Blue Jays' hiring of John Farrell lauded
Updated: October 24, 2010, 9:27 AM ET
The Red Sox are losing pitching coach John Farrell to the Toronto Blue Jays
in a well-deserved promotion, according to Boston's owner.
Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale and former Indians catcher and current coach
Sandy Alomar Jr. were also reportedly in the running for the Blue Jays'
manager vacancy.
But Farrell's experience apparently won out.
"The Jays are getting a great baseball man and a great person,'' John Henry
wrote in an e-mail to the Boston Globe of Farrell. "We were able to keep John
as a part of our organization longer than a couple of other teams would have
wanted, but it really is time for John to step up to the next level."
Farrell, 48, pitched for the Indians, Angels and Tigers from 1987-96. He
worked in player development with the Indians from 2001-05 before becoming
the Red Sox pitching coach. Farrell and manager Terry Francona were Indians
teammates.
"He will be an effective, excellent manager," Henry said of Farrell. "I
expect him to manage in MLB for as long as he wants to. He's going to an
excellent young team with a strong and smart hierarchy. The Blue Jays are
going to be a force in the AL East for some time to come. I am grateful for
the years John Farrell gave to the Red Sox. He will be missed.''
The Blue Jays finished fourth in the AL East this past season with an 85-77
mark.
Farrell replaces Cito Gaston, who retired after his second managerial stint
with the Blue Jays.
Gaston won two World Series titles with the Blue Jays, in 1992 and 1993,
during a managerial run that ended in 1997. He returned to the club as a
hitting coach from 2000-01 and took over as manager again in June 2008.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5722804