Joliet Slammers Part Ways With Manager Mike Pinto, Who Collected 900th Career Win During 2025 Season

JOLIET, IL — Following a terrible season of baseball in which the Joliet Slammers stumbled to a disappointing 42-60 record, the team announced on Thursday that Mike Pinto's days of managing the Slammers ballclub are over.

The team posted a short statement on its Facebook page indicating that "the Joliet Slammers have announced that Mike Pinto is no longer serving as the club's field manager. We would like to thank Mike for his time with the Slammers and his contributions to the organization and Joliet. The Slammers will begin the process of identifying our next field manager for the 2027 season."

According to the Slammers website, the 2026 season marked Pinto’s 19th season as a manager in Independent League Baseball. Before joining the Slammers in 2024, he spent 14 years managing the Southern Illinois Miners to 13 winning seasons culminating in seven playoff appearances, four division titles, and winning the Frontier League Championship in 2012 with a 55-39 record in Southern Illinois.

Last October, the news surrounding Pinto's return for the 2026 season was a lot more cheerful as the Joliet Slammers issued a glowing press release proclaiming, "the Joliet Slammers are proud to announce the re-signing of Field Manager Mike Pinto to a multi-year contract extension marking another chapter in his long and successful tenure in the Frontier League and third season with the Slammers.

"With Pinto’s steady leadership and proven ability to develop talent, the Slammers are well-positioned to build sustained success in the seasons ahead. Since joining the Slammers, Pinto has already helped the club in strengthening its culture on and off the field. In addition to collecting his 900th career win last season, he led three Slammers All-Stars to New York and his focus on player development was on full display as Ian Battipaglia earned the honor of Frontier League Rookie of the Year under Pinto’s guidance. With Pinto’s steady leadership and proven ability to develop talent, the Slammers are well-positioned to build sustained success in the seasons ahead.

“Bringing Mike back was never in doubt,” said Night Train Veeck, Executive Vice President. “His strong track record for developing players, forging strong cultures, and connecting with the Joliet community makes him an ideal leader for our clubhouse. He has been instrumental in building the team over the last two seasons, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him back on the field in 2026."