The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have announced today that Stan Cliburn will return to manage the 2023 Blue Crabs. The California Angels drafted the former minor-league catcher in the fifth round of the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft. Cliburn went on to appear in just 54 games in the majors but appeared in over nine-hundred games throughout his professional career.
Before making his way to Southern Maryland for the first time in 2015, Cliburn held a wide variety of positions for many minor leagues and independent coaching positions. Following a 2015 playoff run with the Blue Crabs, Cliburn managed the New Britain Bees for two seasons before returning to Southern Maryland in 2019. In 2021, Cliburn led the Blue Crabs to their first playoff run since 2017, and that was just the beginning of what 2022 had in store.
Not only did the 2022 Blue Crabs break numerous franchise records, the North Division First-Half champions also broke a number of league records. In 2022, Stan led the Blue Crabs to a record-breaking .727 win percentage throughout the first half of the season. A league-best by a long shot. At one point, Southern Maryland had a .870 win percentage, which was among the best in all professional baseball at the time.
“Southern Maryland has turned into a second home for me over these last few years,” said Cliburn. “These last few years we’ve had some really good guys come through this organization, and I’m excited to get back to chasing an ALPB Championship.”
“This franchise has gone to great heights under the leadership of Stan Cliburn,” said Blue Crabs GM Courtney Knichel. “We are all very proud of what they accomplished in 2022 and we can’t wait to see where this team can go in 2023.”