For just the second time in franchise history, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are scrambling to find a new manager after Chris Coste stepped down on Wednesday after seven years at the helm.

One of the most stable organizations in independent baseball, the RedHawks have a proud history, with six league championships and more than 20 playoff appearances in their 31 seasons of play. Fargo-Moorhead has reached the postseason each of the last six seasons.

On the other hand, Fargo, North Dakota is rather isolated. It’s not terribly easy to get to, the weather isn’t great, and North Dakota in general isn’t the easiest place to pitch to a potential player (or manager) from a faraway state.

There are not loads of top-flight players who live locally either, though the RedHawks have had success with local products, which recently include Alex DuBord, Jake Dykhoff, Parker Harm, and Michael Hallquist. Chris Coste, of course, is a Fargo native as well.

This job is not for everyone, but it’s still a desirable job due to the organizational stability and commitment to putting a strong product on the field.

What the RedHawks have found before

When the RedHawks were founded in 1996, they plucked Northern League champion manager Doug Simunic from rival Winnipeg, who led Fargo-Moorhead until 2017. When he was fired late that season, pitching coach Michael Schlact was promoted, then named the permanent skipper for 2018, though he left in February, 2019 for a job in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Early 2019 marks the only other time the RedHawks have had to conduct a true managerial search. Getting started very late in the offseason certainly limited the candidate pool, but the RedHawks ultimately settling on Jim Bennett, who had extensive experience as a pitching coach in the affiliated ranks and Australia, but had never managed.

Despite the late start, he went 63-37, snapped a five-year playoff drought, and won American Association Manager of the Year. However, just weeks before the 2020 season began, Bennett departed due to disagreements with the organization, leading to Coste’s promotion. Like Schlact three years prior, Coste was already on the RedHawks’ coaching staff, so there was no true managerial search.

This search will be different: October is a prime time to hunt for a manager, so the candidate pool is wide open. Upheaval across all four MLB Partner Leagues could also lead to more jobs opening than normal as managers scramble to find stable homes.

Also very notable: in 2025, RedHawks chairman Bruce Thom and President of Baseball Operations Jeff Bittiger both passed away, which likely mean that President Brad Thom will be running the search more or less on his own. Could that change the calculus of what the RedHawks are looking for?

Who could be in the running?

To preface this: I have absolutely zero inside knowledge on the search. All names listed are purely speculatory and are in no way directly linked to the position by anyone with direct knowledge of the hiring process.

RedHawks bench coach Anthony Renz

If I had to handicap the search, I would put Renz as the favorite based off both vibes and he familiarity with the organization. He has spent nine years on the Fargo-Moorhead staff after he and Coste were both hired by Schlact before the 2018 season. Whenever Coste was ejected or away from the team (as was the case a couple times), Renz was the man holding the lineup card. Obviously, he already has a long-standing relationship with management as a result.

Renz has never managed professionally, but he has already replaced Coste once: in 2024 he succeeded Coste as the head coach at nearby Concordia-Moorhead, leading the Cobbers for the past three seasons.

Kansas City Monarchs hitting coach Matt Passerelle

This is one name I have actually have a tiny bit of intel, as I have heard that Passerelle wants to manage again. After a successful decade as a hitting coach for Sioux City, Milwaukee, and Kane County (winning the Miles Wolff Cup twice), he managed Chicago to a 50-49 record and a playoff berth in 2025, coming one win shy of reaching the Finals in his first managerial campaign.

However, he and the Dogs parted ways after one year and he found a home in Kansas City for 2026, presiding over an offense that led the league in homers as Passerelle won his third championship.

Kane County Cougars manager George Tsamis

George Tsamis is currently signed through the 2028 season, but Kane County’s move to the National Association (former Frontier League) for 2027 could throw a wrench in things.

The entire move is almost certainly a play by ownership to save money by moving into a cheaper league. Tsamis is believed to be one of the highest-paid managers in the AA and already is facing a difficult offseason as the Cougars’ salary cap and roster restrictions will be much tighter in their new league, meaning that he likely won’t be able to keep much of his current team around.

If Tsamis doesn’t wish to work under a more difficult roster structure and if REV Entertainment wants a cheaper manager, I could easily see a mutual split here, allowing the AA’s all-time winningest skipper to potentially stay in the only league he’s worked in since Day 1 in 2006.

New York Boulders manager T.J. Stanton

While most of his career has been spent out east, maybe the pinnacle of Stanton’s career came as a RedHawks hurler in 2010. In the final game in Northern League history, Stanton spun a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 14 Kansas City T-Bones to lead Fargo-Moorhead to the club’s fifth championship, which turned out to be Doug Simunic’s final title.

After spending 2009-10 in Fargo, Stanton finished his playing career in Quebec before taking the helm of Trois-Rivieres in 2017-18 and finally moving on to New York (formerly Rockland) in 2021. Over his two stops, Stanton is 404-375 (.519) with four playoff trips under his belt.

Stanton’s contract status is uncertain, but there’s one concerning trend that may have him peeking towards the exit: since 2024, the Boulders’ attendance has nosedived from over 3,000 per game to just 1,800. That precipitous drop in just two years undoubtedly means a lot less revenue and perhaps some tightening of the purse strings. Would a somewhat-familiar place and a bigger budget appeal to him?

Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins

I’ve heard a couple whispers that Watkins, a Wichita, Kansas native, would like to be a little closer to home. If that’s the case, it’s fair to wonder if he was interested in the Lincoln job that ultimately went to James Frisbie last winter. Also notable, Watkins was extended through 2026 after the 2024 season, but it’s not clear if he was extended again or if his deal was allowed to run out.

Watkins took over Cleburne in mid-2021, stayed there through 2023, then moved north of the border for the 2024 campaign. Between both stops, he’s a ho-hum 282-279 (.503), but has made five playoff appearances, including a trip to the Miles Wolff Cup Finals with the Goldeyes in 2024.

Fargo isn’t much closer to Kansas than Winnipeg, but it is at least in the United States, so dealing with a lot less border crossings and not having to move to another country for a few months eases some headaches.

Missoula Paddleheads manager Michael Schlact

Could Schlact have a second act in Fargo? I’m not counting on it, especially with a contract extension in Missoula lasting through 2030, but like Stanton, maybe a few jitters over circumstances outside his control could lead to a change.

Schlact drew the unenviable task of replacing Simunic late in the 2017 campaign, nearly reaching the postseason as the interim skipper, then guiding the RedHawks in 2018, going 67-57 overall before he left for the Brewers. After resurfacing in the independent ranks in 2021, he’s built and sustained an absolute juggernaut in Missoula, going 385-188 (.672) with six playoff appearances and the 2021 Pioneer League title.

At the same time, while I don’t believe Missoula is currently in trouble, their attendance has never been good and there are legitimate questions about several other PBL franchises. Consequently, there is certainly doubt whether the Pioneer League is playing professional baseball or even exists at all by the time Schlact’s deal runs out in four years. With little else to accomplish in Zootown, maybe Schlact would listen to a pitch from someone in a more stable league.

Former Gastonia manager Mauro “Goose” Gozzo

Gozzo is the one person on this list with absolutely no ties to Fargo or the American Association, but he’s on this list because he’s the best skipper who is definitely available.

The sudden folding of the Gastonia Ghost Peppers a few weeks ago left their only skipper, Gozzo, out of job. While he’s never won a championship, he’s posted an impressive 514-381 mark (.571) over six years in Gastonia and the 2019 season with the New Britain Bees, making three playoff appearances and reaching the Atlantic League finals in 2023 despite the club running out of money midseason.

Born and raised in Connecticut, outside of his playing days he never worked anywhere outside the East Coast, nor has he had to deal with roster restrictions that exist in the American Association but not the Atlantic League.

Is Gozzo a square peg in a round hole? Perhaps. But the resume is hard to argue, so a phone call might be worth it.

One Final Note

Whenever the Fargo-Moorhead job opens, it’s natural to connect former RedHawks standout Steve Montgomery to the position. However, he’s already untouchable in Sioux City and locked in with the X’s through 2032.

While a title still eludes him, Mongo is the longest-tenured skipper in the AA, having been with the X’s since 2014 and leading them to eight playoff berths, two Finals appearances and over 600 wins.

If Mongo wanted the RedHawks job, he probably could’ve had it after Simunic was let go in 2017. Or after Schlact resigned in 2019. Or in 2020 when Bennett left and the X’s weren’t playing that summer. I think it’s safe to say Mongo’s not going anywhere at this point.

As for everyone else…well, it will be interesting to see if anyone on this list does change jobs and if one of them ends up in the chair in Fargo.

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