Meet the Candidates for Red Sox Managers
Red Sox fans across New England took a collective sigh of relief when this abomination of a season finally came to an end, and first year manager Bobby Valentine was fired. It is safe to say that most of us believe the Sox will be much better off next year without Valentine and his constant need for media attention, but now the question becomes, who is the right fit for the Sox managerial role? Whomever it is will be immediately faced with rebuilding the storied franchise, as well as managing in one of the most pressure-filled environments in all of baseball. Here’s the shortlist as of right now for the position:
John Farrell: The current manager of the Toronto Blue Jays (below) is considered to be the front runner for the job, as he was the Red Sox pitching coach during their two World Series wins, which led to him being hired with the Blue Jays. He is very familiar with the Red Sox organization and has longstanding relationships with many of the current starting pitchers. The Blue Jays however, are not going to let go of Farrell easily, and are expected to have an extremely high asking price for their current manager.
Dave Martinez: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays bench coach is considered to be one of the best assistant coaches in the game and after coaching under Joe Madden is believed to be ready for his own manager position. He has AL East experience as both a coach and a former outfielder, and would be a good fit in Boston. The only downside is that he, of course, has no managerial experience.
Brad Ausmus: The recently retired catcher, is now the Special Assistant to Baseball Operations for the San Diego Padres, and has had his name thrown around for possible manager jobs including the Houston Astros. Many believe his great knowledge of the game would make him a perfect manager. But again, his lack of experience is a definite downside.
Tony Pena (below): The Yankees Bench Coach, and former manager of the Kansas City Royals is believed to be another front runner for the job. He won the American League Manager of the Year award in 2003 with the Royals, and definitely has the experience in the AL East that a Red Sox manager would need to have.
Demarlo Hale: Another front runner for the job, Hale is currently the Baltimore Orioles third base coach, and a former Red Sox bench coach. He is another guy that knows and understands the Red Sox organization and many of its players. He also has managerial experience in the minor leagues with the Red Sox AA affiliate.
Image 1 Via: www.bleacherreport.com
Image 2 via : www.nydailynews.com