The Top 100 coaches most likely to become MLB managers

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout before his last game as Giants manager, the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on September 29, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout before his last game as Giants manager, the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on September 29, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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Mike Sarbaugh, Cleveland Guardians, MLB managers, MLB coaching staffs
May 11, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Leonys Martin (2) receives congratulations from third base coach Mike Sarbaugh (16) after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

19) Mike Sarbaugh

Mike Sarbaugh is another coach on Cleveland’s coaching staff that could be a managerial candidate.

Sarbaugh, 54, started his playing career in 1989 and he has been with Cleveland in some capacity since 1990. He was a minor league player with them through the 1994 season and then, starting in 1995, he became a minor league coach. He has had numerous titles under his belt from then until 2004, when he started managing.

Sarbaugh spent a season at Short-Season A (2004), a season at Single-A (2005), two seasons at Advanced-A (2006-2007), two seasons at Double-A (2008-2009), and three seasons at Triple-A (2010-2012) before being promoted to the MLB coaching staff.

He was their first base coach in 2013 but has been their third base coach since 2014. With Terry Francona’s aforementioned health issues, Sarbaugh has technically been the third base coach in both 2020 and 2021 but he has been the interim bench coach for both times that Francona has been out in the last two seasons.

20) George Lombard

George Lombard is entering his second season as Detroit Tigers bench coach in 2022.

Lombard, 46, had a 16-year playing career spending parts of six of those seasons in the majors from 1998 through 2006. He became a minor league hitting coach in 2010 for Boston and served as the Rookie-ball manager for them in 2011 and 2012.

From 2013 through 2015, Lombard was the minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator for the Red Sox before joining the Braves in the same capacity. However, before he could do that, Lombard was hired by the Dodgers as their MLB first base coach for the 2016 season.

He held that role through the 2020 season before joining Hinch, who he was friends with from their time as players with Detroit in the minors at the turn of the millennium.

He has been a managerial candidate before as Lombard was interviewed by the Tigers to become their manager when Hinch was hired.