John Russell was a perpetual back-up catcher/outfielder/first baseman for the Phils through the mid-'80s, playing in 259 games for the team from 1984 through 1988. In that span, he hit .232 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI. The Phillies' first round draft pick in 1982, John made his Major League debut on June 22, 1984 when he was the starting left-fielder in a line-up consisting of Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt and Johnny Wockenfuss.In March 1989, the Phils sold John to the Atlanta Braves, where he'd only play one season. He finished his career with the Texas Rangers, playing in parts of four seasons with the club from 1990 to 1993. He had the good fortune to catch Nolan Ryan's sixth career no-hitter on June 11, 1990.
After retiring as a player, John managed in the Minnesota Twins' minor league system (1995-2002), coached for the Pirates (2003-2005) and managed the Phillies' AAA teams in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Ottawa (2006-2007). He interviewed for the Phillies' managerial vacancy in 2002, but the job would eventually go to Larry Bowa. In 2008, he took over as the manager of the Pirates. The team has struggled of late, but recent trades have brought in a crop of promising prospects.
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