Nov. 14, 2007

PHOENIX, ARIZ. - Former California baseball player Bob Melvin was named the 2007 National League Manager of the Year Wednesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, guiding the Arizona Diamondbacks to the National League playoffs with a league-best 90 wins. Last month, Melvin earned the same honor from The Sporting News, which was voted on by his fellow major league managers.

The Diamondbacks finished the 2007 season 90-72 and captured the National League West title before falling to the Colorado Rockies in the National League Championship series. Another person with Cal ties, Conor Jackson (2000-03), played first base for Arizona and finished the year batting .284 with 29 doubles, a triple, 15 homer runs and 60 RBI. Jackson was a first-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks in 2003.

Melvin, 44, who grew up in Menlo Park and attended Menlo-Atherton High School, was a catcher for the Golden Bears in 1980. As a freshman, he helped Cal to a 44-23-1 record and a third-place finish at the 1980 College World Series. Melvin concluded his frosh season batting .269 with two doubles and 12 RBI in 29 games.

Melvin was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the secondary phase of the 1981 January draft. He played 10 seasons as a catcher in the major leagues for seven different teams, finishing with a .233 career average with 35 home runs.