Meet new Charlotte Knights manager Wes Helms, whose uncle isn’t who you may think
The Charlotte Knights’ new manager has two excited parents, says he received about 500 emails and Instagram messages in the first two hours after the news of his hire broke and knows little about the makeup of the team he will lead this season.
“It’s been exciting,” said Knights manager Wes Helms, 43, a Gastonia native who spent parts of 13 seasons in the major leagues. “A lot of people have reached out to me.”
Helms played for the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies and appeared in more than 1,200 big league games.
Now he’ll guide the Chicago White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate, which opens play April 9 at Durham and plays its first home game April 16.
During a question-and-answer session, Helms talked about his path — from Gastonia, to the major leagues, and then back to Charlotte.
He also debunked a story about a “relative.”
Is managing something that always interested you?
“Baseball is my passion. Being around the game is what I love. As a player, I always studied the game. I studied the managers I played under — people like Bobby Cox and Charlie Manuel. He (Cox) told me I’d be managing a team one day.
“I watched what worked for them, and over the years, I developed my own program. Now I get a chance to put it in place. What’s exciting is that my first managerial gig is at the Triple-A level, in a great place like Charlotte. That doesn’t happen often.”
What can fans expect from the 2020 Knights?
“Right now, I don’t know. We don’t know who the players will be. It’ll be April, at the end of spring training, before we know which players will be here. But I do know the coaching staff, and I can tell you it’s a group that will work very hard. I know there is a lot of promising talent in the White Sox organization, and I also know the White Sox were very busy in the offseason, acquiring additional talent.”
Is there any additional pressure managing what is essentially a hometown team?
“This is definitely a situation of managing a team in my hometown. But for me, the baseball side won’t change. I’ll do the things I’m going to do. “
What’s been the reaction from family and friends?
“My parents (J.W. and Ann Helms) are really excited. They’ll get to see us more often. My wife is from Birmingham, and we live there in the offseason. We have three kids, and the oldest is a high school junior (a baseball standout who has committed to Auburn). With the kids’ activities, we don’t get back here as much as we’d like. And my parents are getting a bit too old to drive to Birmingham that often. Now they’ll see a lot more of us.
“As for friends … I must have gotten 500 messages in the first couple hours after the Knights made the announcement. I heard from people I haven’t spoken with since second grade. I’m looking forward to getting back in touch.”
How does it feel to be managing a team that your uncle (Tommy) managed?
“He’s not my uncle. That got printed one time on the back of a baseball card, and the story stuck. I’ve even heard stories that he’s my father. He might be a distant relative of mine, but my dad doesn’t think so.” (Tommy Helms managed the Knights in 1990.)
Did you have a coach or manager who inspired you to become a manager one day?
“My coach at Holbrook Middle School (in Lowell) — Ken Beaty. We had a really good team, and as good as I was, he kept me humble. He kept me working. He taught me to keep working — never be satisfied with my current level. He was an inspiration.”
Did you go to Charlotte Knights’ games as a child?
“I went a few times. But I was so busy, playing three sports, that we couldn’t get there very often. I was always playing baseball during baseball season. We went to Braves’ games occasionally.”
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
