On Friday, the Texas Rangers fired manager Jeff Banister after four seasons. Banister had won two divisional titles and more than half the regular-season games he managed. Nonetheless, Texas desired a new skipper, and a new skipper it will get in the coming months.
Just who might succeed Banister? Let's speculate wildly by looking at 10 potential candidates. Note that the individuals are presented in alphabetical order, not in order of likelihood.
Sandy Alomar Jr.
Alomar Jr. has been a managerial candidate for nearly a decade now, making shortlists since the 2010 offseason. He's yet to get a job, but perhaps this is the winter that changes. Alomar Jr. is bilingual and has spent years learning under Terry Francona. That could make him a good fit for a team whose core is young and diverse and in need of further development.
Carlos Beltran
Beltran hasn't been retired for all of a year yet, but he would make sense for the Rangers for the same reasons he appealed to the Yankees last winter. He's a respected former player who is open-minded toward analytics and who served as a conduit between the front office and his younger teammates during his later days in Houston.
Mark DeRosa
While the Yankees considered Beltran, they ultimately chose Aaron Boone, who they pulled from the television industry. Might the Rangers do the same with DeRosa? He's spent the past few years serving as an MLB Network analyst, but has nonetheless gained supposed as a genuine managerial candidate following a 16-year big-league career that included time in Texas.
Joe Espada
Espada was formerly on Joe Girardi's staff and has since moved to serve as the bench coach with the Astros, taking Alex Cora's old job. That's good company to keep, and a sign that he's well-regarded within the industry. He's not a big name or a former big-league player like most others on this list, but he could still find himself as someone's skipper in the near future.
Hensley Meulens
Depending on Bruce Bochy's health, it's at least possible the Giants have designs on Meulens serving as their next manager. All the same, Meulens is an intriguing candidate elsewhere because of his vast experience on winning teams and his ability to speak five languages. He nearly landed the Yankees job last winter.
Charlie Montoyo
If the Rangers are serious about developing their younger players, then hiring someone like Montoyo would make sense. Prior to joining the Rays' big-league staff, he enjoyed a successful run as their Triple-A skipper. Given he's spent this year as their bench coach, he's likely in tune with analytics and progressive strategies as well. If the Rangers are serious about going to the "opener," then Montoyo might be the person best suited for the gig.
Ivan Rodriguez
Okay, so Rodriguez is probably not a realistic candidate. But it would be cool, right?
Don Wakamatsu
Wakamatsu is currently serving as the Rangers' interim manager. He has previous managerial experience, having captained the Mariners for a season-plus in 2009-10. Wakamatsu seems to have fans in the Rangers organization, too, given he's worked under three managers now. Odds are, Texas will look elsewhere. But Wakamatsu could well find himself on a fourth skipper's staff come spring.
Chris Woodward
Woodward figures to have his name pop up more frequently as a managerial candidate in the coming years. He's currently the Dodgers' third-base coach, but has point guard experience from managing New Zealand in the last World Baseball Classic qualification tournament.
Michael Young
Again, probably won't happen. But Young was well-regarded as a teammate and had a storied playing career as part of the franchise. That's enough to merit a mention -- albeit in passing.
