Stu Cole is no longer a candidate to replace Jim Tracy as manager of the Colorado Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. However, fellow in-house candidates Tom Runnells and Jason Giambi are still in the mix, per Renck.
Cole has served as the manager of the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, since May of 2009. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as the manager of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Although he has been ruled out for the managerial position, Cole is still being considered for a coaching position with the Rockies, says Renck.
Runnells, who has been the Rockies' bench coach since Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle as manager in May of 2009, has MLB managerial experience. In 1991 and 1992, Runnells led the Montreal Expos to a 68-81 record before being replaced by Felipe Alou, who went on to have a successful run with the team.
Giambi's name has long been brought up in discussions about Tracy's eventual successor, despite him not having ruled out an attempt to return to the big leagues for another season as a player. In 18 MLB seasons, Giambi is a career .280/.403/.522 hitter with 429 home runs.