Best Skippers
In a pre-game ceremony this past Thursday the Cubs celebrated the career of Giants skipper Bruce Bochy (pictured above) as he managed his final game in Chicago. Joe Maddon presented Bochy with a remembrance recognizing his contributions to baseball and displaying his uniform number 15, a tile from the historic Wrigley Field manual scoreboard. How does Bochy rank among the best? Let’s check out the Coach’s top 10 Best Skippers in the last 50 years:
Sparky Anderson tops my list! The “Main Spark” guided the Reds through the Big Red Machine years and consecutive world championships in 1975 and 1976. In 1984 he became the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues as his Detroit Tigers won the title. I spent much of my boyhood listening to Sparky’s pre-game chats on my transistor radio, learning the game from this dynamic personality. He was the consummate gentleman and baseball ambassador. Sparky made me proud to be a Reds fan. In the clubhouse and dugout, he was known for having a great knack of knowing what was needed to get the most out of a ballplayer and his team. He was also nicknamed “Captain Hook” due to his frequent use of the Reds bullpen. Anderson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.
Joe Torre began his career in 1960 as a catcher for the Milwaukee Braves and is still today part of the game as MLB’s chief baseball officer. Along the way he won an NL MVP award in 1971 as a Cardinal in a stellar playing career that spanned 18 seasons. His managing career got off to a slow start in the win column with stints as the skipper of the Mets, Braves, and Cardinals. In 1996 he became the Yankees manager and started a run that is difficult to match, leading the Yankees to four World Series titles. His winning percentage as the Yankees manager was .605. In his 12 seasons the Yankees made the playoffs each year. Torre was elected to the HOF in 2014.
Bruce Bochy also started his MLB career as a catcher, debuting with the Astros in 1978. Bochy served as a backup catcher when his San Diego Padres won their first NL title in 1984. His managing career began with a 12-year tenure with the Padres as he led them to playoff appearances in four of those seasons. Beginning in 2007, he took the helm of the Giants and led them to early dominance in the 2010s. For three consecutive even-numbered years (2010, 2012 and 2014), his Giants were World Series champions, much of it due to his keen on-field maneuvering and off-field relationship with his players. This season marks the end of a great career for the longest-tenured active manager in baseball. Baseball will miss him; Cooperstown awaits him.
Whitey Herzog served in several capacities in baseball, player (beginning in 1956 with the Washington Senators), scout, farm system director, general manager, and as one of baseball’s best managers. In the 1970s he led the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive AL championship series (1976-1978) but ran into a buzz saw each year in the Yankees. Herzog came to the National League in 1980 where his Cardinals won it all in 1982, and added NL pennants in 1985 and 1987. Herzog’s style of NL play was branded “Whiteyball” for aggressiveness, speed, exceptional defense, and an offense focused on run-creating opportunities, not hammering the ball over the fence. I witnessed a lot of Cardinal baseball during his era and marveled at how he was always a step ahead of the opposing manager. Whitey was inducted into the HOF in 2010.
Tony LaRussa is another example of a utility player with a non-descript career (debuting in 1963 with the Cubs but spending most of his playing career in the minor leagues) finding his own managing winning teams. His first title as a manager was guiding the White Sox to the AL West championship in 1983. He then moved on to Oakland where his A’s won three straight AL championships (1988-1990) and of course the 1989 World “Quake” Series. Just like Anderson, LaRussa brought his craft to a new league in 1996, managing the Cardinals to three NL pennants in 16 seasons and two World Series titles (2006 and 2011). Tony is also still in baseball, serving as special assistant to the Red Sox president, Dave Dumbrowski. LaRussa was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Terry Francona is the best manager in the American League today, period. “Tito” had a mildly successful playing career, starting as an Expo in 1981 and ending his career early in the 1990 season with the Brewers. His first managerial gig was in Philadelphia, a 4-year run with no playoff appearances. In 2004 Theo Epstein brought him to Boston and the magic began. The Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, their first since 1918! The magic continued in 2007 with another world title. Francona is now in the Indians’ dugout, hired in 2013. The Indians were on the doorsteps of ending their own long drought of world championships in 2016 before a 17-minute rain delay and the Cubs got in the way. Watch a Francona-managed game; it’s mistake-free.
Frank Robinson is my choice for the seventh slot. He died earlier this year after decades in baseball, starting in 1956 with the Reds and culminating as AL honorary president. In contrast to most of the other managers on this list, Robinson was one of the all-time great players, the only one in fact to be named MVP of the NL (Cincinnati, 1961) and AL (Baltimore, 1966). He brought that playing career with him to the dugout in 1975, when he became the first black manager in MLB history as player-manager for the Indians. He then went on to manage the Giants, Orioles and Expos/Nationals. His winning percentage as a manager was under .500 but his contributions to the game were historic in nature. Robinson joined the Cooperstown elite as a player in 1982, his first year of eligibility.
Gene Mauch makes my top 10 list, in what may be a surprise to many. In his playing days, he was a utility infielder for the most part on six MLB teams (1944-1957). Mauch is better known for being a master strategist in a managing career that spanned from 1960 to 1987 (Phillies, Expos, Twins, and Angels). My Dad took me to Crosley Field in 1968 to see a Reds vs. Phillies game and explained to me why Mauch was his absolute favorite. Mauch’s teams played what some called “small ball”, focusing on defense, hitting to the opposite field, sacrifice bunts, and base running. Unfortunately he is the winningest manager ever not to have won an AL or NL pennant. Mauch’s teams played the game the way it should be played. The game needs more Mauch baseball in the future.
Earl Weaver, long-time manager of the Baltimore Orioles, was anti-Mauch, a real disbeliever in small ball. He ended his playing career never having played in the MLB. Weaver was the manager of the Orioles for 17 seasons beginning in 1968. Early in his career, he led the Orioles to three consecutive AL pennants from 1969 to 1971, winning the world championship in 1970. His lifetime winning percentage of .583 as a manager ranks among the best. Weaver would have fit right in today since his team’s offense played for the “three-run homer”; don’t waste any outs advancing runners and wait for the long ball. Weaver was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996.
Brian Snitker, current manager of the Braves, completes my top 10, just edging out some great managers, each with a World Series title under their belt – Lou Piniella (Reds, 1990); Bobby Cox (Braves, 1995); and Joe Maddon (Cubs, 2016). Why Snitker? I love his story. Snitker has been a “Brave” for over 40 years. He played four years in their minor league system (1977-1980), and then coached and managed Braves minor league teams until 2016 when he finally got his shot as the big league manager. Snitker is definitely “old school.” Last Sunday he was tested by his star player, Ronald Acuna Jr., who failed to run out a batted ball in a game against the Dodgers. Snitker benched Acuna during the game, and afterward Acuna agreed it was the right thing to do. It was a wake-up call for the Braves, a much needed boost as the NL playoffs await in October.
So there’s my list! Let the Coach know what you think! And please comment on which manager is Number One on your Top Ten.
Until next Monday,
your Baseball Bench Coach
