While the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Twins have quickly chosen their next manager, the Texas Rangers don’t seem to be so close to a decision, note recent reports.
In a rather shocking turn of events, the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins named new managers within a few hours of each other, appointing Charlie Montoyo and Rocco Baldelli, respectively. Texas Rangers fans were hopeful that this could potential kickstart the decision-making process for Jon Daniels and company, who’ve been rather quiet on the coaching market.
However, the Rangers don’t seem to be close to making a decision, reports MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. He goes on to note that Eric Chavez, previously considered to be a prime candidate to succeed Mike Scioscia in Los Angeles with the Angels, is a new candidate in the derby. Chavez, a six-time Gold Glove winner and 16-year MLB veteran, was considered one of the favourites for the Angels job before it was given to former Tigers bench boss Brad Ausmus.
Elsewhere in the race, Jon Heyman of Fancred confirmed previous reports by tweeting that Stubby Clapp, currently the the coach of the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, will be interviewing in person. Clapp had previously been rumoured to have interviewed for the Blue Jays position.
Other insiders, including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, have linked the team to Brandon Hyde and Joe Espada, arguably the two most attractive options still left on the market. Phillies third base coach Dusty Wathan, along with interim manager Don Wakamatsu, has also interviewed.
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Though the list of names seems to be growing almost by the day, a resolution doesn’t seem imminent. Especially given the recent additions to the group, it appears unlikely that the team will name a manager before the conclusion of the World Series.
The front office will have to move relatively quickly. The Baltimore Orioles, also moving rather slowly in their search, are the only other team with an immediate managerial vacancy. The Orioles haven’t shown (rumoured) interest in any of the aforementioned Rangers candidates.
Now that the other bigger players have found their skippers, the focus should shift the Rangers, who are far closer to contention than the Orioles, albeit not by much. Logically, Hyde and Espada would slot into the two spots, even if there’s no clear indication as to who might go where.
Aside from them, Clapp, the recently dismissed Paul Molitor, Eduardo Perez of ESPN, Brad Mills, and Billy Ripken could all seek employment, should they desire.
Regardless of the outcome, it’ll surely be an interesting story to follow as the offseason quickly approaches. While the Texas Rangers have been thought to be going for a more “unconventional” set of skills in their next manager, the identity of that manager should soon become easier to predict.