A Manager's Job

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May 9, 2002

A record has been set. Four managers have been fired less than a month into the season. Why were they fired? All were let go for the same reason: losing. The primary tool used to evaluate the performance of managers is the won/lost record. Regardless of the payroll of the team, regardless of the competence of the general manager, regardless of the quality of players on the field, manager are judged by the amount of games they win and lose. But managers can lose and still be effective. Some teams are playing at the maximum of their potential, but still be in last place due to their relative lack of talent. Or as Davey Lopes put it last week, "Joe Torre couldn't have done a better job with this team."

Regardless of a team's potential, the manager is still on the hook for the won/lost record. Rob Neyer illustrates the importance of evaluating a manager based on winning: "...on a subconscious level, at least some of the players must be thinking, 'Why should I give a damn? It's obvious that performance doesn't matter to the guys who sign the paychecks. If it did, the manager wouldn't still be working here.' When you don't have any accountability at the top, why should anyone expect accountability at the bottom?"

Much has been made of evaluating managers statistically. Stats Major League Handbook offers the manager's Stolen Base Percentage by situation, Sacrifice Bunt Attempts and Percentages, Hit and Run Success, Intentional Walks, Number of Lineups, Defensive Substitutions, Platoons, Slow and Quick Pitcher Hooks, and Pitcher/Hitter Matchups. All of these allow some idea of the managers style, but it's still difficult to evaluate the performance of a manager based on statistics, since many of these are dependant on personnel available.

Bill James says, "There is one indispensable quality of a baseball manager. The manager must be able to command the respect of his players. This is absolute; everything else is negotiable." Players will not play well for a manager that they do not respect. This is true in any business. Few employees will perform well without respecting the abilities of their boss. Gaining the respect of employees can be done in different ways. Some managers get respect from understanding their business, some from strong leadership skills, and others from strong people skills. Baseball is no different. When the Blue Jays fired Tim Johnson a few years ago for falsifying his military record, his ability to orchestrate lefty/righty matchups hadn't changed, but he had completely lost the respect of his players. On the other hand, Dusty Baker can blow as many sacrifice bunt situations as he wants; his players will still respect the confidence that he shows in them.

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The copyright of the article A Manager's Job in Major League Baseball is owned by Bryan Walker. Permission to republish A Manager's Job in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.