Who Is Bobby Valentine? Facts About Donald Trump's Possible Japan Ambassador, Former Red Sox Manager

Bobby Valentine, the fiery, former MLB manager, could be the United States' next ambassador to Japan, according to a report from WEEI Radio in Boston, where he once coached the Red Sox. He was on President-elect Donald Trump's shortlist of candidates for the role, the radio station reported Friday, citing multiple anonymous sources. The former manager declined to comment.

The move would the latest in a series of nontraditional moves from Trump, who just picked Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, to head up the Small Business Administration. Valentine did spend a number of years in Japan, but has no real diplomatic experience. He has reportedly already had preliminary talks with the Trump transition team.

Valentine coached the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan for seven seasons and remains beloved by many fans there after becoming the first U.S. born manager to win a championship in the country. He was so well-liked that after the team announced he would not be back after the 2009 season amid financial woes for the franchise brought on by the recession, fans rallied a grassroots effort to keep him around, amassing 110,000 signatures on a petition.

Valentine, 66, has plenty of baseball experience, having coached in the MLB for 16 seasons and as recently as 2012. However, it would appear that he does not have much experience that would seem all too fitting for an ambassadorship.

He has established ties to the Trump administration, though. Valentine has known Trump since the early 1980s and is close to transition official Anthony Scaramucci, WEEI reported. A source reportedly told the radio station that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who initially headed up the transition team before an unceremonious exit, first floated Valentine as a candidate for the role.

Valentine currently serves as athletic director at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He does have some other connections to Japan that could prove useful. He's reportedly "friendly" with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who, like Valentine, went to the University of Southern California. Valentine also knows Masayoshi Son, who just pledged $50 billion in investment in the U.S. Finally, while managing the Texas Rangers, he worked under team president Tom Schieffer, who went on to serve as ambassador to Japan at the same time Valentine was coaching in the country.