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The Mariners are continuing their search for a manager, and while it's mostly been quiet since our last update, Jon Heyman wrote a small column last night highlighting a few names we've heard before, and a couple of new ones.
Heyman says the M's have a "long short list" of 20 names, and Joe Girardi is nowhere to be found on it. That's really not a surprise, given the current state of affairs in the Mariners front office, and the three names passed along are much smaller profile guys. Let's run them down.
Chip Hale is currently the bench coach for the A's, though he has managing experience in the minors, having previously been with the Diamondbacks organization, winning PCL manager of the year once. In between those stints, he was with the Mets as a third base coach.
Fun facts about Chip Hale:
- Played between 67 and 69 games in three consecutive years for the Twins in the 90s
- Hit the ball that Rodney McCray famously ran through the outfield wall trying to catch in a 1991 minor league game
- Is named Chip
Ron Wotus is another bench coach who once won PCL manager of the year. Wotus has been with the Giants organization for 25 years, dating back to his days as a player starting in 1988, then as a minor league manager from 91-97. In 1999, Wotus became the Giants bench coach, and he hasn't left that role since.
Fun Ron Wotus facts:
- Made his major league debut when I was a week old
- Was minor league teammates with Barry Bonds in 1986 for the Pirates PCL affiliate in Hawaii
- Walked more times than he struck out in over 900 minor league games
Pete Mackanin is 62 years old and is currently employed as the third base coach for the Phillies, hired yesterday. He's spent time as a coach with the Expos, Pirates, and Reds, and has twice been an interim manager -- once for the Pirates and once for the Reds, who eventually replaced him with Dusty Baker. After leaving Cincinnati, Mackanin went to Philadelphia, where he served as a bench coach for three years before leaving the organization for a year, returning yesterday.
Fun Pete Mackanin facts:
- Played seven different positions in his major league career
- Had a .268 OPS his rookie season
- Likes apple pie, probably