Torii

Hunter

It’s been a whirlwind few hours for the Angels with both Albert Pujols and now Hunter no longer in the mix to replace Ron Washington. At this point the leading candidate appears to be Kurt Suzuki, who is currently a special assistant with the club. There hasn’t been a ton of reporting regarding any external candidates.

Pujols is considered one of the favorites to land the managerial job, but the 45-year-old faces some other candidates; including former outfielder Torii Hunter. The future Hall of Famer will likely have a more formal interview in the coming weeks, but it shouldn’t shock anyone if Pujols is announced as the team’s new skipper before the start of the winter.

Hunter has spent the last two seasons as a special assistant in Los Angeles’ front office working with general manager Perry Minasian, who is entering the final season of his contract. The 50-year-old former big leaguer played 19 seasons in the majors, including a half-decade run with the Angels from 2008-2012, and was a five-time All-Star selection. His connections to the organization, and reported close relationship with Halos owner Arte Moreno, make him a serious candidate for the position following skipper Ron Washington’s dismissal. The other big name that has surfaced is Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, who is considered the leading candidate at the moment.

Nightengale adds that Washington’s staff in Los Angeles is also expected to include Chili Davis as hitting coach, Torii Hunter as first base coach, Eric Young Sr. as third base coach and a recently-retired Ryan Goins as infield coach. There could wind up being some changes in the near future, but it’s a pretty impressive list for the Angels.

Hunter will rejoin the Twins Saturday in Anaheim.

“He’s pretty sore. We’ll know more [today],” manager Ron Gardenhire said, sounding less than optimistic that Hunter will make a quick return to the lineup. Potential AL Rookie of the Year Lew Ford will take over in center field. If Hunter goes on the DL, we could get our first look at Jason Kubel.

Good news for the Twins. Hunter remains day-to-day, but should return early this week. Lew Ford will stay in center field during Hunter’s absence.

His knee is hurting him and the Twins’ center fielder needs a rest. Hunter went 0-for-5 in last night’s game and didn’t hit a ball out of the infield.

Gardenhire’s reasoning: with two basestealing threats atop the order in Cristian Guzman and Jacque Jones, Koskie, a left-handed hitter, could make it easier on them to run, since nearly all catchers throw right-handed. Hunter’s value gets a slight bump with improved RBI potential.

We’d rather see Ford bat third until he does something to demonstrate he’s not truly a .380-OBP guy. Hunter has never had an OBP higher than .334 and is at .319 for his career. It’d be great for his fantasy value if he hits third, but not outstanding for the Twins.