Padres coach Ready to make his mark

October 13, 11:37 PMHouston Astros ExaminerStephen Goff

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San Diego Padres hitting coach Randy Ready, who's an accomplished manager on the minor league level, will interview for the Houston Astros manager job on Thursday. (AP Photo)

San Diego Padres hitting coach Randy Ready possesses an extensive baseball mind filled with genuine passion, knowledge and the leadership skills necessary to be a standout big league manager.

After replacing Jim Lefebvre as hitting coach on July 31, the Padres offense improved significantly in terms of batting average and scoring runs.

Ready was familiar with several of the young San Diego ballplayers from managing in the farm system, and impressed manager Bud Black with his ability to effectively communicate with all position players, especially two-time All-Star slugger Adrian Gonzalez.   

Whether it's developing young ballplayers or keeping the veterans hungry, Ready brings an electrifying energy to the game, which motivates and brings out the best in his players. 

Ready hit .259 with 40 homers and 239 RBI over his 13-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers, Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland A's and Montreal Expos. He made a name for himself as a reliable utility player capable of making remarkable defensive plays and getting the big hit when it counts.

Throughout his career, Ready had the pleasure of learning from teammates such as Roberto Alomar, Moises Alou, Jose Canseco, Len Dykstra, Dennis Eckersley, Steve Garvey, Goose Gossage, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, John Kruk, Mark McGwire, Paul Molitor, Dale Murphy, Curt Schilling, Don Sutton, Fernando Valenzuela and Robin Yount. 

Also, he was coached by Buck Rodgers, Harvey Kuenn, Larry Bowa, Jack McKeon, Jim Fregosi, Tony LaRussa, and Felipe Alou.

Based on his experience, it comes as no surprise that Ready has developed into an ideal candidate seeking his first big league manager job. He's been successful managing on the minor league level in the Detroit Tigers and Padres' systems -- and now hopes to catch his big break.  

Ready commands trust and respect through his ability to communicate and willingness to go to bat for his players. Furthermore, he makes it a point to properly teach his guys how to play the game correctly and expects nothing less than 100 percent.

His players hustle, make plays and never goes down without a fight.    

Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane, Jr., general manager Ed Wade and president of baseball operations Tal Smith recognize Ready's potential, which triggered Wade to contact the Padres for permission to speak with him regarding the Astros' open manager job.

McLane empowered Wade to construct a list of 10 candidates.

The list features Ready, as well as former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta, Boston Red Sox first-base coach Tim Bogar, Astros interim manager Dave Clark, former Astros manager Phil Garner, Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, Astros minor league field coordinator Al Pedrique and former Brewers manager Ned Yost.

Now, Ready gets his chance to sell himself to the Astros' first-round interview committee.

"I've been grooming myself for this opportunity," Ready said. "I am a candidate for the Astros' manager job and I look forward to coming to Houston and going through the interview process. Wade picked some great candidates and I'm honored to be part of this."

According to MLB.com, Clark and Pedrique, both internal candidates, will interview first for the job on Wednesday, with Yost and Ready scheduled for Thursday, Melvin and Acta on Friday, Garner on Saturday and Mills and Bogar on Monday.

The Astros intend to schedule an interview with Mackanin at a later date since the Phillies advanced to the NLCS after eliminating the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 of the NLDS Monday. 

Ironically, former Astros manager Cecil Cooper, Ready and Yost were all teammates at one point in Milwaukee. It's definitely a small world considering Ready and Yost will interview the same day for the job previously held by Cooper, who was fired by McLane on Sept. 21 with 13 games left in the regular season.

Once the Astros conclude the first round of interviews, the panel of Wade, Smith, assistant general managers Ricky Bennett, David Gottfried, Bobby Heck and special assistant to the general manager Enos Cabell expects to select a short list of finalists. 

McLane plans to sit out the first round of interviews, but will join Wade, Smith and president of business operations Pam Gardner for the second round. 

Ready, who interviewed for the Seattle Mariners manager job last year, looks forward to getting another opportunity to show he's ready to be a first-time big league manager.

"I'll fly into Houston on Wednesday night and then get my chance Thursday afternoon to prove that I'm the right man for the job," Ready said. "This will be great experience for me to interview with a knowledgeable panel. I want to pursue this opportunity and we'll see how it goes."

At this point, there's no clear-cut favorite for the position.

Overall, it's a great list of experienced candidates -- all deserving and capable of being successful in Houston.

During McLane's tenure as owner, this could very well mark the most critical managerial hiring based on the franchise's current state and dwindling attendance. Both McLane and Wade continue to take a serious approach to the interview process and won't settle for anything less than hiring the right man for the job.

"I'll have a good idea of where I stand after Thursday," Ready added. "I'm just very excited about the process. The Astros have a solid core of players and I intend to show the organization what I can bring to the table."

Is Ready the right guy? How about bringing Garner back? Then there's Acta, Bogar, Melvin and Yost.

All Houston fans can do is have faith that McLane and Wade will make the right decision in the best interest of the franchise.