Ex-MLB Star Jack McDowell Named Sock Puppets New Manager, ‘I’m Thrilled!’

From Cy Young winner to Sock Puppets manager?!

Ex-MLB star Jack McDowell has done just that … ’cause the Burlington Sock Puppets — a developmental summer league team for collegiate baseball players — just named him their new manager!

The squad — which is part of the Appalachian League — made the announcement Monday morning … and McDowell said he’s PUMPED for the opportunity.

“As a lifelong participant in the game of baseball, as both a coach and a player, I am thrilled to be managing the Burlington Sock Puppets this summer,” McDowell said in a statement.

“This opportunity is meaningful for me, and I cannot wait to impact the lives of countless collegiate baseball players in the Appalachian League this year. It is going to be a positive and fun season!”

If you’re unfamiliar, the Appalachian League comprises of 10 teams in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia … and it’s designed to help rising freshman and sophomores in college refine their skills with wooden bats over a 54-game, summer season.

The Sock Puppets clearly believe McDowell has the goods to help their players best … with the team’s general manager, Anderson Rathbun, saying Monday, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have someone leading our team with a resume quite lack Jack’s.”

55-year-old McDowell won the Cy Young back in 1993 while pitching for the White Sox … and he made the All-Star team 3 times in his 12-year, big-league career.