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Washington Nationals' General Manager Mike Rizzo told reporters two weeks back that the Nats would cast a wide net as they searched for Matt Williams' successor on the bench in the nation's capital.
"We’re gonna bring in a group of people with diverse backgrounds, diverse experiences, and diverse skill sets," Rizzo explained.
"I think that’s something that we did not do last time. Last time, we brought in managing candidates with little or no managerial experience. I think that we’ll have a greater pool of manager candidates this year, stemming from very experienced to limited experience and really go through a process that gets to know the manager personally first, and then professionally and what he does on the field."
So far, the list of candidates who have reportedly interviewed for the job includes the likes of Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A manager Phil Nevin, veteran skipper Dusty Baker, former San Diego Padres' manager Bud Black, San Francisco Giants' bench coach Ron Wotus, former Minnesota Twins' skipper Ron Gardenhire, D-Backs' third base coach Andy Green and now, according to YahooSports.com's Tim Brown, Los Angeles Dodgers' third base coach Tim Wallach:
Tim Wallach has interviewed with Nats for mgr gig.
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) October 22, 2015
Wallach, 58, and a veteran of seventeen major league seasons as a player with the Montreal Expos (who drafted him in the 1st Round in 1979), Dodgers and California Angels, managed at Triple-A Albuquerque in LA's system in 2009-2010 (earning recognition as the PCL Manager of the Year in '09).
He was a hitting coach in the Dodgers' organization in 1997-98, a hitting coach in the majors in Los Angeles in 2004-2005 and served as the Dodgers' third base coach from 2011-13 and Don Mattingly's bench coach in each of the last two seasons.
Speaking of Mattingly... the Dodgers and their manager reportedly mutually agreed to part ways this morning.
Nationals reportedly interview Ron Gardernhire and Andy Green
Photo © Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports
CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman wrote recently about potential interest on the Nats' part should Mattingly move on from LA.
"The Nationals-owning Lerners have shown interest in Mattingly in the past," Heyman wrote, while noting that the Nats, "... seem to be moving more quickly in their search, perhaps indicating they believe they can find an excellent choice from among the rather inspired list which includes at least Bud Black, Dusty Baker, Ron Gardenhire, Ron Wotus, Alex Cora and others."
The Miami Marlins, who are also in the market for a new manager, are reportedly interested in Mattingly as well, and now the Dodgers are going to be looking for a new skipper too.