October baseball magic is almost back. We are just days away from one of the most exciting times of the year. So, I took a look at how each of the 12 playoff teams might fare with their manager. Could having a certain manager just flat out win you a championship? No. However, can it help? Absolutely.
12. John Schneider, Toronto Blue Jays
Another baseball mind who was with the team for a long time, and worked his way up. John Schneider got this team to the postseason, the Blue Jays were out of a playoff spot.when he took over. Schneider was the bench coach of the Jays from ‘19 up until July 13th this year.
With the Blue Jays back in the postseason, GM Ross Atkins told reporters earlier this week that he might consider Schnieder as a long-term fit.
How would Schnider – in his words describe his managerial style?
“Do they need a kick in the ass or a pat on the back?” Schneider said. “You have to spend time with them and get to know them, get to know what their ins and outs are, whether you can yell at them or whether you should put your arm around them. That takes time. That’s something I try to deliberately do every day, is learn about the people and not just the player.”
11. Oliver Marmol, St. Louis Cardinals
A first-year manager making the postseason has been the theme for some teams. Oliver Marmol, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in ‘07, has been with the organization ever since. Managed at the minor league level, before making his way to become the first base coach of the Cardinals in ‘17.
He has been able to build tremendous relationships with every player on the team, and be relatable to many. In ‘19 he transitioned to become the bench coach under Mike Shildt. After Shildt was fired in ‘21, that is when Marmol was promoted to his current position.
The largest fanfare over the style Marmol brings to St. Louis is his openness with the media and fans. It’s a different conversation than what fans are used to. They don’t feel they are being ‘talked down’ to, or that Marmol is trying to outsmart anyone with what he says. He is being himself.
Future Hall of Famer, Adam Wainwright told The Athletic earlier this year what it’s like having Marmol as his manager. “It’s understanding honest conversations when you have a guy you know really cares, when you’re walking through life with a guy and shows he cares often, when he does come down on you, you can take that because you know he loves you and he’s trying to make you better.”
Rookie manager, that isn’t easy, and he has already accomplished a lot by winning the NL Central. Marmol should be in contention to win NL Manager of the Year.
10. Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners
A former major league catcher, and now the leading man in ending a playoff drought of 20 years in Seattle. Scott Servais, and his boss, Jerry Dipoto (Mariners GM), played together when they were with the Rockies in 2000. It’s a friendship that has developed even further in Seattle, giving fans the chance to see something special once again.
Seattle saw a dynasty almost begin in the early 00s, but it fell short. Since being beaten by the Yankees in ‘01, they never made their return to the October picture until now. It’s a team that is on the rise, which creates an exciting time for Servais to be able to be at the helm.
“I do believe this team can go very deep in the playoffs and win a World Series. We’ve got that kind of pitching and defense. And we’ve got the ‘it’ factor — and that goes a long way this time of year.” – Scott Servais told MLB.com after clinching a Wild Card spot.
9. Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies
A baseball lifer. Rob Thomson has been coaching in pro-ball since 1988.
He is wrapping up his first season as MLB manager after his longtime friend Joe Giradi was fired by the Phillies halfway through the season. He was first with Joe Giradi when he was with the Yankees, serving as his bench and third base coach for close to 10 years.
Thomson was the bench coach for Gabe Kapler in ‘18, and remained in the position after Kapler was fired, and Girardi was hired. There was a lot of familiarity between Thomson and Girardi.
They won a World Series together in ‘09.
Once Girardi was fired, not many believed that Thomson was the best fit for the position, nor thought he deserved it. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote a column about how firing Giardi would never solve the Phillies’ issues. Ken has since written a story admitting he was one of the many people in baseball that he was wrong. Respect.
Since he has been the manager in Philly, he has gone 65-44 (.596), and the team now has the sixth-best record in baseball. In hindsight, what the Phillies did saved their season, and led to a playoff berth for the first time since 2011.
8. Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
I know I already used the term ‘players coach’ for Tito, but if I could reuse that again, I will right here. Kevin Cash learned from the ultimate coach Terry Francona. He played for Francona in Boston back in ‘07 and ‘08, and his first coaching job was on Tito’s staff in Cleveland in ‘13.
Kevin Cash is the first American League manager to win back-to-back Manager of The Year awards. Bobby Cox is the only other to do so, but did so in the National League.
The Rays have to operate differently. He should be applauded for his use, and willingness to use, innovative analytics perhaps more than any other manager in the game. Another manager, similar to Francona, who has been successful without the almost unlimited financial resources like the Boones and Roberts of the world.
Since ‘18, he hasn’t had a record below .500, and hasn’t missed the playoffs in four years. Also in that span, he won those consecutive AL Manager of the Year Awards in ‘20 & ‘21. Players want to play for Cash, and if he ever moves to a different team, they will likely follow if the situation best fits them.
It’s tough to gauge how these last four managers ranked will perform on the postseason stage, especially since two of the four were hired halfway through the season.
7. Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Being the manager of the Yankees is never going to be an easy job. Because of their massive payroll, expectations are higher than any other team from the front office, media, and fanbase.
How many times have we seen Yankee fans boo Boone after making a pitching change just this year alone? He probably has not received the credit he deserves.
He knows how to deliver a message. Just look at the speech he gave to his team after clinching the AL East:
“Hell of an effort today. You guys were the best team in the best division this year. We took everyone’s punches. We had to fight like hell for it. Now we get that opportunity to go on and realize our goal of being the champion. This deserves to be celebrated. This is a hell of a division. As competitive as it’s been with every team you’ve got to beat, and I just want to give the belt out — (there were) a number of guys that could get it. I know you want to go (celebrate). Jamo!”
I have always said the day (well, if it happens) the Yankees win a World Series championship under Aaron Boone, he will be beloved by the whole fanbase.
This is a manager who, as a player, nearly 20 years ago was worshiped for his postseason heroics. He is one big win away from being back in the glory of pinstripes.
6. Bob Melvin, San Diego Padres
The old magic of the A’s has been stolen by the Padres. Bob Melvin has a passion for the game that many do not possess.
“The number one thing that personally stood out to me was Bob’s burning desire to win a championship as a Major League manager,” said AJ Preller, President of Baseball Operations of the San Diego Padres.
Baseball IQ as a manager is not just necessary, it’s essential. The Padres felt Melvin gave them their best chance, and they proved they believed that by putting him in charge of a team with the sixth-highest payroll in baseball. They believe that he can go from low-revenue “Money Ball” to the high-end, spend-at-will Penthouse District and still succeed.
It was reported a few weeks ago that Melvin held a team meeting. Melvin’s squad has been playing inspired baseball ever since.
Melvin is another one who is attempting to win his first championship as a manager. He has suffered some tough Wild Card losses against the Royals, Yankees, and Rays with Oakland, but it’s different now.
Those games are no longer a single elimination – anything is up for grabs. MLB made an adjustment many were asking for and turned the Wild Card round into a best of three.
“The next big thing for this team and this town and this organization is getting to the postseason, going deep in it, and wanting and expecting to win a World Series, ” Preller told reporters after hiring Melvin before the season.
Will Melvin finally get the Padres their first ring?
5. Dusty Baker, Houston Astros
Dusty Baker deserves to retire with a World Series win, and he may this year.
He took over as the Astros’ manager once AJ Hinch was fired due to the sign stealing scandal back in 2020. He has brought them to the ALCS and World Series since, but the Astros have yet to win another championship since the “controversial” ‘17 title.
Baker himself has earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame whether he wins a ring or not. His resume speaks volumes – he was the first manager in major league history to lead five different teams to division titles, ninth manager to win both an AL pennant and an NL pennant, and the first African American manager with 2,000 wins.
Additionally, he has played or managed in 2.5 percent of all games in history, and he is one of just two ever with at least 1,900 hits as a player and 1,900 wins as a manger – the other being Hall of Famer Joe Torre (via theaceofspaeder/twitter).
If anyone on this list yearns for finally getting a World Series championship, it is certainly Dusty Baker.
4. Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Four out of his seven years as manager of the Dodgers he has won more than 100 games. In the last four seasons, Dave Roberts is 365-178 (.672). I mean, c’mon – you can’t get much better than that. Oh, and he won a World Series in that span, too. Yes, I know it was 2020, the shortened season, but nonetheless, a ring.
He also went to back-to-back World Series in ‘17 and ‘18, but both ended up in defeat. At this moment, Roberts has managed 1,030 games, and he has a winning percentage of .633, tied for the second-highest winning percentage of all time.
Dave Roberts became a name baseball fans will always remember in 2004. When the Red Sox were on the brink of being eliminated in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, it was Roberts that started the turnaround. The Red Sox overcame the 3-0 lead the Yankees had, and they powered into a World Series win. It was a comeback that some will debate as one of the greatest of all-time.
When Dave Roberts won the NL Manager of The Year award in 2016, Alex Friedman, President of Baseball Operations of the Dodgers, had nothing but great things to say about him.
“Doc has a great baseball mind, is a great communicator, possesses endless energy and is relentlessly optimistic,” said Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations. “He has been remarkably consistent since the first day of Spring Training which is extremely difficult to do in the roller-coaster ride that is a Major League season. He was able to maintain that through our low points as well as our high points.”
3. Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves
It’s not just Brian Snitker, it’s defending World Series champion, Brian Snitker.
The journey started for Snit in Atlanta as a minor league player in 1977. He was released in ‘80, but he has been there with the organization ever since. He was a minor league manager in ‘82, and served as one for the next 15 years, winning multiple MiLB championships. He was called up to the big leagues in ‘07 when he served as the Bravos third base coach for five seasons.
Snitker was hired as the interim Braves manager after Fredi Gonzalez was let go having posted a record of 9-28 at the start of the 2016 season. After taking over, Snitker’s Braves went 59-65 to finish the year. Not bad considering what the status of the team was. The team SLG ranked 14th, and OPS fell to 13th-worst in the National League. Pitching was a struggle then too, they had a team ERA of 4.51, which was the 11th worst in the NL as well.
Since 2018, he has had a record above .500, and has now won the NL East in five consecutive seasons.
His tactics as a manager rank above almost everyone else, too. Players respect him. Former Brave, Freddie Freeman told reporters a few years ago that “When people get the job of manager the power can change who they are,” says Freeman. “He’s literally the same person he was as a third base coach. He doesn’t take it for granted after all that time in the minor leagues and what he went through.”
He has an ability to manage a loaded big-market team in a way we haven’t seen since Joe Torre with the New York Yankees.
2. Buck Showalter, New York Mets
The Buck stops here in New York, but this time it’s across the river. Like Francona, Buck Showalter is another manager with a career winning percentage above .500. Honestly, the argument could be made that these managers are 1A and 1B.
Yes, they have the hedge fund maven, Steve Cohen. That helps.
However, this is the same Mets team which has floundered with poor management.
The year Buck comes in?
They won 100 games for the first time since 1988, just four years prior to his first managerial job with the Yankees in ‘92.
Good morning, Baltimore? You know O’s fans all remember the magic of Showalter from 2010-2018. He brought the O’s to the postseason after a 15-year drought. Defeating the Rangers in the 2012 Wild Card game was a moment to remember in Baltimore.
Obviously, Buck would’ve loved to bring a championship to the city, but the O’s were challenged with fielding a team that was competitive. Don’t forget Baltimore is not a small-market team. They have a healthy TV deal and plenty of resources financially, but decided to go the rebuild route by not spending and focusing solely on analytics.
Buck opened up about the end in Baltimore, “You want to make that [winning] last as long as possible. We had to start moving players to try to gain as much as we could to get back and try to go forward. It was painful. It was painful, when you put something together like the whole organization did and you start seeing it come to an end, it’s painful. But you know you have to take some bullets along the way in order to get to the end game. Hopefully, at some point, Baltimore will be able to get back to that competitive part.”
Steve Cohen did not hire Buck to just win games, he brought him back to win championships. Well, in his first year with the team in blue and orange, they are in the race.
1. Terry Francona, Cleveland Guardians
Tito is back in the postseason, and his ability to get everything out of his team continues to be his key strength. What Francona does every single season is remarkable. He is the true definition of a players’ manager. The Guardians team president, Chris Antonetti, said at the beginning of the season that “his energy, his enthusiasm, his mindset, his outlook are as good as they’ve ever been.”
Countless times, Francona told his own players, “Be yourself, everything will be fine.” He makes his own players believe in themselves.
When he came to Cleveland in 2013, he brought winning baseball with him. In his first season at the helm with the Guardians, he won 92 games, which marked the first time in four years they were above .500. In his 10 years in Comeback City, the record speaks for itself, 843-670 (.557) as of October 3rd. Only one season (2021) was he below .500, and by only two games.
Not only does Tito know how to win, he knows how to do so without the resources the big-market teams have. The Guardians payroll this season is $82 million, which ranks 27th in the majors (per Spotrac). The league average is $162 million.
Now, what about Francona in the postseason? Well, he won two championships with Boston in ‘04 and ‘07, and he won the AL pennant with Cleveland in ‘16. In baseball, if you win a championship you usually find yourself a job. In Tito’s case, though, he has not just created a livelihood, he’s created a legacy.
Will he finally be able to bring a flag back to Cleveland for the first time since 1948?
