"Probably the best thing about it is teaching," Kremblas told The Dispatch. "It's fun to teach the fundamentals. But the in-game stuff is probably the most fun -- the strategies, making adjustments to the pitcher they have that night and to what they're doing."
Kremblas was then serving as manager at AAA Indianapolis, with his decade managing, and another eight spent as a player in the minors. He never made the majors in either.
Kremblas' career in baseball began in 1989, taken by the Reds in the 23rd round of the draft out of Eastern Kentucky.
Kremblas was also the son of a man who played a different sport, Frank Kremblas Sr., the quarterback of the late-1950s Ohio State Buckeyes, according to The Dispatch. The younger Kremblas, though, chose baseball.
With the Reds, Kremblas started in the rookie Gulf Coast League, moving to single-A Cedar Rapids in 1990. With Cedar Rapids, Kremblas hit .252, with five home runs.
He made AA Chattanooga in 1991 then returned there for 1992. He hit .241 his first year there and just .230 his second. In 1993, he made AAA for the first time, hitting .243 at Indianapolis.
Kremblas then split 1994 between Chattanooga and Indianapolis. That April, Kremblas was the opposing third baseman for Michael Jordan's professional baseball debut, asking the umpire to do something about all the flashbulbs going off, according to The Associated Press.
Kremblas continued playing through 1996, but never made the majors. By 1998, Kremblas was a manager, with the Expos in the Gulf Coast League. He first got a AA managerial position with the Brewers at Huntsville in 2002.
In late 2003, Kremblas was managing in the Arizona Fall League, watching over young Brewers players there. Among them, was top draft pick Dave Krynzel.
"He has his hands in a better position to hit from," Kremblas told Baseball America that October of improvement Krynzel showed. "He's not getting his hands stuck behind him. It's a ripple effect; he's swinging the bat better and he is more confident."
Kremblas then made AAA as a manager in 2005, with Nashville. That 2005 season was the first of three-straight years Kremblas took Nashville to the playoffs.
The 2005 season saw Kremblas take Nashville all the way to the Pacific Coast League championship.
"We were the only people cheering at that point," Kremblas told MiLB.com of the 13th-inning game-winning home run. "The guys just battled, just like they've done all year. They kept battling and battling and got things done when they needed to."
For 2009, Kremblas moved to the Pirates, managing AAA Indianapolis. Kremblas has continued with the Pirates in 2012, as special assistant to minor league operations.
- Victoria Advocate, Associated Press, April 8, 1994: Jordan 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts in debut with Birmingham Barons
- Baseball America, Oct. 31, 2003: Arizona Notebook
- MiLB.com, Sept. 17, 2005: Sounds capture PCL championship
- Columbus Dispatch, Aug. 11, 2009: Frank Kremblas Jr.: Following his own path
Players/Coaches Featured: 913
Made the Majors: 613 - 67.1%
Never Made Majors: 300-32.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 274
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163
His brother Mike played in the minors from 1998-2003. Frank was Mike's manager in 2003 with Huntsville.
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