Quick Hits: Managers, Sierra, Red Sox

Too many MLB managers are former players, Adam Felder argues in a provocative piece for the Atlantic. 77% of MLB managers once played in MLB, whereas in other major sports, whereas only about half of all NBA and NHL head coaches played, and about a quarter of NFL head coaches did. Meanwhile, the performance of some MLB managers with limited experience beyond their playing careers, such as the Nationals’ Matt Williams, suggests that some teams might be weighting playing experience too heavily when hiring managers. Felder suggests one solution might be for teams to employ one person to handle tactical decisions and another — perhaps more likely to be a former player — to lead the clubhouse. Here are more quick notes from around the big leagues.

• 20-year-old Cuban righty Carlos Sierra will have a showcase on October 13 in Florida, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez tweets. As Sanchez noted in an earlier article, Sierra pitched three years in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, but this year he pitched for the Tenerife Marlins in the top baseball league in Spain. Sierra is now a citizen of Spain, and he left Cuba through legal means. He will be subject to rules regarding international bonus pools.
• Dave Dombrowski added Frank Wren to the Red Sox front office because he wants associates who aren’t afraid to voice their opinions, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald writes. “I know Frank will speak his mind. He will disagree with me. He has before,” says Dombrowski, who worked with Wren in the Expos and Marlins organizations. “But also, the other people in the organization –€” we had our free agent scouts, I told them how important that is. Don’t just say it because you think it’€™s what I want to hear.”