Isotopes name Wallach new manager

A familiar name in baseball circles will take the helm for the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2009. The team named former Major League third baseman and hitting coach Tim Wallach manager Monday.

Lorenzo Bundy, who had been named 'Topes manager in late October, was tabbed in December to coach first base in '09 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Wallach, a veteran of 17 Major League seasons with the Montreal Expos (1980-'92), Los Angeles Dodgers (1993-'96) and California Angels ('96), retired with 2,085 hits, 260 career home runs and 1,125 RBIs. He was named to the National League All-Star Team five times and was a three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Wallach led the National League with 42 doubles in '87 and '89.

Having retired following the '96 season, Wallach was named hitting instructor for Class A San Bernadino in '97 and stepped in as manager of the team for the second half of the '98 season. He spent the 2000 season coaching at Cal State-Fullerton (his alma mater) before taking over as manager of the Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) in '01.

Wallach was the hitting coach for the Dodgers at the Major League level under Jim Tracy in '04 and '05.

A California native, Wallach led Cal State-Fullerton to the 1979 College World Series title and earned that year's Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the nation's top amateur player.