Rays announce eight managerial candidates
Joe Maddon was the Rays manager for the past nine seasons, but he opted out of his deal a few weeks ago and is now settled on the North Side of Chicago, leaving Tampa Bay as the only vacant managerial job in the majors.
Thursday, in a rather unique move, the Rays unveiled their eight candidates to take over the job in a tweet:
Here's our preliminary group of interview candidates for #Rays manager, shown alphabetically: pic.twitter.com/PeZHb51v6v
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) November 6, 2014"This is a preliminary list of candidates and we expect it will grow as we continue through this process," said president of baseball operations Matt Silverman in a statement. "With a talented core of players and a strong clubhouse culture, our next manager will step into an enviable position. We will look for him to build upon that and take us to the next level."
So the eventual manager may not be on this list. Still, let's quickly run the initial eight candidates down.
Manny Acta -He's highly regarded in baseball circles, but Acta has never had a winning record in parts of six seasons for Washington and Cleveland. One could argue talent was an issue, of course.
Kevin Cash - The former MLB catcher doesn't turn 37 until December and would be the youngest manager in the majors, but he's already been a finalist for the Rangers job. He's been with the Indians' coaching staff the past two seasons.
Craig Counsell -After a 16-year career in which he won two World Series rings and was long considered a very cerebral player, Counsell has been serving as a special assistant to Brewers general manager Doug Melvin since 2012.
Raul Ibanez -He's still technically an active player, as he was with the Royals down the stretch and in the postseason (even if not on the playoff roster). He'd certainly be a fun selection because who doesn't love Raul?
Dave Martinez -He spent 16 seasons in the majors, including parts of three seasons with the Rays and has now served the past six seasons as the Rays' bench coach, making him a pretty natural fit here. Many consider him the favorite.
Charlie Montoyo - He's been the Durham Bulls (Rays' Triple-A affiliate) manager for the past eight seasons. He's twice been the International League Manager of the Year during his tenure.
Don Wakamatsu -Wakamatsu managed the 2009 Mariners to an 85-77 record, but then went just 42-70 in the face of heightened expectations in 2010 before being fired. He was the Blue Jays bench coach the following two seasons and last year was the Royals' bench coach. Remember, lots of successful managers failed their first time around.
Ron Wotus - He's been the Giants' bench coach since 1999, meaning he's been Bruce Bochy's second in command during the run where they won three of the last five World Series.
