Tom Runnells will be the first person to interview to be the Rockies’ next manager.

Runnells, the Rockies’ bench coach the past three seasons, will be in Denver on Thursday to meet with Bill Geivett, the club’s director of major-league operations. The Rockies also plan to meet this week with Stu Cole, manager of the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Runnells and Cole are considered leading in-house candidates to replace Jim Tracy, who resigned Sunday, according to major-league sources.

Jason Giambi, who has said he would retire as a player if given the opportunity to manage, remains a peripheral candidate for the Colorado job.

While the Rockies are interested in Runnells and Cole, they also plan to explore candidates from outside the organization, according to sources. Other potential replacements for Tracy include Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach and former big-league catcher Brad Asmus, now a special assistant for the San Diego Padres.

Runnells, 57, managed the Montreal Expos from 1991-92. He was born in Greeley and is a graduate of Greeley West High School and the University of Northern Colorado.

Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428, psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp