Giants: Joe Espada, Gabe Kapler receive second managerial interviews

The search continues for the next San Francisco Giants manager, and two candidates have now received a second interview.

Who will be the next manager of the San Francisco Giants?

After 13 seasons with Bruce Bochy at the helm, the front office is now tasked with finding his replacement, and after casting a wide net early in the process the field of candidates is starting to narrow.

First came this announcement over the weekend:

There’s a good chance we’ll hear a few more names eliminated from contention in the days to come, with Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens, Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol, Athletics quality control coach Mark Kotsay, Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, and Cubs first base coach Will Venable among the other rumored candidates.

Meanwhile, two potential options have seemingly emerged as serious candidates by receiving a second interview.

Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada:

Former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler:

Team president Farhan Zaidi has a working relationship with Kapler from their time together in the Los Angeles Dodgers front office.

While his tenure in Philadelphia didn’t go particularly well, ending in his firing this offseason, Kapler’s focus on analytics makes him an interesting potential fit as the team pivots to a different style of bench boss.

Espada, 44, doesn’t have any managerial experience, but he has an abundance of coaching on his resume, including his current role as Astros bench coach.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch had the following to say to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post:

“Joe Espada as a managerial candidate, I’ve said this before: Any team that asks about him, or that goes down this path, is heading down the right path with a really quality person. He’s got leadership skills. He’s got a feel for players. Players respect him. He’s been exposed to a lot of different things in his career, from his Miami days to his Yankee days to now his Astros days, where he can draw from that experience and be a really impactful leader of a dugout and a clubhouse.”

If the next move is to narrow the finalists to three or four guys, we can expect to have a bit more clarity in the days to come.

The offseason is rapidly approaching, and the San Francisco Giants will want to have a manager in place before turning their attention to free agency and the trade market.