Dennis Nels Holmberg (born August 2, 1951) is an American

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

manager for the

Bluefield Blue Jays The Bluefield Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. The team played their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park, a histori ...

, and was a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

player for eight seasons in the minor leagues. Holmberg attended Brewton-Parker College and was chosen by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

in the 58th round of the 1969 amateur draft, but he declined to sign with them. The next year he was drafted in the 5th round by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, and he played eight seasons in their

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

. He began his professional career with the 1970

Newark Co-Pilots The Newark Co-Pilots were a minor league baseball team based in Newark, New York that played in the New York–Penn League from 1968 to 1979. They were affiliated with the Seattle Pilots from 1968 to 1969 and with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1970 ...

, splitting his time between

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

and the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

. In 1971, he was a part-time third baseman with the Danville Warriors. Holmberg spent the 1972 campaign with the San Antonio Brewers. In 1973, Dennis split his time between Danville and

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. In 1974 Holmberg was back in Danville. Playing for Burlington in 1975, Holmberg did well at the plate but poorly in the field having thirty-eight errors at third base. In 1976, Holmberg played for Burlington again, and he rounded out his playing career with sixteen games in

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

in 1977. After his playing career ended, he became a longtime member of the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

organization. Holmberg began his managerial career in the Brewers chain with the

in 1977. He moved to the Blue Jays chain with the

Medicine Hat Blue Jays The Medicine Hat Blue Jays were a Rookie League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the Pioneer League and located in the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. They played a total of 25 seasons; 1978 through 2002. Their home field was ...

in 1979. He jumped to the Kinston Eagles in 1980, then managed the Florence Blue Jays from 1981 to 1984. In 1986 he returned to Medicine Hat for one year. Holmberg managed the

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

from 1990 to 1993. In 1994 and 1995, Holmberg was the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

coach for the

. He returned to Dunedin in 1996 and 1997. From 2002 to 2010, he managed the

Auburn Doubledays The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, leading the team to the best record in the league in 2003 and 2004. In 2011, he began managing the

of the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

. He was named Appalachian League Manager of the Year for 2011. Holmberg was announced as the manager for the fourth consecutive season on June 13, 2014, giving him a total of 36 years with the Blue Jays organization. Dennis Holmberg has won Minor League Baseball‘s 10th annual Mike Coolbaugh Award. Holmberg will receive the award at the Baseball Winter Meetings Banquet on Sunday, December 10, at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida. The Mike Coolbaugh Award is presented annually to an individual who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field. On June 14, 2018, it was announced that Holmberg would be inducted into the

Florida State League Hall of Fame The Florida State League Hall of Fame was created in 2009 to honor the best players, managers, umpires and executives in the long history of the Florida State League. The inaugural class was selected by a committee and be officially enshrined in No ...

on November 13.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmberg, Dennis 1951 births Living people Baseball players from Nebraska Brewton–Parker Barons baseball players Minor league baseball managers People from Fremont, Nebraska Newark Co-Pilots players Danville Warriors players San Antonio Brewers players Shreveport Captains players Burlington Bees players Holyoke Millers players 20th-century American sportsmen