John Boles (baseball)

John E. Boles, Jr. (born August 19, 1948 in Chicago) is an American professional baseball front-office executive, and a former manager in Major League Baseball and college baseball head coach. As of 2013, he was the senior adviser to the general manager for player development for the Kansas City Royals.

Boles spent two terms—1996 (July 11 through the end of the season), and 1999 through May 28, 2001—as manager of the Florida Marlins, compiling a win-loss record of 205–241 (.460). He also served two separate terms as a member of the Royals' front office, in addition to executive positions with the Marlins, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners, and was a minor league manager in both the Chicago White Sox and Royals organizations.

Boles graduated from Leo Catholic High School in Chicago in 1966, and Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois, in 1970. He did not play professional baseball, and began his career as a college baseball coach at St. Xavier University (1973–79) and the University of Louisville (1980–81). He joined the White Sox system as manager of their Rookie League affiliate, the GCL White Sox, in 1981.