Hey there, this is Snyder’s Soapbox. I’m going to make a point about something that has to do with Major League Baseball here. In the next few weeks, I’ll talk about a variety of topics. Some will be important, some will not seem important in the grand plan of things, and most will be somewhere in the middle. This website is nice because it’s free and you can leave at any time. But if you stay, I promise you’ll get better, or your money back. Let’s do it.
It was revealed on Sunday night that Jim Leyland had been elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era Committee, this year’s version of a veteran’s committee. My favourite player is Leyland, and I’m glad he got into the Hall. But I still think there aren’t enough coaches in Cooperstown.
He will be the 24th boss in the Hall of Fame when he is inducted. One more manager came in in 2014, and it was Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa, and Joe Torre. They’ve let seven managers in since Sparky Anderson joined the class of 2000.
In general, there should be a lot more players in the Hall of Fame than anyone else. This goes for managers, directors, pioneers, umpires, and so on. That’s what I want to make clear. They are the ones who make the game possible; no one comes to watch the management. As of now, there are 271 players, and that number is expected to rise to close to 280 before the next election for managers.
I think it’s safe to say that about 10% of the players in the Hall of Fame are coaches.
Connie Mack is the boss with the most history, having been in charge for the first time in 1894. That means there has been one manager for every 5.375 years of baseball. I believe everyone would be fine if one manager was admitted into the Hall of Fame every four years. As long as we stay above that number, it’s not a weak Hall.
Also, there are a lot of managers who deserve it who are looking in right now. We just saw three fail to make the induction list.
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Cito Gaston was a manager who won the World Series twice and five division wins over the course of 12 years. He was the first black manager in World Series history to win the title. He did an amazing amount of things in a short amount of time. In the game world, we call that a Peak Candidate. Think about Sandy Koufax. He was great for only five years, but those five years were crazy great—he won three Cy Young Awards and an MVP award. We could talk about Ralph Kiner if you want a less bad peak option.
Six division wins were won by Davey Johnson with four different teams. He won 108 games and the 1986 World Series. That group must have been pretty hard to keep together. With a.562 winning percentage over his career, he had an average season of 91–71. Peak, long-term, and a high floor are all there.
Lou Piniella has 17 manager wins, which puts him in 17th place all-time. During one season, he won 116 games. He won every game in his division with the Reds, who went on to win the World Series in 1990. It took three different teams for him to win six division titles. Did you know that the Mariners have only ever won three division titles? He won all three of them. It looks like this is an easy case.
I get that it’s harder to make statistical reasons for managers than for players. Then let’s feel. Those of us who watched most of Gaston, Piniella, and Johnson’s managing careers must feel like they belong in the Hall of Fame.
There would be 27 Hall of Fame coaches if all three got in. That’s not a scandal.
In a few years, Terry Francona and Dusty Baker will be Managers who are sure to be in the Hall of Fame. When he’s ready, Bruce Bochy will also get in. Those three make it 27, but there are still a few more that can be added to get to 30 or even more than that.
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Gaston, Johnson, Piniella, and maybe two or three others can fit.
Whitey Herzog has won 1,281 games, which is a winning average of.532. He has also won three pennants and one World Series. Billy Martin has won 1,253 games, which is a.553 winning average. He has also won two pennants and a World Series during the same time period. Ralph Houk’s record is pretty much the same as Dick Williams’ and Tommy Lasorda’s.
Do I have a case against Joe Maddon? David Johnson, Cap Anson, and Herzog have lost less times than him. He won the AL pennant with the Rays, who had just been the embarrassing Devil Rays, and the World Series with the Cubs, who had been bad for 108 years and were said to be under a “curse.”
Chuck Tanner has about the same number of wins as Johnson and Maddon. The last time the Pirates were in the Fall Classic was in 1979, when they won the World Series.
There must be a queue somewhere in this. I think it’s fair to say that Tanner is left out, along with close friends Jack McKeon, Tom Kelly, and Mike Scioscia.
I think the queue could be pushed down a few rows to make room for a few more managers in the Hall of Fame. I’m thrilled that Leyland is in, but he shouldn’t be the only manager in this class. There will still be a small gap even after Francona, Baker, and finally Bochy join.
