HOUSTON — ALCS managers should already know they’re destined for the Hall of Fame.
If Houston’s Dusty Baker and Texas’ Bruce Bochy need confirmation, it was last week that four managers participated in the eight-person ballot organized by the Hall of Fame’s Contemporary Era Committee for managers , managers and referees.
Because this quartet – Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland and Lou Piniella – all had careers worthy of consideration. But none have a better managerial resume than Baker or Bochy.
Of the quartet, only Gaston won multiple championships with his back-to-back champion (1992-93) Blue Jays. But he is 75th all-time in wins with 894, between Jimy Williams (910) and Don Mattingly (889). Johnson (1986 Mets), Piniella (1990 Reds) and Leyland (1997 Marlins) each had a World Series victory as a manager.
Johnson (1,372) ranks 33rd in wins, just behind Joe Maddon (1,382). Piniella (1,835) and Leyland (1,769) rank 17th and 18th all-time, just ahead of Buck Showalter (1,727).
Bruce Bochy has the Rangers one win away from the World Series.Getty Images
The only managers ranked in the top 12 in wins who are not in the Hall of Fame are Baker (seventh, 2,183) and Bochy (10th, 2,093) – as an active manager cannot be considered for the ballot .
In their 55-season history, the Padres have finished first only five times, four of which were with Bochy at the helm. They have appeared in the World Series twice, once when Bochy’s club in 1998 was swept by the dynastic Yankees. The Giants have won three World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1959, all with Bochy as manager. The Rangers hadn’t made the playoffs since 2016 before Bochy’s 2023 debut.
Baker won his first championship as a manager last season with the Astros. Until then, he was known more as a bridesmaid, being able to win divisions in his previous four stops – the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals. But his clubs often failed in tantalizing ways, notably with the 2002 Giants (think giving the ball back to Russ Ortiz as a souvenir in Game 6 of the World Series) and the 2003 Cubs (think Steve Bartman).
Dusty Baker won his first World Series title while managing the Astros last season.Getty Images
But he charted a different path with the Astros. In the 2020 ALCS, Houston nearly became the second team to go from a three-game disadvantage to zero in the playoffs before losing Game 7 to the Rays. In 2021, Houston lost the World Series to Atlanta. But in 2022, the Astros have won it all. And Baker’s group had a chance Sunday night to become the first team in LCS history to lose its first two home games and rally to win the series.
Baker’s clubs were notorious for falling just short, going 3-13 in potential deciding games before joining the Astros, who were 8-4 under Baker in such contests after the Game 6 loss of the ALCS on Sunday against the Rangers.
While Bochy had a fine 10-year journeyman career as a receiver, Baker was an above-average player for 19 seasons. The committee of 16 Hall of Famers, longtime executives and members of the media who vote on this ballot – they will do so on December 3 during the Winter Meetings in Nashville this year – can take into account the ‘s entire career, but candidates are ranked according to the role in which they have been most prominent.
But the breadth of more than five decades of play makes Baker an obvious selection when eligible. Johnson and Piniella also had above-average playing careers in the major leagues, but Baker was better than them. Gaston had a journeyman career similar to that of Bochy. Leyland never played in the majors.
Baker, 74, and Bochy, 68, are the oldest active managers. Bochy announced he was retiring after the 2019 season, his last with the Giants. If he had stuck to that, he would certainly have participated in the current election. Baker is 4 of 4 to lead the Astros to at least the ALCS, but his employment becomes a topic every year.
Dusty Baker (left) and Bruce Bochy (right) are the oldest active managers in MLB.PA
It’s possible both will still be in charge in October 2026, when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Historical Overview Committee will next be authorized to form a ballot for the Contemporary Era Committee for managers, executives and the referees. At that point, the 13th winningest manager, Terry Francona, will almost certainly be at the polls after deciding to stop managing the Guardians at the end of this season. If he doesn’t get another job, Showalter could also attract attention with his four Manager of the Year awards at four different stages. However, being the second winningest manager of all time (behind Gene Mauch) to never win a pennant will hurt his candidacy, especially since managers like Baker, Johnson and Piniella have also enjoyed success at multiple spots , but also have a championship.
Like Leyland, Showalter has never played in the majors, so, like Leyland, he would probably need at least one pennant (Leyland has three) to be a stronger candidate.
A manager over 65 – as Baker and Bochy are – must have been retired for at least six months to be considered for the ballot.
But at this point, both are still gathering their credentials rather than stepping aside to be considered for the ultimate professional achievement.
2023-10-23 04:34:00
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