According to Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates will interview St Louis Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp for their open manager spot.
New name in Pirates mix: Stubby Clapp. The #STLCards 1B coach is slated to interview next week with them. Also in mix are Kotsay, Christensen, Shelton, Bell, Banister, perhaps Fuld and perhaps others.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 19, 2019
Clapp has some recent managerial success, albeit on the minor league side. He led Memphis to back-to-back titles in the Pacific Coast League in 2017-18, winning the Triple-A championship game in 2018. The 46-year-old Clapp made it to the majors briefly as a player in 2001 with the Cardinals. He played 11 seasons in the minors before calling it a career in 2006.
He had two years of minor league managerial experience with the Houston Astros in 2011-12, as well as multiple years serving as a hitting coach with the Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, and one year as an outfield coordinator. Clapp has managed for Canada in multiple international tournaments over the years.
As Heyman notes, the Pirates have some other names they are considering. Sam Fuld told three teams, including the Pirates, that he wasn’t interested in managing. The others are all names we have heard before.
Updates on the Pirates Managerial Search
Rumors Regarding the Search for a New Pirates Manager
Pirates are Likely to Consider Derek Shelton for Their Managerial Opening
UPDATE: Jon Heyman also notes that the Pirates have inquired about Joe Espada, who is currently the bench coach for the Houston Astros. They will obviously have to wait until the Astros are done playing before talking to him. Espada has been coaching since 2006, with nine of those seasons spent in the majors, seven as a third base coach. He has minimal managerial experience, with most of it in winter ball or for Puerto Rico in international tournaments. The 44-year-old Espada spent ten seasons in the minors before retiring as a player in 2005.
Pirates have also inquired about Astros bench coach Joe Espada. Busy man. In mix in SF in CHI too. And oh yes, his current team is still going.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 19, 2019
