(670 The Score) White Sox television analyst Steve Stone doesn’t anticipate former Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen being in the mix should the club’s managerial job open up as expected.
“No,” Stone said on the Mully & Haugh Show when asked if Guillen would be a viable candidate. “Now, here’s thing. I love Ozzie. I think he’s No. 1, is a terrific baseball guy. I think Ozzie is a very funny guy. I think he understands how to put together or manage a winning team as he did in 2005. I don’t doubt Ozzie’s talent for one second because I think he’s one of the most aware and most astute baseball guys around, and he’s been that way for quite some time.
“Having said all of those things – and again, I really enjoy Ozzie – I don’t think that he’s coming back to this team.”
Current White Sox manager Tony La Russa has been on medical leave since late August. His health problems combined with the team’s disappointing season have led to the widespread belief that he won’t be back as the team’s manager in 2023.
Stone also believes former White Sox catcher and current broadcaster A.J. Pierzynski wouldn’t be a legitimate managerial candidate for Chicago. Stone cited Pierzynski’s lack of managerial experience as the reason why.
One person whom Stone does think could be in the mix is three-time World Series-winning manager Bruce Bochy, who last managed in 2019 in San Francisco.
“One of those guys that a lot of people are going to be looking for is Bruce Bochy," Stone said. "I talked with him during a Triple-A game in Las Vegas. He looked healthy and ready to go. I asked him if he was ready to come back to baseball yet. He said, ‘Yeah, I would certainly talk about it.’ Meaning, of course, he was. That’s one of the guys.”
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