Get to know the Texas Rangers’ managerial candidates

Four candidates have now been interviewed for the Texas Rangers managerial opening. Here’s what you need to know about each.

The Texas Rangers search for a new manager is gaining steam. Texas interviewed three candidates early last week, specifically internal candidate Jayce Tingler, Cubs’ bench coach Brandon Hyde, and Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada. Though, the headline interview took place Friday with former Marlins and Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

Candidate Backgrounds

Joe Girardi is the only of the candidates with MLB managerial experience. He rallied a young Florida Marlins’ bunch to a surprising 78-84 record in 2006, winning the National League Manager of the Year award. And, of course, he was at the helm of the New York Yankees for 10 seasons (2008-2017). Girardi finished his Yankee tenure with a 910-710 record. He won the 2009 World Series with New York and led them to the ALCS in 2017 before being fired at the beginning of the offseason.

Jayce Tingler is the Texas Rangers’ current Assistant General Manager. He has worked his way from the bottom of the organization, beginning as the manager of the Rangers’ Dominican Summer League affiliate. Tingler managed in the DSL and also gained managerial experience in the Arizona Fall League. From there, he became the Rangers’ Director of Player Development and is now trying to take his career a step further by becoming the organization’s next big league manager.

Brandon Hyde has taken a similar career path as Tingler, only tallying more extensive minor league managing experience and spending more time as a coach on a major league bench. Hyde managed at multiple minor league levels with the Marlins and is the current bench coach for the Chicago Cubs under Joe Maddon. He was also the Cubs’ Director of Player Development for a brief period of time. Last offseason, Hyde declined an offer to become the manager of the New York Mets. He is expected to interview for the opened manager position with the Los Angeles Angels as well.

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Joe Espada is the current bench coach for the Houston Astros. He served as the hitting coach for the Marlins’ Single-A affiliates before being named the big clubs’ infield coordinator in 2008. Espada managed the Puerto Rico national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and was named the Marlins’ third base coach for the ’13 regular season. He transitioned to the New York Yankees’ organization as a Special Assistant to GM Brian Cashman and took over as the Yanks’ third base and infield coach from 2016-2017. Now, he looks to follow Alex Cora‘s path from Astros’ bench coach to MLB manager.

Of the four candidates, only Joe Girardi made it to the major leagues. Girardi played 15 MLB seasons as a catcher, primarily with the Cubs and Yankees. Girardi is also the only of the candidates to have managed in the majors (aside from Hyde managing one game for the Marlins in 2011).

That does not mean Joe Girardi is the leading candidate. In fact, Girardi was let go by the Yankees in 2017 for similar reasons to Jeff Banister‘s firing this past season. It actually seems more plausible that the Texas Rangers hire someone with player development experience given their young roster and bulk of promising prospects.