When the announcement that bench coach Ron Gardenhire would be undergoing surgery to treat prostate cancer, the first question was who would replace him? That question now has an answer as the Diamondbacks announced an interim replacement while Gardenhire recovers from the surgery.
Torey Lovullo announces Jerry Narron will step in as interim bench coach when Ron Gardenhire takes his leave of absence. #DbacksSpring pic.twitter.com/RLPmJ9CdnE
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) February 17, 2017
Narron has managerial experience, managing the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds from 2001-2007. Narron compiled a 157-179 record as an MLB manager over that time period. Part of the reason I believe the Dbacks hired Gardenhire was his 2,000+ games of experience as an MLB manager to assist a rookie manager in Torey Lovullo. While Narron doesn’t have the experience, especially when it comes to handling success, his years of experience in the majors as a bench coach or base coach. When you need an interim replacement on arguably the most important position on the coaching staff after the manager, a guy with over 300 games of experience as a manager is not a bad resource to lean on.