Miami Marlins interviewed Bo Porter for managerial job

The Miami Marlins have already interviewed one interesting candidate in former Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta, and apparently the club has brought in a second former manager name into the fold. Reports indicate the team has interviewed current Atlanta Braves (and former Marlins) third base coach Bo Porter for the job as well. From Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

The Marlins have intereviewed former Astros manager Bo Porter for their managing position, sources said.

Porter joins Manny Acta as one of the two known interviewees for the job currently held byDan Jennings, who is expected to return to the front office as general manager after the season (though that isn't official yet).

An extensive search is expected.

Porter was formerly the manager of the Houston Astros, having been hired to help oversee their long-term rebuilding campaign in 2013. The team subsequently fired Porter after the 2014 season after he had a spat with the front office regarding his leadership and relationship with his bosses. The reports that surfaced back in late 2014 about how Porter was more stubborn in his expectations of the team than the Astros initially expected would serve to raise some red flags about he would get along with the current Marlins ownership. After all, proposing a united front is about the only thing a manager can do in Miami to keep his job under cantankerous owner Jeffrey Loria. If a disconnect opens up early, as it purportedly began to do in Porter's relationship with Houston, that could lend itself to another fast firing.

Still, Porter has been well-regarded in managerial circles in the past, and his performance with the Astros was not awful. He was not some widely disliked personality out there, and the tensions between him and the front office were more subtle than, say, the issues Ozzie Guillen once had in Miami. Porter carried the reputation of a good leader, though it is questionable whether he ended up being one in Houston. He still has some shine left as a manager, and he has a small amount of experience for which the Marlins are looking.

Perhaps more importantly, the organization is familiar with Porter. He spent three seasons with the organization as a third base coach and outfield / baserunning instructor from 2007 to 2009. He also interviewed twice for the Marlins' head job twice, once after Fredi Gonzalez was fired in 2010 and once during the managerial search before the 2011 season. Both times, Porter was passed over for the job by Edwin Rodriguez, who eventually lost his own job in mid-2011. On the one hand, that does offer the team and ownership some knowledge of Porter and his ways. The fact that he was interviewed before makes it more likely that the team liked him during his stint as third base coach. Then again, Porter did not get the job each time he interviewed, and Edwin Rodriguez was not exactly the strongest candidate.

In the end, Porter may remain a bridesmaid in the Marlins managerial race rather than the bride. I have a feeling the Fish want someone who can connect with their Hispanic players as well as someone with more than the less-than-two years of big league managerial experience. If the Marlins do not opt for the well-worn Acta, I expect them to go for a full-fledged veteran like Dusty Baker. Porter offers too little of what the team is looking for.