Actually Mike Rizzo isn’t accepting résumés for the 2016 Manager job. Our sources tell us that Rizzo has a list that he and his front office have compiled, and he has also received some calls from those who want to be considered. Rizzo this time around is looking for a strategic manager who can communicate well as we have been told. Must have experience. Newbies need not apply.
Names that we are being told that are on the list is Randy Knorr, Bud Black, Ron Gardenhire, Dusty Baker and Rick Renteria. Not sure what they end up doing with Randy Knorr in the organization. Bud Black is at the top of the list.
Other names that are being matched to the Nats are Ryne Sandberg, , Charlie Manuel, Cal Ripken, Ray Knight, Billy Gardner, Don Wakamatsu, Mike Redmond, Bo Porter, and Jim Leyland.
Other suggestions are Ron Wotus who is a bench coach in San Francisco and Dave Martinez the bench coach with the Cubs. In order to interview personnel currently employed by other teams, permission must be given, and we have been told the Nats will seek that permission on Wotus and have not asked about Martinez whose team is currently still alive in the post-season.
Long shots are Joe Girardi and Terry Francona as they are both currently employed which make both a long-shot.
Most amusing name I’ve seen is Buck Showalter. He’s under contract next year, and Angelos won’t let him out of his contract.
Most creative suggestion was Jayson Werth as a player/manager like Frank Robinson once was. That might be a long-long-shot.
Photo Credit ESPN
There could certainly be other names that make the list. Rizzo will work this list harder than his previous lists, and there will certainly be some other names that make Rizzo’s list.
We gave you a list of 20 names. Who else would you suggest? Who is the frontrunner? Who do you predict will be the next Manager of the Washington Nationals?
Jon Daniels was on MLB Radio today and was congratulated on making the playoffs and was asked how he found Jeff Banister as a manager. Daniels says he asked other managers he knew for recommendations and it was Clint Hurdle who recommended his own coach to Daniels.
Daniels said that in part of the due diligence process he did check with players on the Pirates for what they thought of Banister as both a coach and as a person and they didn’t stop there.
Daniels said in Spring Training that Banister immediately took on the adversity with Yu Darvish getting shutdown for Tommy John surgery and called a staff meeting before talking to the players. Daniels said he handled it well. Daniels did say that Bannister has had his share of rookie mistakes and that’s part of the process but it’s how you learn from it.
The Rangers got better as the season went on and surprised everyone but themselves as a playoff team. Now they certainly have a tough road facing the Blue Jays in the playoffs so I don’t think we say Banister is a great manager…just yet. I think the due diligence that Daniels went through in hiring him was extensive. Time will tell how Banister does because as we know, 1 year isn’t a good litmus test.
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