The former UMass shortstop is taking over a premier farm team.
Boston Red Sox prospect Rubby De La Rosa will be pitching in Pawtucket, where UMass alumn Gary DiSarcina is the new manager.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Gary DiSarcina allowed himself a laugh when asked if his daughter, who is considering the University of Massachusetts, would be instructed to avoid the Southwest dormitories that are legendary for their zany activities.
"That's where I stayed, and they were the best years of my life educationally, athletically and socially,'' the Pawtucket Red Sox manager said Tuesday.
DiSarcina is far removed from UMass, where he spent three years and played from 1985-87, but the memories endure. So does the training under coaches Dick Bergquist and Mike Stone, who guided him on a path that led to a 10-year career as a major league shortstop.
Since his playing days ended in 2000, DiSarcina has been a studio analyst, minor league manager at Lowell, infield instructor and assistant to the general manager. The last assignment came with the Angels, where he played his entire career.
When DiSarcina came up in 1989, his team was the California Angels. He stayed long enough to play for the Anaheim version, and by the time he came back as an executive, they had morphed into their Los Angeles version.
The nephew of 1960s UMass baseball and basketball star Joe DiSarcina, the Billerica native is thrilled to be back with the Red Sox.
"I loved it in Lowell,'' DiSarcina said of his Class A managing stint from 2007-09.
"At Triple A, I think I'll be able to relate even better with these guys. Time change, and it's not always easy to do that with 18-year-olds (in Class A), but these players are older, many are married with kids and I can relate to that.''
The 45-year-old DiSarcina's team will be stocked with major league prospects such as Bryce Brentz, Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa and possibly Jackie Bradley Jr.
Pawtucket went to the Triple A championship game last year after winning its first International League title since 1984.
"I was with the Angels, and didn't realize how successful they had been. The best statistic is that they sent 23 players to the Red Sox, yet even with that transition, they developed the winning attitude you want in young players,'' he said.
DiSarcina wants to win, too, but says player development will come first.
"The first priority is the Boston Red Sox. Our job is to get players ready to play at that level,'' he said.
His relationship with Red Sox manager John Farrell and bench coach Torey Lovullo dates to 1993, when the three men were teammates with the Angels.
DiSarcina will send nightly reports to Boston, and will discuss players with Farrell "when needed,'' possibly as often as once a week.
The Red Sox major leaguers had a day off Tuesday, but DiSarcina was at work on a practice field, supervising batting practice for his Triple A players. Rather than cringe at the grind of minor league baseball, he embraces his return to it.
"The long trips are part of the bonding,'' he said.
"It was more (demanding) in Lowell. We had eight or nine-hour bus trips to Aberdeen (Md.), but I really enjoyed it.''
DiSarcina cuts a more imposing physical presence than his 6-foot-1, 170-pound playing measurements suggest. He rarely gets to return to UMass, but is a member of its Athletic Hall of Fame.
When media reported the school was considering termination of the baseball program in 2009, DiSarcina wrote letters to university administrators on the program's behalf. The program was spared.
One of its best stars is ready to take the next step in his career.
"I'm excited that I'll be in Pawtucket,'' DiSarcina said. "One draw is that we're so close to Boston. It's a special experience to be part of that.''