Farrell came to the Red Sox from the Cleveland Indians, where he worked in the front office as the director of player development. That position — most thought — placed him on the fast track to a general managing position, especially when the Indians were named the Best Farm Organization in the MLB in back-to-back years with Farrell at the helm.
Then Farrell joined forces with Terry Francona, a buddy from Farrell's playing days back in Detroit, and people around him thought he was crazy to leave what he had built in Cleveland. He has publicly admitted he wants to manage someday, and he has received offers in the past, so why hasn't he taken the leap yet? If he fulfills his dream of becoming a big league manager, when will it happen?
Farrell has all the qualities that would make a great MLB skipper. He's worked in several different positions throughout the league. Not only has he served in a front office position, but he's also served as an assistant coach and pitching coordinator at the collegiate level for Oklahoma State University. He's also played the game, spending six years in the bigs splitting time between the Tigers, Angels and Indians.
Not only does he possess knowledge in his own right, but he's also worked amongst the best. Francona is considered one of the best MLB managers in the game and the two have a fantastic relationship inside and out of the dugout. It also doesn't hurt that he's worked in a city like Boston. The fans and the media alike demand perfection out of their teams and administration, giving any representative solid experience for moving up in the business.
One of the biggest factors when serving as a manager is having the capability to work with all different kinds of players, helping them develop and grow within the game. Farrell has definitely done that — not only with the farm system in Cleveland, but also here in Boston. He's had a huge impact on the development of such pitchers as Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, just to name a few — not to mention the fantastic work he's done with foreign players transition into the MLB, especially with Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.
It's not a question of determination for Farrell, it seems, it's just a matter of when he's ready to leave the nest on his own. Right now, he's said he's only focused on working with the task at hand, and that's bringing the Red Sox into the playoffs in 2010, however he doesn't lack aspirations for the future.
"I'm ambitious," he has said. "Yeah, I do have the goal of maybe one day fulfilling that role [of managing], but I can't tell you where and when that will be."
For now, we're happy to have him in Boston, but do you think Farrell will leave Fenway? If so, when?
Share your thoughts below.
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