This College Coach Could Be Nationals' Target if They Want to Follow Giants' Lead

If the Washington Nationals want to make an outside hire for their manager job, then this person could be an option.

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One of the things the Washington Nationals need to figure out this offseason is who their manager is going to be moving forward.

While interim Miguel Cairo is reportedly in the mix for the official job, it's largely expected that the new front office regime is going to install their own guy. Who that might be or who is on the list isn't clear, but it's something president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said is at the top of his to-do list.

For the most part, bench coaches or former managers are routinely floated as candidates around the league. They understand the major league landscape and have history dealing with a clubhouse full of professionals.

However, the San Francisco Giants seem to be on the verge of shaking things up, with reports coming out that they are eyeing University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello to become their skipper. That would be historic since nobody has been hired to become a Major League Baseball manager without experience in the professional ranks. So if something does become finalized on that front, it might change how teams view potential candidates.

Could Toboni and the Nationals follow a similar path by thinking outside the box? If that's something they are at least considering, then Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball floated another coach from the college ranks he believes would fit with Washington.

Georgia Head Coach Wes Johnson Floated as Nationals Candidate

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

"Another coach in the SEC worth looking at is Wes Johnson at Georgia. Johnson has turned the Bulldogs program around in his two years in Athens. ... I think Wes Johnson would be a solid outside the box candidate for the Nats to look at. He is a proven winner at the college level, a good pitching mind and has experience at the MLB level. Paul Toboni would be smart to give this guy a call. I would not be surprised if Wes Johnson is the next college coach to leave for the MLB," Sallick wrote.

The experience Johnson has in the MLB could be something that makes him attractive to Toboni. Before taking the job at Georgia, he was the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2019-2022. During that time, his staffs had ERAs that ranked ninth, fourth, 26th and 19th, respectively.

Everything about the Nationals this offseason is about ushering in a new era of baseball for the franchise. And after hiring a young, up-and-coming executive to lead the front office, bringing in a coach from the college ranks could be an option they consider.