“As for Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, his candidacy has seemingly strengthened over the past couple weeks. Lehmann was Los Angeles’ advance video scout when Anthopoulos was with the Dodgers from 2016-17. The two have remained in contact over the years that have followed.
With the Dodgers set to begin their World Series battle against the Blue Jays on Friday, Lehmann’s candidacy could lead to the Braves waiting into November before announcing their next manager.
Other potential candidates could include Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and Tigers bench coach George Lombard.“
Bowman also noted in his article that he does not believe David Ross nor Mark DeRosa are serious candidates for the job. John Gibbons, who Anthopoulos has worked with in both Toronto and Atlanta, is also not believed to be a candidate. (My speculation: Gibbons could be in the running for the next manager’s bench coach, however).
Lehmann has taken an unconventional path to becoming a major league bench coach, rising from the ranks of video coordinator (2015-17) to game-planning coach (2018-22), a uniformed position with the team, to bench coach since 2023. The mighty Dodgers are, of course, looking to win consecutive World Series titles and their third in six seasons.
With each passing day, conventional wisdom would lead you to think the chances the Braves hire Lehmann increase. The club would not announce the hire — if it is indeed Lehmann — until after the World Series, whereas they are free to hire Flaherty or Lombard or any other candidate not with the Dodgers or Blue Jays at any moment. We shall see.
