The Seattle Mariners parted ways with Lloyd McClendon last week, and apparently the club is narrowing in on his replacement. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that former Rangers skipper Tim Bogar is the early favorite to be the M’s next manager.

Many of the Mariners beat writers suggested Bogar as a potential candidate when McClendon was fired. New General Manager Jerry Dipoto hired Bogar this past offseason to serve as a special assistant to the GM in Anaheim. A source close to Dipoto and Bogar told Heyman that, “it’s Bogie’s job to lose.”

The 48-year-old spent 9 seasons as an infielder in the big leagues. Bogar began his career with the New York Mets in 1993, but also made stops with the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers before hanging up his spikes in 2001. He finished with a .228 career batting average with 24 home runs and 161 RBI across 701 games. Bogar’s best season came in 1999 with the Astros when he hit .239 with 4 home runs and 31 RBI’s in 106 games.

Bogar began his coaching career in 2004 with the Astros organization. His first job was managing the Greenville Astros of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. Bogar led Greenville to a 41-26 record in his debut campaign en route to winning the Appalachian League Championship. Following the season, Bogar was named Manager of the Year.

The Houston Astros gave the Indianapolis, IN product the opportunity to manage to the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League in 2005. Bogar excelled once again, leading the Legends to a league best record of 82-57. Bogie was named the South Atlantic League Manager of the Year.

Bogar switched to the Cleveland Indians organization in 2006, and was named the manager of the Akron Aeros. The Indians’ double-A affiliate posted a league best record of 87-55, and finished just one win shy of capturing the Eastern League title. Bogar was awarded with the Manager of the Year trophy following the season. He was also selected to serve as a coach by MLB at the 2006 Futures Game. Bogie led the Aeros to record of 80-61 in 2007, and was once again given the chance to coach at the Futures Game.

Tim Bogar had the magic touch in the minor leagues, and Joe Maddon recognized this. Bogar served as a coaching assistant with the Tampa Bay Rays when they won the American League East crown and advanced all the way to the World Series in 2008.

Terry Francona hired Bogar to be the Boston Red Sox’s first base coach in 2009. Bogie was promoted to third base coach in 2010, and served as bench coach for Bobby Valentine in 2012.

Bogar was let go after the disastrous 2012 season in Boston. The Los Angeles Angels offered him the opportunity to manage their double-A affiliate in Arkansas, and Bogar accepted the job. His return to the minor leagues proved to be a good idea, as the Travelers finished with a record of 73-66 and made the final round of the Texas League playoffs.

Through five seasons managing in the minor leagues, Bogar sports a record of 362-266 and has won three Manager of the Year awards. His impressive resume caught the attention of the Texas Rangers in 2013. Ron Washington hired Bogar to be the club’s bench coach. After Washington was fired in early September, Bogar took over as the interim manager. The Rangers closed out the season with a 14-8 record under Bogie’s command.

Tim Bogar has proven himself to be one of the best minor league managers in the game, and he is more than deserving of an opportunity in the show. He already has a good working relationship with Jerry Dipoto, which is a huge plus. The Mariners could do a lot worse than hiring Bogar to be the 20th skipper in franchise history.