Red Sox manager Terry Francona is hoping he doesn't have to go too far to find a replacement for former bench coach Brad Mills.
Asked by the Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin if he might hire an internal candidate as his bench coach, Francona replied: "I hope so. I really hope so. I think that's something that's important. I've been here long enough now that it's something that definitely needs to be considered. That doesn't mean that anybody's a lock to get a job."
A couple of names in the early running for the position are current coaches DeMarlo Hale and Tim Bogar. Hale just completed his fourth season as the Red Sox' third-base coach after spending time as the Rangers' first-base and outfield coach. Boston's 17th-round pick in the 1983 draft made his coaching debut at Double-A New Britain in 1992, the start of an eight-year run in the Red Sox organization. Bogar spent his 21st season in the MLB (six since his playing career ended) as Boston's first base coach in 2009 and recently had a first-round interview for the Houston job which was given to Mills.
