The head coach of the Cleveland Guardians announced his resignation.
Cleveland Guardian head coach declares his resignation.
He won’t need to run out to Progressive Field first thing in the morning to check scouting reports. Francona does not have to go to the field for batting practice, nor is it necessary to perform pregame media interviews.
Those busy days are behind us.
Francona remarked, “I’m going to be OK not having that.” That’s been going on for forty-something years. I’m prepared to take a little break and hand things over to someone else.”
But no one will take his place.
A popular figure in baseball, Francona announced his retirement from the game on Tuesday, putting an end to a 23-year managerial career that started in Philadelphia, culminated in two World Series titles in Boston, and ended with an 11-season stint in Cleveland.
Francona and the Guardians didn’t officially announce his decision to quit until two days after the team’s season concluded with a third-place AL Central result, despite the fact that it had been known for weeks.
And although Francona, 64, won’t be going back to Cleveland’s dugout, he will have some sort of future role for the franchise.
What or when is unknown to him? And that’s just OK.
“After some time, I might figure out the best method to satisfy my appetite—whatever it is—but for now, I know I need to go home, get healthy, and discover what I miss about our game,” he remarked. “I don’t think I’ll ever manage again. This is where I would like to manage, if I were to do so. However, I also don’t want to simply stop playing the game.”
Francona, who only had two losing seasons with Cleveland, was the fourth major league manager to leave in five days, following the dismissals of Phil Nevin of the Los Angeles Angels, Gabe Kapler of San Francisco, and Buck Showalter of the New York Mets.
Due to major health problems in the past few years, Francona plans to play with his grandchildren more, recover from his surgeries (a double hernia and shoulder replacement are planned for next week), and take advantage of a prolonged offseason following a four-decade grind.
He will eventually confer with general manager Mike Chernoff and team president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti about how he can help an organization that he has helped become one of the best in Major League Baseball.
Even though he received praise during the last few weeks of the season, Francona refrained from calling this a retirement.
Perhaps more of a temporary stop than a permanent one.
“The word retire never really worried me,” he remarked. “I suppose people assume that when you say retire, you’re just going to go home and do nothing. Don’t feel the same way. We’ll come up with a sensible solution.
All I need is a little time. After all, I usually need a break after a season. This is somewhat unique.”
Antonetti stated he had no idea Francona’s employment in October 2012 would last more than ten years. It is not often the case in major professional sports.
However, the combination of Francona’s extraordinary interpersonal skills and the club’s desire to help him develop made for an improbable scenario.
Francona has been a pleasure for the Guardians, and vice versa.
“Coming here has made me a much better guy,” Francona, the most successful manager in club history, remarked. “Man, it’s just been great. I had good intentions when I arrived here. It’s been great in between, and I’m leaving for the right reasons.
That does not imply that we have not faced difficulties. We constantly face challenges. However, it’s incredibly beneficial to do it with individuals you respect and care about.”
The Guardians are currently looking for his successor, who will face a great deal of difficulty stepping into Francona’s shoes.
After starting with an initial list of more than 45 internal and external candidates to replace Francona, who won three AL Manager of the Year Awards in Cleveland, Antonetti stated that the organization has already held multiple interviews.
According to Antonetti, Sandy Alomar Jr., the first-base coach for the Guardians, told the team he wants to continue in a similar role on the incoming manager’s staff but was denied the chance to interview.
DeMarlo Hale, the bench coach for Cleveland who replaced Francona after he was forced to resign during the 2021 campaign, is reportedly one of the contenders.
Antonetti stated, “Getting to the correct individual is the most essential thing, and if we can achieve that quickly, terrific.” But that’s the amount of time that needs to pass if it takes us a month or more. But finding the proper person is what matters most.”
Francona was definitely an example of that.
His 1,950 career wins rank him 13th all-time, sandwiched between two other flamboyant managers who, like Francona, won over players and fans: Casey Stengel (1,905) and Leo Durocher (2,008).
All managers before Francona are in the Hall of Fame, with the exception of Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker, who are still working and will probably be inducted eventually.
It was surprising to see Francona become one of the top managers in the game.
His time in Philadelphia wasn’t great either; he had four consecutive losing seasons, was frequently heckled in a demanding, sports-obsessed city, and had his car’s tires vandalized on fan appreciation day.
Despite being an unexpected pick for Boston’s position, he made a legendary impression right away by winning the World Series in his debut season.
The Red Sox ended an 86-year championship drought and banished the “Curse of the Bambino,” a supposed curse placed on the franchise after Babe Ruth was traded to the rival New York Yankees, by coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the AL Championship Series and sweeping St. Louis.
After a contentious 2011 season, Francona took a year off from playing and worked in broadcasting before moving to Cleveland, where his father had played for six seasons and he had played 62 games in 1988.
He was almost perfect—the perfect fit. And who knows? Perhaps Game 7 of the 2016 World Series would have been even more memorable had there not been a rain delay in the late innings.
Francona is unsure of exactly what comes next.
He’ll return home to Tucson, Arizona, after his procedures are complete, where he’ll support his favorite Arizona Wildcats. Next summer, some golfing friends are taking another vacation to Ireland, and Francona might finally make it.
At last, he has some spare time.
“It will be pleasant to just have the option to act if I so want,” he remarked.