"I'm excited to come to the Tigers and I felt this was a good opportunity," Newman said from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. "The way they run things and the way they move people is exciting. It gives you a boost of excitement."

Newman becomes the 26th manager in Oneonta history, the seventh since the team switched its affiliation from the New York Yankees to Detroit in 1999.

Newman inherits a team that has won four of the last six Stedler Division crowns. "Me and my wife (Megan) have been discussing it this week and it's a great opportunity for me, not just to manage, but to get in the Detroit organization."

Newman, 28, has spent his entire professional career in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, including the last three seasons as a coach. Newman played for in 2002 and coached the Crosscutters in 2006 but has never been to Oneonta.

Still, he became familiar with the area as a coach under former O-Tigers manager Kevin Bradshaw in the Hawaiian Winter League this year.

"He said the people are great, it's a beautiful area and a fun place to go in the summer," Newman said of Bradshaw, who managed the O-Tigers in their first season as an affiliate of Detroit, in 1999. "I heard things as a player about the ballpark, but I've heard they've done some things with the park."

Newman also coached this past season at Single-A Hickory under Gary Green, who managed Oneonta in 2000 and 2001.

Newman is the son of former major leaguer Jeff Newman, who played in nine major league seasons with the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox. He also coached third base for 14 years at the major-league level with Cleveland, Oakland, Baltimore and Seattle.

An infielder who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002, Ryan Newman played three seasons in the minor leagues for the Pirates, peaking at Single-A Lynchburg in 2004. A career .189 hitter (77-for-407), Newman had three doubles, a home run and 33 RBIs in his three professional seasons.