Cleveland Guardians: Exploring 4 manager options for 2022 and beyond

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Terry Francona #77 of the Cleveland Indians / Cleveland Guardians (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Exploring 4 manager options for the Cleveland Guardians in 2022 and beyond

As we near the offseason, the manager status of the Cleveland Guardians is up in the air. Terry Francona is currently still the manager of the Cleveland Indians and is under contract moving forward, but health concerns have some questioning whether or not he’ll stick around or if he should step away from the game permanently.

Should Cleveland go in a different direction, that opens a new slew of questions. Do they go with DeMarlo Hale who has served as the interim this year? What about Sandy Alomar Jr. who has been in waiting for multiple seasons now? Could they go with an outside hire?

These are pretty much the four options that the Cleveland front office will have to weigh this offseason, but how would they each fit for the club?

Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians Manager

As it currently stands, Terry Francona is still the manager in Cleveland. Sure, he isn’t in the dugout right now, but he’s still the one that is listed as the team’s full-time manager. Hip and foot surgeries have kept him off the bench this year after gastro issues kept him out last year, raising the question – how much does Francona have left in the tank?

There’s no questioning Francona’s drive to coach, that’s obvious, however at 62-years old the health concerns are taking the focus.

Terry Francona, who underwent hip replacement surgery a month ago, is scheduled to have an operation on his foot on Tuesday, which will require a months-long recovery. That foot has been in a boot all year. Francona has been rehabbing at the ballpark in recent weeks.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) September 5, 2021

If Francona can return to the bench in full health, the front office will take him. He’s yet to have a season in Cleveland finish below .500 and while fans might not always agree with his methods, he does produce. Given that the team will be very young next season, he’s a reassuring presence and his high baseball IQ could go a long way in the team’s growth.

Returning next season would also make Francona the organization’s all-time winningest manager. He technically already surpassed the mark, but needs to be on the bench for a game next year for it to become official.

With all that being said, 2022 will also bring about a new era in Cleveland baseball as the team begins the path as the Cleveland Guardians. Seems like a good time to make a change at manager as well.

Interim manager DeMarlo Hale #33 of the Cleveland Indians / Cleveland Guardians (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

DeMarlo Hale, Interim Cleveland Indians Manager

Terry Francona stepped away from the team this year at the trade deadline on July 29. The team was coming off a difficult month and it seemed like the season was pretty much over. In Francona’s absence, the team turned to bench coach DeMarlo Hale as acting manager. While Hale has had his learning curves, he’s still done a decent job and could draw interest for the full-time gig should Francona step away.

Since Hale took over, the Tribe are 18-17 on the year, which is rather similar to how they were performing under Francona. The team’s run differential has also improved under Hale, but the bullpen is struggling.

Now, not all of that can be attributed to the manager. However, Hale has done a solid job of just holding down the fort. There hasn’t been too much alteration in the team since Francona’s absence.

Should Francona decide to step away and the front office wants to stay status quo with what’s been going on with the team over the last few seasons, then Hale is a great option to consider. He wouldn’t be the only internal candidate, but this year has definitely helped his case. He wouldn’t be the flashy hire, but potentially the most logical to continue what has been built.

Sandy Alomar Jr. #15 of the Cleveland Indians / Cleveland Guardians (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Sandy Alomar Jr., Cleveland Indians First Base Coach

Another internal candidate that could draw a lot of interest is Sandy Alomar Jr. While DeMarlo Hale has been the interim this year, Alomar served in the same role last year and saw a lot of success. Alomar managed the majority of the shortened season that saw Cleveland finish 35-25, including a postseason appearance.

Alomar is one of the longest tenured coaches in the system, joining the club before even Francona. Alomar was part of Manny Acta’s staff and served as the interim when Acta was let go. He’s served in multiple roles during his time with the club, predominately being the first base coach.

A former catcher for Cleveland, Alomar has been a fan favorite and has long been viewed as the future manager of the club. He’s a player-favorite in the clubhouse and knows the game well, especially in Cleveland.

Hale’s showing this season complicates things a bit, but Alomar still seems like the internal favorite for a long-term manager option. Hale stepping up this year made sense for minimal changes to the staff, but in the big picture Alomar seems like the better fit in Cleveland. Especially considering a new era will be starting up with the Cleveland Guardians. A new, young manager that’s popular among fans and players alike, but won’t change too much around the team seems to fit the bill.

The new logomark of the Cleveland Guardians (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Outside Hire

There’s obviously the option that Cleveland could completely wipe the slate clean to welcome in the new era. Terry Francona has had a lot of success in Cleveland. DeMarlo Hale has been able to keep what Francona started going. Sandy Alomar Jr. is a Cleveland favorite. However, the front office could opt for new blood in the dugout.

More from Away Back Gone

Francona’s system has worked well, but perhaps the front office wants to go in a different direction. Hale and Alomar would bring their own ideas, but they’ve both been students of the game under Francona. If the front office wants a completely new approach, then hiring someone internally might not be the right choice.

The next wave of MLB managers is usually a bit harder to pinpoint than other sports, especially after Tony La Russa was hired this past offseason. That makes it seem like anyone could be an option. With a young roster, the Cleveland Guardians will need veteran leadership so a rookie manager from outside the organization might not be the best. However, the game is trending in a new direction so an older manager might not be the best either.

No matter the direction the front office decides to go, the decision won’t be easy. Luckily, there’s a lot of great candidates to choose from, which could actually end up making the decision even harder.

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