The Top 10 Most Interesting MLB Managers Over the Last 40 Years

These top 10 managers, for one reason or another, have intrigued me to the point of inclusion to this list. They have either had great tenures at a given team(s), been influential, charismatic, etc.

If you happen to have anyone else in mind that I may have missed, please feel free to let us know in the comments section of this list.

10. Ralph Houk – With over 1600 wins and a winning percentage of .514 over a 19 year managerial career after a seven year career as a player. He’s a manager I have respected as he has managed in three decades for the Yankees, Tigers  and Red Sox. He won two World Series as a manager in 1961 and 1962 (his first two years managing) with the Yankees and another in 1987 in the front office of the Twins. He was also a noted “player’s manager”.

9. Earl Weaver – Former manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1968-1982, and 1985-1986. He won a World Series in 1970 & was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Weaver was one of the most boistrous managers of his time who was never shy about telling the umpires what he thought of their calls and they usually responded to his kind criticism of their work by ejecting him. He holds the Major League record for being ejected 97 times! During one of those ejections, this is what wikipedia claims was said (screamed), “I’m going to check the rule-book on that” to which the umpire replied, “Here, use mine.” Weaver shot back, “That’s no good – I can’t read Braille.” Also from wikipedia, Weaver was well known for kicking dirt on umpires. He was also known to turn his cap backwards whenever he sparred with umpires in order to get as close to them as possible without touching them.

8. Jim Leyland – Although Leyland has only one World Series victory from 1997 with the Florida Marlins, he was named the manager of the year in both leagues. Twice in the NL with Barry Bonds’ Pirates in 1990 and 1992, then again in 2006 in his first year managing the Tigers. Although he is still managing the Tigers, Leyland still hold true to his old school roots unless I am mistaken. Tigers fans, please let me know if I’m wrong here. He’s currently managing the Tigers and may be in the playoffs with them again this season!

7. Bobby Cox – Cox is 4th on the all time wins list with 2404. Like Leyland, he also has won one World Series (in 1995 with the Braves) and manager of the year awards in both leagues. He won one in the AL with the Blue Jays in his last year there and three times in the NL with the Braves in 1991, 2004 and 2005.

6. Terry Francona – Although in only his 10th year of managing in the big leagues, being a part of bringing 2 World Series Championships to Boston after an 86 year drought makes this list in my book, but I admit I’m a Red Sox fan. In fact, his hiring was influential in the Red Sox signing the bloody sock pitcher Curt Schilling. Although Francona was not very successful in Philadelphia, he has had better toys to play with in Boston since his arrival and is exceptionally well in protecting his players from the media and is also known as a player’s manager. He’s currently managing the Red Sox and will be in the playoffs with them again this season!

5. Tony LaRussa – LaRussa, who is currently third on the all time wins list with 2546 has also won two World Series Championships. One with the A’s in 1989 and more rrecently in 2006 with the Cardinals. Like Cox, he has won the manager of the year award four times, but in reverse order. Just one time in the NL with the Cardinals in 2002 and three times in the AL, once with the White Sox in 1983 and twice with the A’s in 1988 and 1992. He is the father of the one inning save and the lefty specialist. Both of those, in my opinion, have had detrimental effects to the game, but you just can’t argue with over 2500 wins…can you? He’s currently managing the Cardinals and will be in the playoffs with them again this season!

4. Whitey Herzog – Herzog is on this list for his 1281 wins and his influence on the game. He was the father of Whiteyball, which was a style of play that was based upon strategy to win games rather on the all powerful HR. Herzog’s teams relied on pitching, speed and defense to win games. His teams usually had at least one or more base-stealing threat at the top of the lineup, with a power threat such as George Brett or Jack Clark hitting third or fourth, protected by one or two hitters with lesser power, followed by more base stealers (taken from wikipedia).

3. Billy Martin – probably one of the most carismatic managers on this list, but Billy did win one World Series in 1977 with the Yankees, whom he managed five times in his career. It is said that he was preparring to manage them a sixth time (for the 1990 season) and even had most if not all of his coaching staff selected, but his death on Christmas Day, 1989 unfortunately ended that notion. Billy was born to coach the Yankees! His ejections and infighting with other coaches and his players were always taking center stage in his managerial career, but he was also a great strategist. Here’s a quote from sportswriter Thomas Boswell as found on wikipedia regarding Billy’s strategic genius.

Billy Martin proved what a powerful strategic tool paranoia is. He believed that everyone was against him. And so he spent every waking moment figuring out how imaginary enemies could be defeated in their nefarious plots. And sometimes he not only created strategies to defend against things that would never be done against him, but he realized that those attacks were in themselves novel and he would then try those attacks that he had already dreamed up a defense for. That’s why he was so wonderful at suicide bunts and double steals and any way that you could humiliate or psychologically defeat the other team, he was sure that’s how the world reacted to him. He was sure the world hated him. And so he turned that really raw, frightened paranoia into wonderful strategic intelligence.

2. Sparky Anderson – One of the most well respected managers of my lifetime, Sparky is 6th on the all time wins list with 2194. Sparky was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 by the veterans commitee after a 25 year career as a manager for just two teams. Sparky managed the Reds from 1970-1978 where he won two World Series Championships in 1975 and 1976. The World Series in 1975 against the Red Sox is still regarded as one of the best ever! From 1979-1995, Sparky managed the Tigers where he won his third Worl Series in 1984. While managing the Tigers, Sparky won two manager of the year awards in 1984 and 1987.

1. Joe Torre – Torre (aka Joe Cool) deserves to be on top of this list for the 12 years he managed the Yankees alone as he won four World Series Championships in the span of five years between 1996 and 2000 obviously including a remarkable three in a row between 1998 and 2000. He is another manager I have a lot of respect for. He is a class act and has shown that he can handle the stress of managing under George Steinbrenner (which isn’t easy!) and in media central (NY) and still seem like he had everything under control at all times. On a player’s note, he won a Gold Glove at catcher in 1965 while playing for the Braves! He also won the AL manager of the year award with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998. He’s currently managing the Dodgers and will be in the playoffs with them again this season!

Special Editor’s Note: of these top 10 managers, three of them were catchers and it is this writers opinion that former catchers make some of the best strategic managers.

Honorable Mentions:

Dick Williams – He won back to back World Series Championships with the A’s in 1972-1973 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Mike Scioscia – Another former catcher, Sciocia is another great strategist who won a World Series Title with the Angels as a manager in 2002 and previously as a player with the Dodgers in both 1981 and 1988. He also won the AL manager of the year in 2002. He’s currently managing the Angels and will be in the playoffs with them again this season!

I am Peter Schiller, the owner of Baseball Reflections and I am also a writer there, too. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!