CHICAGO (AP) — Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who’s spent the last three years managing in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system, has aspirations to run a big league team.

The Double-A Tennessee Smokies won their division and the first round of the playoffs in Sandberg’s first season managing them this year. He spent his first two seasons as the skipper at Class A Peoria.

“I’ve taken to this and been pleasantly surprised how much I like doing this and the ultimate thing would be to do it at the major league level, and that’s why I’m trying to gain as much experience as I can and hopefully be a candidate one day with what I’ve done in the past,” Sandberg said Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Sandberg, a 10-time National League All-Star with the Cubs, said his experience in the minors has been important.

“It’s good to see the players coming up and see how things work at the lower levels,” Sandberg said. “If I was lucky enough to be a manager at the major league level, I think that would be some good knowledge, that I know how things work down below and I know what they’re doing and have a feel for that.”

The Cubs won’t have an opening next year at the major league level. Manager Lou Piniella has one year left on his four-year deal.

Sandberg said he expects to get his next assignment from the Cubs in November or December. It will be another chapter in his learning process.

“I believe that just because you’re a Hall of Fame player doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be a good manager or be ready to manage. I think it’s two different things — playing and managing,” he said.

“I’ve found that out first hand these last three years with what goes into managing. This year is much more comfortable with everything and it just kind of came second nature.”

Copy the Story Link