Manager search moving along
Kapler, Espada reportedly still in the running
SAN FRANCISCO >> The San Francisco Giants are moving on to the next phase of their search to find Bruce Bochy’s replacement.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has begun notifying candidates of whether or not they’ll receive a second interview for the chance to become the
Giants’ next manager. Former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler and current Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada are reportedly among those who will remain involved in the process.
According to Floridabased radio host Craig Mish, Kapler’s second interview could take place as soon as Monday in San Francisco.
The Giants will not interview Espada again until after the Astros’ run in the World Series comes to an end. Houston holds a 3-2 series advantage over Washington and will have an opportunity to secure its second title in three seasons on
Tuesday at home.
Espada’s first interview with the Giants took place on Thursday in between games two and three of the World Series. The secondyear bench coach who assumed his role when Alex Cora left the Astros to become the Red Sox manager told The Athletic that he was excited to crisscross the country in pursuit of a high-profile position with the Giants.
“You want something, you go get it,” Espada said.
First-round interviews were conducted by Zaidi and involved Giants special assistant J.P. Ricciardi. Second-round interviews are expected to include members of the Giants’ board of directors.
The Giants reportedly spoke with eight candidates during first-round interviews including two internal options, third base coach Ron Wotus and bench coach Hensley Meulens. The Athletic reported that Wotus has been told he’s no longer in consideration for the manager job while it’s unlikely Meulens is still in the running, given the fact he’s left the country to manage the Netherlands in the Premier 12 tournament, which begins on Saturday.
A second round of interviews isn’t expected to include more than four candidates. It’s unclear who might remain in the running alongside Espada and Kapler, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if A’s quality control coach Mark Kotsay received another chance to impress the Giants.