Gary DiSarcina to manage Pawtucket Red Sox

Massachusetts native Gary DiSarcina will manage the Pawtucket Red Sox next season, according to Maureen Mullen of CSN New England.

DiSarcina, who grew up in Billerica and lives in Plymouth, will return to the Red Sox organization once again. He was an instructor for the Red Sox and managed Single-A Lowell for three seasons. After that, he moved on to the Los Angeles Angels organization and into the front office.

But a move back to his home state made sense for the former shortstop, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote Wednesday morning:

"I missed managing and it was a chance to be close to my home and with my kids," said DiSarcina, who will be introduced as the PawSox' manager Friday morning at McCoy Stadium. "I can't tell you how great Jerry Dipoto was with all this. He could have denied me permission. He had just promoted me and I was very happy there. I was learning a lot about the front office and just getting quite an education on how to do things."

DiSarcina will replace Arnie Beyeler, who will be the Red Sox' first base coach next season.

DiSarcina played 12 years in the major leagues, all with the California/Anaheim Angels. He was an All-Star once, batting .307 with an .802 OPS in 1995. He was a reliable everyday player through most of his career, hitting .258/.282./341 and playing above-average defense.