Dave Roberts interviews for Dodgers’ vacancy

As many as 10 people are expected to interview for the job, sources told ESPN’s Mark Saxon.

Last week it was reported that Dodgers farm director Gabe Kapler was the favorite for the job, but San Diego Padres bench coach Dave Roberts impressed in his interview and has emerged as a top candidate.

According to ESPN, former Tiger Kirk Gibson is set to interview for the Dodgers’ open managerial position. The interview took place last week.

Kirk Gibson’s life is a new normal.

The 58-year-old Gibson managed the Diamondbacks from 2010-14.

For different reasons, then, Gibson and Geren are stronger candidates to be the Dodgers’ next bench coach – particularly if the next manager doesn’t have any major league managing experience (Kapler, Roberts, Erstad, Wallach).

Although Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease earlier this year, he had still been broadcasting Tigers games for Fox Sports Detroit this past season. He had hit a game winning home run off Dennis Eckersley of Oakland in the first game of the 1988 World Series and this is among the iconic moments in the history of this sport.

Gibson joins a list of candidates that also includes New York Mets bench coach Bob Geren.

In his first full season as a manager the next season, Gibson led the Diamondbacks to the National League West title and was selected the league’s manager of the year. The Dodgers cut the price of a few club-level seats and also eliminated the option to buy a season seat for $5 per game.

However, Gibson’s success was brief as the Diamondbacks were eliminated in the National League Division Series and subsequently put together two.

The Mets announced that the Dodgers were granted permission to interview Geren, who managed the Oakland Athletics for four-plus seasons, his time with the organization overlapping with that of current Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi.