News
Tribe given OK to interview Roenicke
Angels bench coach targeted as managerial candidate
Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke managed for five seasons in the Minor Leagues. (AP)
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
10/23/09 1:35 PM ET
One of the two unnamed candidates for the Indians' managerial vacancy is Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The Indians have received permission from the Angels to interview Roenicke, but it was unclear whether he had already done so, the Times reported. Both Roenicke and Angels general manager Tony Reagins declined to speak to the newspaper on the record. The Indians, who dismissed manager Eric Wedge during the final week of the regular season, have already formally interviewed former Nationals skipper Manny Acta and former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby Valentine. Torey Lovullo, who has managed the Indians' Triple-A team the past four seasons, was to be in Cleveland on Friday, and Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly was the fourth confirmed finalist. Indians general manager Mark Shapiro told reporters on Tuesday he's also considering two unnamed candidates, and Roenicke is apparently one of them. Roenicke, 52, is in his ninth season on the Angels' big league coaching staff, and he's spent the past three as manager Mike Scioscia's right-hand man on the bench. He has a 346-283 record in five seasons as a Minor League manager in the Dodgers and Giants farm systems, including parts of two seasons in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Roenicke last managed in 1999 with Fresno. The Indians finished 65-97 this year, which led to the dismissal of Wedge and his coaching staff. Staff ace Cliff Lee and All-Star catcher Victor Martinez highlighted the list of veteran players who were traded during the season. Roenicke could be the third member of Scioscia's coaching staff to be hired away to manage. Former bench coach Joe Maddon was hired by Tampa Bay in 2005, and former pitching coach Bud Black went to San Diego in 2006.Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
