Full disclosure, I began a light draft of this blog post — completely tempting fate, late last week when only a few twitter randos and Dan Bernstein of the Score were talking about the end of Tony La Russa’s tenure as White Sox manager.
In a press release Monday afternoon Tony, and the Sox made it official.
This doesn’t mean I’m not still tempting fate on two other fronts, however:
That the White Sox will actually conduct a lengthy interview process involving a wide range of candidates would qualify as a miracle.
And that anyone listed below will even be the choice and they just go ahead and attempt to convince someone like, say, Papa Emeritus IV to quit his band and come manage a MLB team. (Hey he's already got the uniform!)
But whatever! Let's dive deep on my favorite (and not so favorite candidates) and see why they should be hired and why they won't.
Joe Espada (Houston Astros)
Why He Should Be Hired:
Espada, 47, would come from the bench in Houston, one of the best teams in the American League, not to mention one steeped in the kind of analytical thinking so desperately needed in Chicago. Joe also has a front office background, working as a special assistant to Brian Cashman in New York. He also checks the box of a Latin American coach to connect with the Hispanic players on the Sox. Espada was also a co-runner up for the Mets job last year, so he is certainly a hot commodity.
Why He Won’t:
The White Sox have a deep-seated fear of ever going outside the organization when hiring a manager. Espada also has it good with a great organization in Houston, none of the stink on him from the cheating scandal and being next in the line of succession to a 73 year old Dusty Baker. He might just want to stay and avoid the clean-up job required of him in Chicago.
Sandy Alomar Jr. (Cleveland Guardians)
Why He Should Be Hired:
Alomar, 56, checks a lot of boxes for the White Sox: A former player -- having two different stints on the south side from 2001-02, and again in 2006. He is a Latin American manager and is coming from a division rival, one that just STOMPED the Sox on their way to the AL Central crown in 2022. He's also worked under a future HOF baseball person in Terry Francona since 2013, so the pedigree for Alomar is strong. When Tito stepped away for medical reasons in 2020, Alomar led Cleveland to a 28-18 record as interim manager and Wild Card playoff berth.
Why He Won’t:
Terry Francona has stated that he "sees the finish line" on his career as a manager, so perhaps Alomar, who was a mainstay in the dominant Cleveland teams of the 90's, sees it as his destiny to eventually take over the job. Alomar has also been the bridesmaid but never the bride several times since he began coaching, interviewing for jobs with The Cubs, Red Sox and Blue Jays. Perhaps there is a reason he wasn’t chosen that we just don’t know.
Justin Jirschele (Birmingham Barons)
Why He Should Be Hired:
Jirschele, 32, would be the youngest manager in big league history. Quite the contrast from the near octogenarian that has been managing the last two seasons. He would be able to relate to the players on the team having been a player rather recently. Jirschele has been working his way up the Sox managerial farm system (which isn't a thing and only applies to him -- which is kind of cool) since retiring as a player in 2015. He's put in time as manager starting in 2017 with Kannapolis, Winston-Salem and Birmingham. In that time he's managed the following players (and possible future Sox players):
Jake Burger
Gavin Sheets
Seby Zavala
Dylan Cease
Jimmy Lambert
Luis Robert
Andrew Vaughn
Romy Gonzalez
Lenyn Sosa
Davis Martin
Jose Rodriguez
Oscar Colas
Colson Montgomery
Jirschele was also entrusted to lead Project Birmingham, and while it was only a few weeks, it certainly showed that the Sox think highly of him.
Why He Won’t:
He is still VERY young, and while the team isn't chock full of crusty veterans who might tune out a manager that is their junior, he would just heading up a core of guys that have been together for years. Perhaps his thoughts would fall on deaf ears even if he managed them when they were younger players in the system. There is also every chance that he's just not ready to make that leap to the big leagues like a lot of "prospects".
Matt Quatraro (Tampa Bay Rays)
Why He Should Be Hired:
Quatraro, 48, would come from the smartest, most progressive franchise in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays. He's been bench coach for Kevin Cash since 2019 and has bounced around the organization before that, managing a few farm club teams and being the minor league hitting coordinator from 2010-2013. Like Espada, Quatraro was also a finalist for the Mets job, so he is in demand.
Why He Won’t:
I once again have to bring up the allergy to looking outside the "family" for the White Sox. He also could see a franchise transition from Tampa Bay to Chicago as a very undesirable swap and choose to take another open gig. He's also another middle aged white guy whose low key demeanor has been (jokingly) described as the "Fun Police" by some Rays players. Might not be the best fit for this team.
Miguel Cairo (Chicago White Sox)
Why He Should Be Hired:
Cairo, 48, took over the White Sox on August 28th after La Russa stepped away for pacemaker issues. The team responded by hitting home runs in droves, and piling up wins. Lots of damning quotes about the contrast in styles between the two came out with players sounding more relaxed and having more fun. Plus, his stuff is already here.
Why He Won’t:
However, they also couldn't step up when they absolutely needed to. Getting swept by Cleveland and proceeding to lose 8 games in a row. While he can be applauded for stepping into a bad situation and making the most of it, just handing him the job with no other interviews like Rick Hahn handed the job to Ricky Renteria in 2017 is a mistake the GM can't afford to make again.
Bruce Bochy (Sipping cocktails on a beach)
Why He Should Be Hired:
Bochy, 67, is a 3-time World Series winning Manager who was supposedly Jerry Reinsdorf's safety school if TLR turned down the offer. While he's past retirement age, he's not nearly as old as La Russa and managed more recently. He's a no non-sense type of guy that would probably get more out of this team as a respected elder statesman.
Why He Won’t:
This would just feel too similar, wouldn't it? I have no doubts that Bochy is currently a better, more capable manager than Tony La Russa, but the fact remains he was retired. He's only been out for a few years, not the decade that La Russa was gone. It would just be a re-hash of what was done before and that would just deflate an already flat fan base.
Ozzie Guillen (On TV)
Why He Should Be Hired:
He shouldn’t.
Why He Won’t:
He won’t.
Bonus: Literally don't hire anyone from the past like Pierzynski, Thome, Rowand, or Konerko -- If they aren't currently managing anywhere in the minors or coaching at the big league level, they shouldn't be hired. Don't Ventura this.
Double Bonus: AJ Hinch, might or might not have a double secret opt out of his contract and with a new GM who didn’t' hire him now in charge in Detroit, Hinch could be a free agent. I would hire him in a second, but I don't think Jerry Reinsdorf can be convinced to look past the cheating scandal -- if that was indeed a stumbling block in the 2020 offseason.
All in all, if the Sox decide to actually do the damn thing and try and find something that works in a normal way, by talking to everyone and seeing what people have to offer, they have a good chance to get someone that can hopefully right the ship in 2023.