Miami in 2022. The Marlins produced a stolen-base rate of 81% under Pedrique, the fourth-highest rate in the majors.
"I feel 100% that I can help these kids understand what it takes to be a professional baseball player," Pedrique said. "What it takes to prepare on a daily basis and be able to compete."
While his baseball career took him all over the country, to every level of the minors and the major leagues, Pedrique said he learned quite a bit from countless coaches and managers. However, there is one coaching characteristic that stood out above the rest, one he brings with him to Reading.
"If you're honest with the players and you let them know how things are, what expectations are, what they're role is going to be in the club — I think you will see a lot of good results," Pedrique said. "Be honest with the players, be up front, and you will see how they respond in a positive way."
While he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the dugout, Pedrique will look to continue the strong tradition of baseball at FirstEnergy Stadium.
"Reading has been here for a lot of years," Pedrique said. "It's the right place to be."
