Barring a surprising development, it’ll be several months before we see another managerial change in Major League Baseball. The Pirates, the last of eight teams that sought a new skipper on the heels of last season, filled the position with the hiring of former Twins bench coach Derek Shelton on Wednesday. The Angels, Phillies, Giants, Royals, Mets, Cubs and Padres previously landed new managers.
Of the teams that went in different directions in the dugout this offseason, half hired individuals with previous managerial experience. The Angels and Phillies, two big-spending clubs looking to break long playoff droughts, each tabbed a prior World Series winner. Los Angeles selected Joe Maddon, whom the Cubs parted with at the conclusion of the season, while Philadelphia went with Joe Girardi after he enjoyed an eminently successful run with the Yankees from 2008-17.
Girardi’s taking over for Gabe Kapler, whose tenure in Philly was not always sunny (far from it). The Phillies parted with Kapler on the heels of two straight mediocre-at-best years, but that didn’t stop the Giants from hiring him to succeed three-time champion and potential Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy. The rebuilding Royals also had to find someone to grab the reins from a former championship winner, Ned Yost, who retired. They chose ex-Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, who – like Kapler – wasn’t particularly popular in his prior stop.
Meanwhile, the four first-timers are stepping into differing situations. Carlos Beltran, who’s not far removed from wrapping up what could be a Cooperstown-caliber playing career, doesn’t even have any coaching experience. Nevertheless, the Mets are putting their faith in the 42-year-old Beltran – once of their stars – to outperform predecessor Mickey Callaway. Beltran proved capable of handling New York’s special brand of pressure when he was a player, but it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll be able to do the same in his new role with a Mets team that expects to push for a postseason berth in 2020.
Likewise, longtime major league catcher David Ross has assumed the reins of one of his former clubs, the Cubs, who will enter next season with playoff aspirations after petering out this year under Maddon. Ross is a fan favorite in Chicago thanks to his time with the Cubs, though he’s yet another managerial pick with no coaching experience.
On the other hand, Shelton and the Padres’ Jayce Tingler have coached, though neither one is inheriting a team that looks especially likely to contend next season. That said, there will be pressure for San Diego, led by general manager A.J. Preller, to at least get back to .500 for the first time since 2010. The hope for the club is that the 38-year-old Tingler, a former Rangers assistant who’s now the second-youngest manager in the game (Twins AL Manager of the Year winner Rocco Baldelli is younger), will emerge as something of a wunderkind.
So, who made the best hire among this large group of franchises? Is it one of the clubs that went the experienced route? Or do you like one of the rookies the best?
(Poll link for app users)
MIKE MATHENY!
Lol. Good luck with that.
Matheny is the best hire. None of those hires manage my team so I think the best of the group is the manager that is most entertaining to watch. What’s more entertaining than watching an opposing manager repeatedly injure his own players for no good reason? Especially when he completely ruins their careers like he did with Trevor Rosenthal. I mean… It sucks for the players and all but it is definitely entertaining to watch. Being entertained is the best so whichever managerial higher entertains me the most is the best managerial higher. They did say best, right? Not smartest.
Are you high or just a dum red neck
Probably both
I would have voted for Joe Maddon hands down if the category was for best micro-managerial hire.
Because a managers performance can be skewed one way or the other based on the roster talent I look past simple wins vs loses. All I know is after Matheny the Cards were one of the better teams in baseball and made a push for the postseason. The following year(not exact same players but similar roster) they won the central. I honestly didn’t believe Matheny would manage again. Even players like Molina who was groomed by Matheny as a catcher came out in strong support of Schildt and removing the interim tag. Maybe not a direct slam on Matheny but the interview had a clear undertone that the Cardinal players were seeing a new and refreshing preparation style from Schildt that stood out because it had been lacking to that point. So Matheny either learned from the experience or hes one of the worst of all the hires. Not a bet I would have made and certainly not my initial vote given his most recent performance
Maddon is overrated at this point.
Riiiiiight. Helluva record says otherwise…
How many 90+ wins seasons?
How many playoffs appearances??
How many WS appearances and wins?
What’s that win % again??
Definitely overrated lol
2 WS appearances, 1 win.. doesnt scream amazing, does it?
Who said it screams amazing? It certainly is above average and probably top 5 in MLB over the same timeframe. And who on that list of recent hires has more WS appearances and wins or more MOY or better than .540 win%?
If you say those are meaningless measures, then what is used?
Helluva, your term, usually means amazing, so yes, you said it
same as ned yost…who went back to back AND won in 5 games, not 7.
I use managerial WAR.
Hinch 1 win 2 appearances , Dave Roberts 0-2 best team in baseball got beat in NLDS, Boone 0 With high prices Yankees. They only give out 1 World Series ring each year . Don’t worry angels will load him up to succeed
I mean, it’s easier to win with a good GM, lots of $$$, and inheriting an already solid team. Of the managers in his last WS, Francona did the heavier lifting to get his team there.
Amanda it does scream amazing. The one world series win with a team that only has one in over hundred years and with Tampa winning the pennant with a team where that is the only pennant they have won in their history = pretty amazing
All those that win load up. Lol
Astros, RedSox, Yanks, etc
the Dodgers loaded up and just have a few bad breaks otherwise they have a WS Win.
Those numbers certainly look good but the Cubs were stacked and we should be realizing by now just how good the front office of Tampa has been. He’s had some good talent to work with
He said “at this point.” Maddon is a HOF manager but he isn’t a needle mover in 2020.
Compared to Ausmus in 2019 Maddon will definitely move the needle in 2020. His hiring alone suggests they will make the necessary pitching upgrades and move the needle.
Maddon HOF?!
Based on what? Granted he invented the game but still…
I disagree Maddon is a needle mover for sure
At 64 my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Older people also have a thing about bowel movements. To clarify, are you a 5toolMVP or a stoolMVP?
Also part of the Cubs biggest regular season collapse since 1969. I’m not saying that it was his fault, though.
I guess if those are the parameters then Ned Yost is just as equal as Maddon.
Madden is SO SO over-rated !!
Yes, he is.
Maddon is under rated at this point
He’s actually underrated. To be able to win as many games as he did with the flaws and injuries the Cubs had the past few years is pretty impressive. Theo has made some ATROCIOUS signings over the past 3 years.
Tampa Bay has shown no sign of missing Maddon , whatsoever.
Playoff success?
I voted for Kapler as a joke.
Hopefully everyone else who voted for him was just kidding around too
You voted for Kapler because that was your opinion. You did not vote for him as a joke as the poll just counts votes.
Have the balls to believe in your choice.
No…. he was serious
Can anyone explain to me the obsession the world has with joe maddon? im a red sox fan so i saw plenty of him when he was tampas manager, like ok, he got alot from a team with a non existent payroll but what did he DO? they got to 1 world series that he lost, which was heartbreaking for me cause they knocked out boston that year, but ok, you can use what he did in Chicago which i admit was AWSOME to see them finally win it all, but wouldnt that just show that was more the trades the front office made? then hes fired, no playoffs for them last year, with a relatively talented team, i just dont see it with him, hes very average, I wish him luck with the angels, but i dont know anything he ever did thats so mindblowing or different, alot of managers run a team with a low payroll, but having 2 teams fire him should tell you something….
For starters, the Rays didn’t fire him…
Exactly! Neither did the Cubs. The contracts ended and he/they moved on.
Actually Joe Maddon ‘fired’ the Rays by exercising a clause in his contract that gave him a two week window to opt-out in the event Rays GM Andrew Friedman departed the organization. Friedman, being the young man that he was, headed west to the left coast, landing in ‘La La Land’. Maddon followed him out the door, choosing the ‘Friendly Confines’ as his next destination.
Didn’t his contract expire at both TB and ChC? How is that fired? Fired would be let go before the season ended or with time remaining on the contract, that didn’t happen in either case.
at the least, he didn’t cheat!
Angel fans know the 2002 WS Championship had just as much (or more to do) with Joe Madden than Mike Scioscia. He took the Devil Ray’s to the WS in 2008. After 108 years, he led Chicago to WS victory in 2016. He basically has 2 WS Titles and has won everywhere he goes. The guy commands a room and he has a unique way of connecting with players. He opted out of his Ray’s contract after the 2014 season and his Cubs contract expired in 2019. Nobody fired him. After spending 31 years in the Angel’s org, theres a buzz in SoCal that’s hes back. Welcome home Joe.
“He basically has 2 WS Titles…”
He has 1 WS Title.
No, he has 2 WS titles.
He has one as a manager.
Exactly. This story is about managers.
In 2002 Maddon was the Bench manager for Scioscia. He was the heart and soul of that team. 1 or 2 are just numbers. As an Angel’s fan, I give credit to Maddon just as much as Scioscia for that WS title. Maddon and Scoscias subsequent track records post 2002 only strengthen that belief.
The poll is about the best hire.,There not saying the best manager.,As usual a Red Sox fan makes it all about them
Heavy trolling here, why is everyone biting?
Well it is thanksgiving
He’s big on clubhouse stuff getting teams to coalesce, and he’s really catchy and media friendly. As a baseball tactician, managerial instincts… he’s interchangeable with anybody handing out samples at Costco
Amanda——you answer your questions over and over…”but what did he DO?” Just sit back and think about the two franchises he won with……Tampa and the Cubs. You do understand the year before he took over the Cubs they won 73 games. Since that point the Cubs have played exactly FOUR games when they were out of playoff contention…..the final weekend of 2019.
He wasn’t fired at either. If he’s “very average” I’m searching for the bar of “above average.”
There is certainly no guarantee that he will do well with the Angels, but my hunch is that they will improve over the next couple of years.
Believe me, I am on this site quite often and fully understand, by all the comments I read that ANYBODY can manage a baseball game. Everyone on here has all the answers, can make out any lineup (of course, without any inside knowledge of health of players) and knows exactly when to deploy the right-righty matchup, etc. It’s really simple to manage a baseball…just come on to this site…you will know and learn immediately. The fact is that only a select few get to manage baseball games in real stadiums with real players and Joe Maddon has proven he can do it and do it pretty well for a long, long time.
Earlier this year right before the season ended I was hoping Scioscia would of stayed another year. So when he stepped down they could of gotten Maddon. But luckily Arte pushed to Ausmaus fired.
If anyone on here would listen to Maddon’ talk during his Angel press conference they would see why Angels and the Cubs and Rays before them hired him. He’s a very well read person Very articulate. And sounds like a very good motivator. I’m very happy with the hire.
Agree 100%. Merlot Joe has an act that’ll grow old after a few years and he’ll try it again on an unsuspecting team. He had talented teams. Thats why he won. His connection with the team was never as close as Kevin Cash’s is with the Rays now.
And what exactly is his act as you call it. ?Must be pretty good one with a lot unsuspecting teams wanting him
Oh I wish Amanda would describe his “act” as well
The 2008 Rays were far from a “talented team” in the context you meant it.
A lot of “talented teams” don’t make the postseason. That’s the difference with guys like Joe Maddon. He finds ways to get them there. I don’t see the 2019 collapse as his fault at all. Guys under-performed at the wrong time. Simple as that.
Amanda the fact you think Joe Maddon was twice fired tells everyone here what we need to know about your comments.
And you do not “wish” him “luck” at all. You say that to try to make yourself look good but it is obvious you do not know too much
Cubs probably have the most talent, Ross is back. Done!
Maddon. Gotta be #Number One. He improves all faucets of their game. On Paper. We’ll See huh…
Giardi. You could say the same thing. But Philly I think has alittle more heat on them. To get some postseason wins. At least at this point. A lot of chips seem to be already in place.
Kapler is a joke. A Good manager. And an enigma all rolled into one. . . Will Farhan pull another rabbit out of his hat with this hire. ? I hope so. I’m a Giants fan. But we’ll see. . . I’ll vote incomplete at this point.
Matheny seems to have the tough guy image down. Same as Kapler it might seem. But it ran him out of St. Louis. And a building Royals team might be ok. At least to get to 75 wins max. Not a horrible hire. But he might run himself out of there again.
Beltran is caught up in the Mets GM big move mode. I think the Astros controversy will hinder him some. But not much. . . It’s all about Wins in the Big Apple. Can Beltran lead the way. ? I’d say no.
Shelton. Don’t even know who that is.
Tingler. Ah… Some Padres wins would do him well. But I don’t expect huge things out of this move. This is a make or break hire for Preller. Tingler might go down with the ship in a few seasons.
David Ross. World Series or Bust. He has about 4 Seasons to at Least get to the Big Dance. If not he’s gone. . . A nice guy. Tough guy. Knows his stuff… I’d root for Ross to do well. But Cubs land gets angry very very quickly.
– Happy Thanksgiving to All. To All a Great Day. !
as long as Dayton moore is in kc, Matheny won’t get fired unless he can’t get us to a series within 7 years (next wave will be in KC around late 2021/early 2022). i’m still iffy on his hire. I really wanted someone else.
I’m a Phillies fan and Kapler is the opposite of a tough guy. One of the criticisms against him was he was afraid to confront players who didn’t hustle or under-performed. Hopefully for him and Giants fans he learns from the experience and makes the necessary corrections. But going to SF has to be the kiss of death for almost anyone. He’s following a beloved manager who’s going to be in the HOF. Plus, the Giants don’t have a lot of young talent or a great farm. But hey, I’d love to be in your situation if my team won 3 WS titles in the past decade.
He improves all the faucets of their game? He’s a manager, not a plumber.
If the Padres don’t show significant improvement and start acting like contenders in 2020 the Padres will tie an anchor to A.J. Preller after this season with Jayce Tingler likely following him as his buoy.
This poll got last place correct. So at least there’s that.
People voted for Kapler. LOL. Maybe Dodgers fans.
Dumb…why would we do that?
Unfortunately, Beltran will be one of many suspended out of baseball for cheating.
Being “suspended out” isn’t a thing.
Since we’re posting unnecessary comments…
Currently, I feel like Girardi was the best hire of the offseason. He seems to check all the boxes the Phillies need. I’m not optimistic about Maddon, Matheny, or Kapler. I’m interested to see Beltran and Ross manage. I feel like it’s 50/50 on whether they can handle the job. Admittedly, I’m not very familiar with several of these new managers.
Maddon’s still a top 3 manager, imo. The cubs front office handcuffed him to a poorly constructed roster after 2016 so they could justify getting rid of him publically.
Maddunce “handcuffed” himself as well. He was the middle-man in the Cubs blame game cycling through 4 hitting coaches, 3 pitching coaches and even more lesser ones during his Cub reign.
At least Theo kept his genius on board for the duration of his 5 year stay in Chicago. I also suspect that the “Boy Wonder” will be departing the friendly confines himself when his current contract expires in two years. Perhaps we will get a clue to his next destination when he trades Kris Bryant before the slugging 3B becomes a free agent himself following the 2021 season.
I voted for Girardi, aka Binder Joe.
Maddon is twice the manager that Hinch is! At least he’s not stupid enough to blatantly cheat and then claim to have no prior knowledge! Maddon is a master of maximizing the potential of players.
Giradi likely the only one that will make a difference. Maddon’s always been “meh”, getting whatever the roster gave him.
The only negative is probably Kapler. I can see Cueto dumping him and his spread sheets in a trash bin.
Matheny could surprise, finally out of LaRussa’s shadow. Nothing negative has ever been written about Ross; that will change. Shelton and Tingler fit where their teams want to go. Things could get ugly for Beltran quick.
What world are you living in? There’s nothing “meh” about Maddon’s winning percentage, or winning a WS with the Chicago cubs.
Best Managers I saw who won games with their skills……….Herzog, Anderson, Leyland, Weaver
most overrated managers…….Torre, LaRussa, Showalter, Scoscia, Lasorda, B. Martin
The best managers don’t win individual games with tactics or “skill”. Players do that.
Managers win championships strategically, by establishing a culture and attitude over the course of a season(s) the players can believe in.
Leyland not being part of your overrated list taints your list. He blew plenty of games in his time thanks to mismanagement.
Showalter turned franchises around, built them up when they were down. Every time.
Horribly dumb comment.
Cubs should have hired Girardi. The front office is afraid of anyone with the balls to stand up to them
Always great idea to evaluate moves without even a game played…
im a Phillie fan but it has to br Maddon. he’s one of few managers. who can win in both the regular season and the postseason, and tends to manage it despite playing for teams with spending restrictions.
Derek Shelton has 10% of the vote? He’s walking into a non-compete year and possible rebuild.
Voted Maddon but not with confidence… All these managers are stuck with a rebuild or are in a tough division…or in the case of Kapler just suck!
I’m voting Girardi. Great leader, gets the most out of his players. Philly did great by canning Kapler and going with Joe
Girardi in Philly is a great fit. Kapler & Ross are poor choices. I like Matheny in KC, here’s hoping he’s better able to blend some stat-driven-perspectives into his admirable old school approach. The Mets and Beltran will provide a typically chaotic season in NYC. Maddon is a safe hire, though a good choice by the Angels. Shelton and Tingler will bring new ideas to clubs in need of same. Worst hire of the bunch? David Ross – huge difference between being a well-liked teammate and a manager.
Kapler is already moving the needle in SF…….the non-renewals of season tickets so far is growing…..the “Fire Kapler” t-shirts are already emerging
Fans chop off their noses to spite their faces.
I’d bet that anyone who’s played for Maddon loved the experience. He seems to be a player manager and invites the swagger. But I never saw anything special about his managing. He encouraged his players to be aggressive at the plate and in the field, but throws temper tantrums if you dare pitch inside or make an aggressive slide. I always thought he was a legend in his own mind
Ross has to be the worst
No disrespect to Maddon, but I can’t help but notice that the Rays didn’t suffer from his loss, they won 96 games last season with a payroll of about 25% of many clubs. The organization is more important than a single manager.
Oh really … so they won 96 games FIVE years later and that shows you what?
A solid organization makes a manager look really good.
Rays success took some time after he left. They were not instant winners.
Players like and want to play for Maddon, they don’t like playing for Girardi.
Girardi will fit right in at Philadelphia. .
Yankees players loved Joe.
Definitly not the Pirates. Derek Sheltons teams have been bad with the bat more often than good. Typical Nutting going the cheapest way possible
I see there are a ton of Phillies fans on MLBTR.
Is have to say Girardi. I have a hatred for the Phillies due to them stomping my dodgers in the playoffs a couple years in a row but I will say that they made a great hire and I’m actually excited to see how this team does this season.
Girardi is a joke
No, you are.
Wow, sick burn.