Even before he’d actually interviewed with the Chicago Cubs for their open managerial post, Rick Renteria was being called the “favorite” for the job by some.
Whether that kind of prognostication has any value remains to be seen, but at least it now doesn’t seem quite as premature. That’s because yesterday, per multiple reports, Cubs President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer headed out to California to interview the Padres’ bench coach.
Renteria, 51, has been on the Padres’ Major League coaching staff since 2008, first as a first base coach, then as a bench coach. He managed Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic this year, and was previously interviewed for the Blue Jays’ open managerial job in 2011.
Before doing the coaching thing, Renteria was a minor league manager for the Marlins and then the Padres (including at Kane County back in 1999). He has a wealth of experience, then, working with younger players, and also at the Major League level. Further helping his cause, presumably, is Jed Hoyer’s familiarity with Renteria from his days as the Padres’ GM.
When Renteria’s name comes up in the media, you generally hear a mix of words like “respected,” “teacher,” “dedicated,” etc. It seems as though he falls into that contingent of great coaches who’ve not yet had, but everyone says deserves, a shot at a managerial job. Some might have said the same thing about Dale Sveum two years ago, of course, but this front office has now been through that experience – plus two years in the organization – to have an even better idea of what the right guy is going to look like.
Renteria joins Manny Acta and A.J. Hinch who have also been interviewed.