Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

So the Astros snatched bench coach Brad Mills from the Red Sox and named him as Houston's next manager. It's not surprising given his knowledge, talent and love for the game of baseball that he is finally a major-league manager.

It's a big gain for the Astros, but a huge loss for the Sox.

It was only a matter of time before Mills parted ways with close friend and Sox manager Terry Francona.

"Over the last 30 years I have learned, firsthand, that Brad Mills has a terrific baseball mind and is an even better person," said Francona. "I'd like to not only congratulate Brad but also congratulate the Houston Astros for hiring such a genuine and caring person. While we will miss him, we are thrilled for him and his family."

So who's the next bench coach for the Red Sox?

Francona and general manager Theo Epstein will compile a list of possible candidates in the very near future. While there will be names targeted from both inside and outside of the organization, it's also a strong possibility PawSox manager Ron Johnson will be considered.

Johnson, 53, has been managing minor-league baseball for 18 seasons, including the last 10 in the Red Sox organization. He's no doubt a players' manager and believes in the organization's philosophy on development. In fact, most of the current Red Sox players have been managed by "RJ" at some point during their minor-league careers, including Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, George Kottaras and Jed Lowrie.

All of them swear by Johnson's methods. More importantly, Francona and Epstein trust Johnson's ability to evaluate talent and prepare players to be ready to play in Boston when called upon.

Could Johnson serve as a bench coach in the majors? Sure he could. He's a professional. He's one of the most jovial guys around the game. He's respected and trusted. Because of those qualities there's a pretty good chance he'll remain the manager for the PawSox.

Johnson gets the idea that winning is secondary to development in the minors. As valuable as he could be sitting on the bench next to Francona in Boston, Johnson's importance - at least in the Red Sox organization - will remain in Triple-A.

There's no doubt he will be on Boston's list of likely candidates, and he's earned that consideration. But the Red Sox probably believe he's more valuable in Pawtucket.

 Tags  Brad Mills Ron Johnson Terry Francona

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