Who would you pick for Orioles manager? | MAILBAG

Question: Who would you pick for Orioles manager? I like Bob Melvin and Ryan Flaherty. From: Rob Jefferson

Answer: Rob, as you can imagine, many fans have ideas. Joe Cipolloa also likes Bob Melvin. Robert Austin likes Bruce Bochy. Phil Cooke likes Tony Mansolino. Ronald Wolf likes Buck Britton. Edward Cuneo also likes Buck Britton and Mickey Storey, who’s the Triple-A manager for Houston. Leo Resop and Timothy Fowler also are curious about whom I’d select.

There are currently eight openings, more than many people anticipated, and I think that the Orioles’ job is a most attractive one.

I think Mansolino deserves real consideration, but I think that if the Orioles wanted to hire him, he would have already been hired. I could see a chance that if other candidates they’re interested in go elsewhere, they circle back to him, but I don’t think that’s likely.

You’d have to consider Bruce Bochy if he were interested in managing. There aren’t many managers with his resume—four World Series titles. I wonder if he’s really interested in continuing at 70.

I think Bob Melvin would be an excellent choice, too. He’s enormously admired around the game, and he’s managed five teams over 22 years.

As for Flaherty, he’s never managed in the big leagues. Nor has Britton, who was passed over for the interim job for Mansolino. Storey pitched for Houston in 2012, but he’s a new name and haven’t heard anything about him.

Rocco Baldelli has also become available, and he might be someone Mike Elias considers.

He may also look at out-of-the-box contenders. Aaron Boone never coached or managed before the Yankees hired him. Dan Wilson, who guided Seattle to the American League West title, hadn’t managed before he took over the Mariners.

It will be fascinating to see who the Orioles pick, but I do think they’d do better with an experienced manager, which would include Mansolino.

Question: Why is Buck Showalter not on your list of potential O’s managers when he would clearly be the most popular choice among the fans who deserted the team this year? If you ran a poll of fans, I bet Buck would win in a landslide. From: Glenn Fuller

Answer: Glenn, I didn’t include Buck in the list of potential Orioles managers because I don’t believe he’s a candidate. I don’t think he and Mike Elias would be a good match.

I know Buck is popular, and I’m an admirer. However, the fans aren’t going to choose the next manager. I don’t think a manager will encourage fans to come back to the ballpark. Winning baseball will.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.