Tulsa Drillers Name Ryan Garko As New Manager

The Tulsa Drillers announced today that Ryan Garko will serve as the team's manager for the 2016 season, the club's second as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 34-year-old Garko will replace Razor Shines as the 22nd full-time manager in Drillers history. 

This will be Garko's first professional managerial post, following a successful playing career in the major leagues. 
"I'm very excited to join the Dodgers organization and to come to Tulsa," said Garko. "No city or affiliate has a better reputation than Tulsa, and I look forward to bringing my family there. As a team, our goal is going to be to develop major league players, but to also win a championship."

Garko and and the Drillers will open the 2016 season in Corpus Christi, Texas on April 7 against Hooks. 
The highlight of Garko's professional playing days came during 2007 when his Cleveland Indians squad won the American League Central Division title and advanced to the American League Championship Series. There they met the team that would go on to win the World Series in the Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Indians in a hard-fought seven game series.

Even though his club fell just short of the World Series, Garko did his part with a .314 batting average along with a home run and five RBI over just nine games during the playoff run.

After spending three full years at the big league level with the Indians, Garko was traded to the San Francisco Giants midway through the 2009 season. He then played for the Texas Rangers in 2010 before shifting his career overseas in 2011 to the Korean Baseball Organization.

Garko returned to the U.S. in 2012 and joined the independent league Long Island Ducks before being signed by the Tampa Bay Rays organization and assigned to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits where he concluded his playing career.

Garko attended Stanford University and was originally drafted in the third round of the 2003 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Indians.

In 2001, during his sophomore campaign at Stanford where he hit .398, Garko put his name on the national map by batting .583 in the College World Series. Years later in 2010, his outstanding performance was remembered and honored as he was voted onto the College World Series Legends Team by college baseball writers, fans and Division 1 head coaches.

Although Garko won the Johnny Bench Award during his senior year in 2003 as the top catcher in the college ranks, he primarily played first base at the pro level while splitting time at designated hitter as well as in the outfield.

Garko made his big league debut with the Indians at the end of 2005, just two years after being drafted, and he remained in the Majors for the next 5 seasons.

Once his playing days came to an end, Garko enjoyed retirement for a year before returning to Stanford to join the coaching ranks in 2014. 
After a six-game road trip to begin the season, the Drillers will play their first home game of the year at ONEOK Field against the Hooks on Thursday, April 14 at 7:05PM. 
Both full and mini-season ticket plans are now available and can be purchased through the Drillers Ticket Office online at TulsaDrillers.com or over the phone at 918-744-5901.