Report: Donald Trump considering Bobby Valentine for U.S. ambassador to Japan
Former Mets and Red Sox skipper and current Sacred Heart University athletic director Bobby Valentine is on the short list of candidates for United States ambassador to Japan, WEEI in Boston reports.
Valentine, 66, has known Trump for around 30 years, and managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan for seven seasons. He became the first manager born in the United States to win the Japan Series in 2005.
With those connections, and a few more to Trump’s cabinet, Chris Christie floated Valentine’s name in discussions about the position, according to WEEI.
After beginning his career in Texas, Valentine went 536–467 with the Mets from 1996 to '02, winning the National League pennant in 2000. After a 10-year absence, he returned to manage the Red Sox for a season in 2012, going 69–93. He was replaced in 2013 by the team’s current manager, John Farrell, who led Boston to a World Series in his first season.
