In his press conference Wednesday, Red Sox president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski was clear that experience counted when it came to who would be the next manager of the club. “I think managerial experience helps, [but] I don’t think it’s a 100% necessity,” Dombrowski said. “I think being in a dugout during a game, seeing what the manager encounters, is probably helpful.”
Dombrowski said that particularly in Boston, being the club’s manager isn’t an entry-level role. “I do think it would be difficult for a person, more so here than in some other places, to walk directly on to the field without some on-field managerial experience at some level, or big league coaching.”
And yet despite that, the boss also said the current crop of Red Sox coaches weren’t really on the radar to replace Farrell, “I’d say most likely not, but I’m not going to say for sure, not.” In fact, while complimentary to them generally, Dombrowski said the current coaches, all of whom are signed for the 2018 season, are free to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Dombrowski said he spoke with the coaches on Wednesday and would recommend they stay on for 2018, but that the new manager would ultimately have to make that call. “What I told them is that, first of all, I think very highly of them, they’re good people, they’re good baseball people. I would recommend to our new manager any of them, it’s not a problem for me, but I do believe that the new manager needs to have his own coaching staff in place.”
What’s more, despite their contracts for next season, Dombrowski will allow other teams to hire any of the coaches. “I wouldn’t want to stand in their way of getting a job somewhere else if that opportunity came up.”
Three of the Sox coaches played ball with John Farrell. Chili Davis and Gary DiSarcina were teammates of Farrell’s on the 1993-94 Angels. Farrell and Ruben Amaro Jr. were in the Indians organization from 1994-95, playing together for Triple-A Charlotte and Triple-A Buffalo. In a twist of fate, the pair appeared in one major league game together with Cleveland on September 17, 1995 against the Boston Red Sox.
The other members of the current big league coaching staff are Brian Bannister, who is also the club’s Vice President of Pitching Development; Dana LeVangie, who has spent his entire 27-year professional baseball career in the Sox organization; Brian Butterfield; Victor Rodriguez, and Carl Willis.