By Aidan Joly
On Tuesday night, the MLB officially announced that there will be a 60-game 2020 season beginning in late July. Today, I’ll do a power ranking of each of the 30 big league managers with a quick thought on each of them.
There are four managers heading in that have never managed a big-league game, so I think it would be unfair to give them an actual ranking, so I’ll put them all tied for 27th for now.
T27: David Ross, Chicago Cubs
Ross retired as a Cub at the end of the 2016 season and has been in the broadcast booth for ESPN since then. He replaces Joe Maddon, and with this being his first coaching job there will most likely be a learning curve. However, the Cubs are hopeful he can learn quickly, similar to Aaron Boone with the Yankees.
T27: Luis Rojas, New York Mets
Rojas wouldn’t even be in this situation if the Mets hadn’t hired Carlos Beltran in November, who left in January following Beltran being the only player called out by name in the document of the Astros sign-stealing investigation. Rojas has some managerial experience in the lower levels of the minor leagues, and is the son of legendary manager Felipe Alou.
T27: Derek Shelton, Pittsburgh Pirates
Shelton replaces Clint Hurdle in Pittsburgh, who was fired after nine years with the team and just 69 wins in 2019. Shelton has been a coach at the MLB level since 2005, most recently the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins the past two seasons.
T27: Jayce Tingler, San Diego Padres
Tingler has never been in an MLB dugout but has a player development background, serving as a player development field coordinator and assistant GM for the Texas Rangers, and some managerial experience in the Dominican Winter League. His background will be good for the Padres, who have several top prospects just entering the MLB or in their minor league system.
26: Brandon Hyde, Baltimore Orioles
It’s hard to accurately judge Hyde after just one season in Baltimore where he had arguably the worst roster in the MLB and finished accordingly in 2019, at 54-108.
25: David Bell, Cincinnati Reds
Bell’s first year in Cincinnati did not go as well as expected, with a 75-87 record. He sticks up for his players, tying for the league lead with eight ejections in 2019, albeit resulting in being suspended twice during the season. The Reds have a new philosophy with pitching and have higher expectations for this coming season.
24: Charlie Montoyo, Toronto Blue Jays
Another manager with just one season under his belt, going 67-95 with a squad that had blue chip young talent on offense but major issues on the pitching staff. The jury will still be out on Montoyo until they get more reinforcements as Toronto rebuilds.
23: Gabe Kapler, San Francisco Giants
Not many thought Kapler’s second managerial job would come so quickly after his first one ended. He was fired by the Phillies this past October after going .500 in back-to-back seasons, despite the additions of Bryce Harper, Jean Segura and JT Realmuto after year one. He makes questionable in-game decisions that results in warranted criticism. He inherits a rebuilding Giants team with his outside-the-box approach.
22: Chris Woodward, Texas Rangers
Texas went 78-84 in Woodward’s first year, greatly exceeding expectations. Woodward has an old-school approach, particularly in being willing to ride starting pitching in a bullpen-oriented league, especially with Lance Lynn and Mike Minor. Texas will look to improve as they continue to develop their young talent.
21: Ron Roenicke, Boston Red Sox
Roenicke is most likely nothing more than an interim manager for the 2020 season after the Red Sox had to cut ties with Alex Cora for his involvement in the Astros’ sign stealing. Roenicke managed the Brewers from 2011-2015 is pushing a decade since his best season, 2011, when they won 96 games and the NL Central, but were mediocre outside of that despite talent. Although Boston is starting a small-scale rebuild, it’s tough to see Roenicke staying past 2020.
20: Mike Matheny, Kansas City Royals
This will be the second time Matheny takes over for a World Series-winning skipper following their retirement, Tony La Russa in 2012 and now Ned Yost in 2020. Matheny got the Cardinals to the World Series in 2013 but he ran his course in St. Louis and became stale, resulting in his midseason firing in 2018.
19: Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners
Servais has been in Seattle since 2016, but has not made the postseason despite competitive teams. With the AL West being as good as it is, they entered a rebuild following the 2018 season. It will probably be a while before the Mariners are competitive again, and Servais may not even be the guy in the dugout when that happens.
18: Rick Renteria, Chicago White Sox
Renteria has been lauded for his approach with young players, both during his one-year stint with the Cubs in 2014 and now the past three seasons on the South Side. He hasn’t won more than 73 games in a season with the White Sox, but they now have higher expectations as prospects arrive and offseason additions.
17: Don Mattingly, Miami Marlins
It’s hard to believe that this is already Mattingly’s fifth year with Miami, but it is. He was fired by the Dodgers at the end of 2015 for not succeeding in the playoffs after three division titles in five years. Miami has not been as easy with a lack of talent on the roster and that has resulted in 98+ losses the past two seasons, but the blame can’t really be put on Mattingly for that.
16: Ron Gardenhire, Detroit Tigers
Gardenhire had a 13-year stint with the Twins from 2002-2014 and won six division titles, but struggled in his final years there. Gardenhire doesn’t have much to work with right now in Detroit, but even with that, a 114-loss season in 2019 is a really ugly blip on his resume.
15: Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals
Martinez was disappointing in his first year as manager in 2018 with an 82-80 record and many were calling for him to be fired as the Nationals were 24-33 at the end of May last year. However, he turned that team around in a big way, getting a spot in the Wild Card game eventually winning the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Martinez isn’t at fault for the inconsistent bullpen but he deserves credit for what he did with it in the postseason. A starting rotation led by Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg helps too.
14: Bud Black, Colorado Rockies
Black has only been to the playoffs twice in 12 years as the manager of both San Diego and Colorado, but his teams regularly exceed expectations. As a former pitching coach, he has done wonders with pitching staffs. He guided the Rockies to the playoffs in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, which the franchise had never done before.
13: Dusty Baker, Houston Astros
When the Astros were in disarray this past offseason with the fallout of the sign-stealing scandal that resulted in AJ Hinch being fired in the wake of it, they turned to the most experienced available guy. Baker has managed 22 seasons with four different teams, most recently the Nationals from 2016-2017. He is held in high regard by players, but has been criticized for failing to adapt to new-school tactics, something the Astros have been at the forefront of, as well as a lack of success in the postseason.
12: Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona made a surprise appearance in the playoffs after a 93-win campaign in Lovullo’s first year in 2017, they finished just over .500 in 2018 and despite losing Paul Goldschmidt, AJ Pollock and Zack Greinke by the end of the 2019 season they finished with 85 wins. He’s a good player development guy that has allowed Ketel Marte, Robbie Ray and many others to become strong players.
11: Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Roberts has won four straight division titles and has made a pair of World Series appearances with the Dodgers, but hasn’t been able to win a title yet. He’s had a reputation of making questionable moves in the postseason, but he is popular among his players, and the Dodgers’ window for a title is still wide open.
10: Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves
Snitker is the epitome of a players’ manager with his old-school style and has found a lot of success since he was promoted to his current position in 2016, and the Braves developed faster than expected. They have now won two straight division titles and definitely have a title window.
9: Mike Shildt, St. Louis Cardinals
Shildt took over midseason in 2018 after the firing of Mike Matheny and immediately made waves. The Cardinals made a playoff push after his hiring, going 41-28 after he took over, and came out on top of a three-team race in the NL Central this past season and advancing to the NLCS despite glaring holes on both sides of the ball.
8: Bob Melvin, Oakland Athletics
Melvin is the longest-tenured manager in the bigs, having been with the team since 2011, having made five playoff appearances in that time, despite being a low-budget team. His on-field tactics leave a bit to be desired, considering how analytically-driven and Oakland front office is but he exceeds expectations on the regular.
7: Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins
A Kevin Cash disciple, Baldelli improved Minnesota from 78 wins in Paul Molitor’s last year in 2018 to 101 wins and an AL Central crown in 2019. Baldelli’s on-field tactics mirror Cash’s, but the question remains if he can continue that success into the 2020 season and years following.
6: Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Boone is off to a fantastic start to his managerial career, with 100+ wins in each of his first two seasons in New York. His 2019 season was most impressive, battling injuries to multiple star players to still win 103 games. He also has a reputation as a players’ manager due to being willing to give young players time on the field, which he was hired to do.
5: Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers
An aggressive and pesky player during his playing career, that style has mirrored his managerial career. Having taken over midseason in 2015, the Brewers have won 86+ games in three straight seasons and have made two straight playoff appearances despite not having one of the top rosters in the league. His tactic of removing Wade Miley after one batter in Game 5 of the NLCS in 2018 to trick the Dodgers was a move for the ages.
4: Joe Girardi, Philadelphia Phillies
This is Girardi’s third different manager job. He spent 10 years with the Yankees and made the playoffs six times and won a World Series in 2009 with a star-studded team. However, he has a reputation of struggling to develop young talent which led him to struggle in his final years in New York. Now, after two years out, he takes over a Phillies team that has playoff aspirations.
3: Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians
Francona has been in Cleveland since 2013 and two World Series with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007. He has made the playoffs four times in Cleveland, including a World Series appearance in 2016. He’s won over 1600 games in his career and continues to be one of the top guys in the league for his approach that is a mix of both old-school and new-school.
2: Joe Maddon, Los Angeles Angels
Maddon’s resume is one to behold. He turned around the Rays from 2006-2014, with four playoff appearances and five 90+ win seasons while having a style that allowed for innovation on the field in all facets of the game. He carried that over to the Cubs in 2015, winning 92+ games in four seasons and snapped the team’s 108-year World Series drought in 2016. The Cubs declined in 2019, going 84-78 and resulted in the team moving on from Maddon. Now, he has a new challenge with Los Angeles, a team that has the tools to compete in the AL West.
1: Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
Cash has established himself as the best young mind in baseball. He took over the Rays in 2015 after the departure of Maddon and has now won 90+ games in back-to-back seasons, resulting in his first playoff appearance last fall, despite having a tiny budget and playing in one of the toughest divisions in the league. He has been extremely innovative in his own right, with new defensive shifts, platoons and inventing the opener strategy in 2018, which several clubs have adopted that strategy. Cash has a chance at being one of the great managers in the history of the game.
AJ Hoops 