Who Will Be The Red Sox Manager in 2020?

[mvp 78]

By Ian Browne @IanMBrowne

January 14, 2020

BOSTON -- Spring Training starts in a month. In other words, there is no time like the present for the Red Sox to find their next manager.

 

On Tuesday, the Sox decided to part ways with manager Alex Cora. The news came a day after Cora was named in Major League Baseball's findings from its investigation of the Astros' sign-stealing allegations in 2017.

 

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will hit the ground running, and here are some names that could pique his interest in his search for the 48th manager in Red Sox history.

 

Internal candidates

 

Ron Roenicke

Cora’s trusted bench coach the last two seasons, Roenicke would provide the most seamless transition during this unsettling time for the Red Sox. He also has previous experience, managing the Brewers from 2011-15 and posting a 342-331 record. Roenicke already has good relationships with the players.

 

Jason Varitek

Boston’s former catcher, captain and two-time World Series champion has been billed as a future manager since his playing days. Perhaps that time has finally come. Varitek has worked in the Red Sox organization since 2012 and is well-versed in all areas of the game. Though his title was as a special assistant to the president of baseball operations, Varitek has done most of his work for the Red Sox on the field. He is an expert on game plans for a pitching staff. This would be a popular choice with the fan base.

 

Carlos Febles

Febles served as Boston’s third-base coach and infield instructor the last two seasons, and he's been in the organization for 13 years. Febles paid his dues in the Minor Leagues, where he managed 904 games. His easygoing personality would make him a popular choice with the players. Febles knows the mindset of a Major League player, having spent a six-year career with the Royals.

 

Billy McMillon

A rising name in the Minors, McMillon managed Boston’s Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate last season after serving as the skipper for the club’s Class A affiliates in Greenville and Salem before that. McMillon has strong knowledge of the outfield and baserunning from his six-year career in the Majors.

 

External candidates

 

Matt Quatraro

Keep a close eye on this candidate. Quatraro is the bench coach for the Rays, and Bloom is extremely familiar with his ability as a coach. Quatraro was a finalist for the Pirates' manager job and also interviewed with the Giants. He is known for having strong communication skills with players and has the smarts to handle the analytics-driven approach the Rays deploy. MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reports that Quatraro is unlikely to be a candidate, however. Rays staffers who have left organization to become GMs and managers in the past typically have not taken other employees with them, Rosenthal reports, adding that some teams have rules in place to that effect.

 

Dino Ebel

Ebel spent more than a decade as a Minor League manager for the Dodgers before getting the chance to coach third base for Angels manager Mike Scioscia in 2005. Ebel coached with Scioscia for more than a decade and was eventually elevated to bench coach. He is currently the third-base coach for the Dodgers and is respected throughout the game for his thorough baseball knowledge.

 

Joe McEwing

White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing is no stranger to getting interviewed for managerial jobs, having done so four times before. The scrappy attitude that served him so well as a player would certainly play in Boston. McEwing actually finished his playing career for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2007.

 

Mark Kotsay

The quality control coach for the A’s, Kotsay was a finalist for the Giants’ managerial job, which went to Gabe Kapler. During his playing days, Kotsay had a brief run with the Red Sox from 2008-09 and was respected throughout the clubhouse at that time for his intangibles and work ethic.

 

Eduardo Pérez

Going from television to managing is hardly a novelty anymore. Aaron Boone did it two years ago, and perhaps Pérez could be next. There are few former players in the game who are more universally liked among peers. Pérez has a natural way of relating to people, which would certainly help him as a manager. And his baseball intellect is well known.

 

Hensley Meulens

Sure, Meulens just got the job as bench coach with the Mets under rookie manager Carlos Beltrán. But he’d likely jump at the chance to vacate that post and realize his dream of becoming a manager. Keep in mind that Meulens was the runner-up for the Yankees job that went to Boone. Meulens speaks five languages (English, Spanish, Dutch, Papiamento and Japanese), which would be a huge asset in managing a Major League team.

 

Ian Browne has covered the Red Sox for MLB.com si

[mvp 78]

I think they go with an external hire. Otherwise, they open themselves up to the risk of the new hire also being implicated in the Cora situation.

 

Or they just have to wait until the punishment is meted out.

[Bellhorn04]

Febles is an unfortunate name for a prospective Red Sox manager.

[mvp 78]

Febles is an unfortunate name for a prospective Red Sox manager.

 

Yeah if you don't know how to pronounce it I guess.

[notin]

Febles is an unfortunate name for a prospective Red Sox manager.

 

That it is.

 

While not in the same vein, I like the name “Kotsay.” Not many managers have Pig Latin names...

[mvp 78]

That it is.

 

While not in the same vein, I like the name “Kotsay.” Not many managers have Pig Latin names...

 

You sonuvabitch...

[mvp 78]

That name is now ruined for me forever.

[Slasher9]

That name is now ruined for me forever.

 

i dont get it. please explain?

[notin]

That name is now ruined for me forever.

 

Should I assume the same for Lyle Overbay?

[mvp 78]

i dont get it. please explain?

 

pig Lat·in

/ˈpiɡ ˌlatn/

noun

a made-up language formed from English by transferring the initial consonant or consonant cluster of each word to the end of the word and adding a vocalic syllable (usually ˈpiɡ ˌlatn: so chicken soup would be translated to ickenchay oupsay . Pig Latin is typically spoken playfully, as if to convey secrecy.

 

Mark's Christian name is Mark Skot.

[mvp 78]

Should I assume the same for Lyle Overbay?

 

Bover isn't as bad as Skot.

[Slasher9]

pig Lat·in

/ˈpiɡ ˌlatn/

noun

a made-up language formed from English by transferring the initial consonant or consonant cluster of each word to the end of the word and adding a vocalic syllable (usually ˈpiɡ ˌlatn: so chicken soup would be translated to ickenchay oupsay . Pig Latin is typically spoken playfully, as if to convey secrecy.

 

Mark's Christian name is Mark Skot.

 

i still dont get it

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[mvp 78]

i still dont get it

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

That's ok.

[Elktonnick]

Astros interviewed Showalter yesterday. Based on the list they published it looks like they are going outside the organization and are looking for experience. It will be curious to see if Boston takes a similar course although I doubt it.

[mvp 78]

@PeteAbe

The idea of a veteran manager with integrity who would know how to handle all the questions and get the team focused on the season makes sense. Bruce Bochy has said he wants the time off. But Dusty Baker fits that profile. Mike Scioscia, too.

[Elktonnick]

@PeteAbe

The idea of a veteran manager with integrity who would know how to handle all the questions and get the team focused on the season makes sense. Bruce Bochy has said he wants the time off. But Dusty Baker fits that profile. Mike Scioscia, too.

 

I hope Bloom listens to Pete and follows the same course that Astros appear to be following.

[Slasher9]

if it's sciosca then i will never ever forgive WTF

[a700hitter]

if it's sciosca then i will never ever forgive WTF

Scioscia was overrated and his arguing balls and strikes from the first pitch in is annoying.

[mvp 78]

if it's sciosca then i will never ever forgive WTF

 

It's totally what is going to happen then.

[a700hitter]

Astros interviewed Showalter.

 

Bochy, Bochy, Bochy! Make him an offer that he can’t refuse. Henry needs a bold move here to restore integrity to his franchise. Bochy would do that.

[Slasher9]

It's totally what is going to happen then.

 

wait...when did i become jacksoninamarch??!!

[notin]

@PeteAbe

The idea of a veteran manager with integrity who would know how to handle all the questions and get the team focused on the season makes sense. Bruce Bochy has said he wants the time off. But Dusty Baker fits that profile. Mike Scioscia, too.

 

Scioscia won’t work. We don’t have a closer for him to burn out..,

[Elktonnick]

Scioscia won’t work. We don’t have a closer for him to burn out..,

 

Scoscia often was accused of calling pitches from the dugout.which he denied. I think he would be too much of a pain in the ass for Bloom who has enough on his plate without having to deal with Scoscia's oversized ego.

[notin]

Scoscia often was accused of calling pitches from the dugout.which he denied. I think he twould be too much of a pain in the ass for Bloom who has enough on his plate without having to deal with Scoscia's oversized ego.

 

 

He also seems to publicly downplay the defensive contributions of any catcher who can hit, otherwise he might find himself admitting there were better all around catchers than he is...

[a700hitter]

If we can't get Bochy, I'd support hiring MVP just to see the dugout fistfights with Pedroia.

[notin]

If we can't get Bochy, I'd support hiring MVP just to see the dugout fistfights with Pedroia.

 

So you think Pedroia will see the dugout this year?

[mvp 78]

If we can't get Bochy, I'd support hiring MVP just to see the dugout fistfights with Pedroia.

 

I wouldn't let him in that cancer in the clubhouse.

[fxkatt]

The Mets will be in the manager hunt soon, too. Weird 3 new managers needed on big market teams just before spring training. This will never happen again.

[mvp 78]

The Mets will be in the manager hunt soon, too. Weird 3 new managers needed on big market teams just before spring training. This will never happen again.

 

Sooner than you thought. Beltran just stepped down.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I can see Bochy because he was universally loved by his players, or Baker, with his laidback perspective. But I want nothing to do with sourpuss rags like Scioscia or Showalter.

 

Cora connected with, helped and motivated his players, and getting an opposite type of personality is not what is needed for a clubhouse of young veterans about to enter their primes (I'm still paranoid about someone like Valentine). However, I really don't know how players view Scoisc or Buck, just the public perception of them constantly complaining during and after games for years and years.