Rockies bench coach Tom Runnells will interview for the Rockies' managerial position on Thursday, according to the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders.
The Rockies are also expected to meet with Triple-A manager Stu Cole about the job. Both men are currently the leading in-house candidates to replace the recently-resigned Jim Tracy.
Runnells has served as the team’s bench coach for the past three seasons. He managed the Montreal Expos for parts of two seasons in the early 1990s and is a Colorado native.
Cole has been with the organization since 2006. He managed the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, in 2006. He was promoted to Triple-A Colorado Springs in May 2009 and remains in that position.
The team will still consider candidates outside the organization. Sandy Alomar Jr., Tim Wallach and Brad Ausmus have all been identified as potential replacements for Tracy in various reports. Rockies veteran first baseman Jason Giambi has also expressed interest in managing and would retire from playing if the team decided to hire him. Saunders described Giambi as a “peripheral candidate” for the position.
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