MLB Betting – Top Active Managers Of 2011
I’ve recently covered the top closers and home parks in Major League Baseball for 2011. To gauge the top active managers, it’s better to look at their career win percentage, as their 2011 records are obviously just the same as the standings (aside from the interim guys who came in after firings).
Here are the top 10 active managers in baseball today (with a minimum of 320 games managed).
1. Joe Girardi, New York Yankees (402-311, .564)
He’s only been at it for five years but four of them have been with the New York Yankees. He took them to the World Series title in 2009. Still, with the standards so high in the Bronx, Girardi’s job isn’t the most secure. If the Yanks miss the playoffs this season, he could wind up on the hot seat.
2. Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia Phillies (805-644, .556)
Manuel may not be everyone’s favorite personality but he isn’t going anywhere. Under his tutelage, the Phillies have finished at least 14 games over .500 every year and their record has improved for four straight seasons. Manuel also had a brief but somewhat successful run managing Cleveland in the early 2000s.
3. Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels (1013-838, .547)
Scioscia hasn’t been perfect ever season with the Angels but he’s guided them to a World Series crown, five division titles and six 90-win seasons since 2000s. He, like Girardi, supports the theory that catchers make the best managers.
4. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins (829-695, .544)
Gardy is particularly impressive in that he has six division titles with the Twinkies despite consistently working with a small payroll. He’s one of the best of his time.
5. Tony LaRussa, St. Louis Cardinals (2676-2323, .535)
Only Connie Mack has managed more games than Tony LaRussa, who helmed the dominant Oakland Athletics teams of the 1980s and early 1990s before moving to Missouri. He fostered the careers of greats like Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire (steroids be damned) and, of course, Albert Pujols now that he’s the St. Louis Cardinals’ longtime skipper.
6. Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox (978-870, .529)
Terry Francona’s career is a nice redemption story. His four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies were disastrous; he never posted a win percentage higher than .475. But He’s been a stalwart in Boston, winning two World Series titles, including one in his first year with the team. He’s a legend in Beantown forever now. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
7. Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox (633-570, .526)
He’s far more famous for his motormouth but Ozzie Guillen has also enjoyed a fairly successful career managing the Pale Hose. He has a pair of division titles, a World Series crown and five above-.500 finishes in seven full seasons. Because he also played most of his career with the White Sox, he’s entrenched in their lore and thus has more job security than you might think.
8. Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds (1441-1317, .522)
His methods often seem ancient, crazy even, but he’s managed to win a division crown at least once with all three of his teams, the Giants, Cubs and Reds. Capturing the NL Central with Cincinnati last season should buy him at least another year even if the Reds fall short this season.
9. Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles (946-890, .515)
Showalter is the only guy in the top 10 with no major-league playing experience. He’s also the shortest-tenured with his current team, having managed just 121 games with the Orioles. They’re quietly seven games over .500 since he took over last year. Showalter has the habit of taking teams to the cusp, then stepping aside (voluntarily or not). He managed the 1995 New York Yankees and the 2000 Arizona Diamondbacks; both teams won it all the year after his departure.
10. Ron Washington, Texas Rangers (367-349, .513)
Washington is the least experienced manager in the top 10 but he’s taking to the job in Texas nicely. The team’s win totals since Washington took the reins; 75, 79, 87, 90. Steady improvement. It looks like his stay in the Lone Star State will be a long one.
