Phillies: Two former players up for managerial jobs
Two former Phillies are candidates for multiple managerial jobs
Former Phillies infielders David Bell and John McDonald are among the rumored names in the Toronto Blue Jays open manager position, per Ken Rosenthal. Bell has also been named in the Cincinnati Reds manager search, and his father, Buddy, is a member of Cincinnati’s front office.
Bell is the San Francisco Giants vice president of player development, a title similar to the one Gabe Kapler held with the Dodgers when he was director of player development. After retiring in 2006 Bell was a minor league manager in the Reds system and was a coach on the Cubs major league staff.
Philadelphia fans know Bell from his four unillustrious seasons with the Phillies that spanned four 2003-06. He played parts of 12 seasons for six clubs before going into management.
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McDonald is a less well-known name for most Phillies fans, but he donned the red pinstripes for 21 games in 2013. A very good defensive player, McDonald spent 7 of his 16 seasons in Toronto. Philadelphia acquired McDonald in June of ’13 in a season where McDonald was traded four times. Philadelphia made the fourth deal when they shipped him to Boston in August for pitcher Nefi Ogando.
Players like Bell and McDonald appear to be the type of person teams want to be their manager nowaday. After teams went from the grizzled managers like Davey Johnson, Charlie Manuel, and Bobby Cox, to Hall of Famers like Ryne Sandberg and Paul Molitor, and now they’re targeting bench players like Gabe Kapler, Aaron Boone, and A.J. Hinch.
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It’s the new trend in baseball that the Blue Jays, Angels, Reds, Twins, and Orioles are searching for in their new managers. Will it go the way of Hall of Fame players being managers or will it take the path of the grizzled managers and stick around?