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There will be four first-year managers in 2024. Because we haven’t seen any of them manage just yet, we will place them 30-27. Who would you rank No. 1?
30. Stephen Vogt — Cleveland Guardians
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First, we have Stephen Vogt. Vogt’s name might sound familiar — and for good reason. The MLB veteran last played in 2022. That’s right, he is only one full season removed from being an active player. Vogt spent the 2023 season as the Mariners bullpen and quality control coach. In November, Cleveland hired Vogt to manage. Is it too soon for Vogt to lead a team?
29. Carlos Mendoza — New York Mets
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While Vogt is new to the coaching world, Carlos Mendoza has been around for quite some time. Mendoza’s coaching career began in 2009 with the Staten Island Yankees. After stints managing both the Charleston RiverDogs and the Gulf Coast League Yankees, Mendoza became a defensive instructor in the Yankees’ organization after the 2012 season. Mendoza would go on to join New York’s staff as an infield instructor in 2017 and was quickly promoted to the bench coach in 2019. Now, Mendoza will finally have an opportunity to lead a team of his own — the crosstown rival Mets.
28. Pat Murphy — Milwaukee Brewers
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A legendary college coach, Pat Murphy is gearing up for his second MLB gig. In college, Murphy led Notre Dame to 318 wins in seven years. Then, he led Arizona State to four College World Series appearances and 629 wins between 1995-2009. At the Major League level, Murphy was the interim manager in San Diego following Bud Black’s firing. He spent the past eight years as the bench coach for the Brewers and will now lead the team following Craig Counsell’s departure.
27. Joe Espada — Houston Astros
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A former Triple A player, Joe Espada was viewed as a future manager for a few years before Houston hired him to replace the retired Dusty Baker. Espada spent a few years in Miami’s Minor League system before being hired to be the Marlins’ third base coach in 2010. Espada eventually joined the Yankees as their third base coach and infield coach — a role he held from 2015 to 2017. Houston brought Espada aboard in 2018 as its bench coach, and he remained in that role until Baker retired following the ’23 season. Espada inherits a great team — let’s see what he can do.
26. Pedro Grifol — Chicago White Sox
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Before joining Chicago last season, Grifol was coaching in the Royals’ organization since 2013. Most recently as bench coach in 2022. So, Grifol had a good idea of what he was getting himself into moving over to the AL Central-rival White Sox. Chicago was perhaps the majors’ biggest disappointment in 2023, finishing 61-101 after being expected to compete for the division crown. 2024 figures to be another long year for Grifol and the Sox.
25. Mark Kotsay — Oakland Athletics
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Oakland lost 102 games during Kotsay’s first managerial season. Things were even worse in 2023 — Oakland lost 112 games and was one of the worst teams in decades. A small-market club amid a complete rebuild without many headline players isn’t pleasant, but Kotsay still appears to be the right guy to oversee the progress. He’s not far removed from his playing days, understands today’s players and has valuable experience that should not be lost on young contributors.
24. Matt Quatraro — Kansas City Royals
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Quatraro probably isn’t a household name to the casual baseball fan, but he could be soon. Quatraro came over from Tampa Bay ahead of the 2023 season where he served as bench coach for the Rays. Unsurprisingly, he’s also a champion of analytics. Kansas City struggled to 106 losses in 2023, but the team has been pegged as a surprise candidate to win the AL Central this year. Quatraro could be a Manager of the Year candidate if that happens.
23. Oli Marmol — St. Louis Cardinals
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Marmol made a splash during his first season managing the Cardinals. 93 wins were good enough to win the NL Central. Players love him and the baseball-crazed fans in St. Louis thought they landed the second-coming of Tony La Russa. Then came the postseason, when the Cardinals were bounced by Philadelphia without winning a game. Year 2 was an absolute disaster and Marmol may now be on the heat seat ahead of 2024. The Cards won 71 games in ’23 and finished at the bottom of the division. Another down year could end Marmol’s tenure much quicker than many would have expected.
22. Mike Shildt — San Diego Padres
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Mike Shildt is ready for a second crack at managing. Set to enter his first year as the manager of the San Diego Padres, Shildt previously led St. Louis for three and a half seasons. After taking over in 2018, Shildt led the Cards to a 41-28 record to end the year. In his three full years as manager, Shildt’s Cardinals won 90 games twice and reached the postseason all three years. The former National League Manager of the Year could surprise some folks this year.
21. Ron Washington — Los Angeles Angels
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Ron Washington isn’t afraid to be himself — as evidenced by the image above. Washington joins the Angels in 2024 and will be a manager for the first time since 2014. Before enjoying a lengthy stint with the Braves, Washington led the Texas Rangers to two World Series appearances. His team fell short on both occasions, but that doesn’t take away from his ability. Washington posted five winning seasons in eight years with Texas including four 90-win campaigns. Let’s see what he can do with the Angels.
20. Derek Shelton — Pittsburgh Pirates
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Shelton’s fourth year in Pittsburgh was his best yet. Following his debut season in 2020, Shelton’s Pirates lost 100+ games in each of his first two seasons. Last year, the Buccos showed a ton of improvement alongside their coach. Shelton’s group won 76 games and wasn’t too far off from competing for the division title. We think there’s potential to surprise in ’24 — Pirate fans should be excited about the team’s future.
19. Bud Black — Colorado Rockies
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Black has won more than 1,100 games since his managerial debut with San Diego in 2007. However, he and the Rockies haven’t posted a winning campaign since 2019. Seasoned, experienced and armed with an impeccable knowledge of the game, Black is old-school baseball. But, his team is easily the worst in the National League West and there aren’t many reasons to expect that to change any time soon. The Rockies have five losing seasons in a row since Black led the group to back-to-back playoff appearances.
18. John Schneider — Toronto Blue Jays
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When Charlie Montoyo was fired in July 2022, Schneider was elevated from his bench coach role to interim manager. All the Blue Jays did was go 46-28 and reach the postseason for the second time in three years. In his first full season in charge, Schneider’s Jays won 89 games and once again reached the playoffs. However, Toronto was swept out of the postseason for the second year in a row. Thus, it will be interesting to see how Schneider handles the pressure this year.
17. Rocco Baldelli — Minnesota Twins
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After consecutive AL Central titles during Baldelli’s first two seasons in ’19 and ’20, the Twins missed the postseason in ’21 and ’22. Baldelli and Co. wouldn’t be denied in ’23, however, as they won the Central for the third time in five years. Baldelli earned praise last year for Minnesota’s performance — especially considering Byron Buxton’s prolonged absence and Carlos Correa’s struggles. In the postseason, Baldelli’s men knocked off Toronto in the Wild Card round — ending Minnesota’s 18-game losing streak that spanned 19 years.
16. David Bell — Cincinnati Reds
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Bell enters his sixth season managing the Reds with some lofty expectations. After losing 100 games in 2022, the Reds responded by going 82-80 last year. With an influx of young talent, Cincinnati was one of the most exciting teams in baseball. The front office made some nice additions in the offseason and the club has more talented prospects on the way. Bell can get frustrated in the dugout, likes to bark at umpires and has shown moments of indecisiveness at times amid game action, but he has also led the Reds to three winning seasons since 2020.
15. Skip Schumaker — Miami Marlins
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Before the Marlins hired Skip Schumaker ahead of the 2023 season, they had made one postseason appearance since winning the 2003 World Series. Since then, the organization has gone through nine different managers. Since his playing days ended in 2015, Schumaker rose pretty quickly in his second career. He started in baseball operations with San Diego, then became a base coach followed by an associate manager. Schumaker’s debut season couldn’t have gone much better. The Marlins finished with 84 wins and reached the postseason. They were outclassed by Philadelphia in the playoffs, but all in all it was a great year for Skip.
14. Rob Thomson — Philadelphia Phillies
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Thomson was one of the great stories of 2022. He took over an underachieving Phillies’ group that was 22-29 at Joe Girardi’s firing, then helped guide them to a 65-46 record the rest of the way. If that wasn’t enough, Philadelphia reached the World Series, and Thomson earned job security with the club. Last year, Thomson’s group once again made a deep run in the postseason — falling in Game 7 of the NLCS to Arizona. Thomson has led his team to 19 playoff wins since taking over and clearly has a good feel for his group.
13. Scott Servais — Seattle Mariners
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All eyes will be on Servais to see if he and the Mariners can build on their recent success. Back-to-back 90-win seasons in 2021 and ’22 and a trip to the postseason resulted in high expectations in ’23. Seattle overcame a sluggish start to win 88 games — but ultimately failed to return to the playoffs. With the World Series champion Rangers and the perennial contender Astros expected to be good once again, Servais will be tasked with pushing the M’s over the top. Seattle is very talented, but this is a massive year for Servais in terms of his future with the club.
12. Brandon Hyde — Baltimore Orioles
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After three miserable years to begin his tenure with the Orioles, Hyde instilled confidence in his group in 2022. Baltimore won 83 games that season and proceeded to shock the American League by winning 101 games last year en route to an AL East title. The Orioles have turned the corner with Hyde in charge and they appear primed to contend for quite some time. Hyde has gone from managing one of the worst teams in baseball to one of the best within two years.
11. Aaron Boone — New York Yankees
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Here’s the thing about Boone, he’s had more than enough talent with the Yankees to shine while going 509-361 during his six-season run in the Bronx. However, he’s 14-17 in the postseason without a World Series appearance and is coming off a massively disappointing season in which New York went 82-80. New York acquired Juan Soto to bolster the lineup in the offseason and now has even more pressure to win. Another failed season would likely be Boone’s last in town.
10. Dave Martinez — Washington Nationals
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Martinez, who guided Washington to the 2019 World Series title, is signed through the 2025 season with a club option for ’26. Martinez is a good enough manager to work with young players. He’s patient, understands that the game is a grind, and willing to handle mistakes on a regular basis. His team outperformed expectations last year en route to 71 wins. Martinez had his team playing competitive baseball throughout the season and we expect the Nats to be improved again in ’24.
9. Alex Cora — Boston Red Sox
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Cora can manage talent, though last two years he didn’t have enough on the Red Sox roster. Boston has finished the past two years with an identical 78-84 record and expectations aren’t high coming into 2024. Cora is a talented baseball mind and served his penance for being associated with the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. However, Boston has just one playoff appearance since winning it all under Cora in 2018, and it’s not looking like that will change this year.
8. Torey Lovullo — Arizona Diamondbacks
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In Lovullo’s first season as Arizona manager in 2017, the team won 93 games and the NL Wild Card game. Over the next five years, the Diamondbacks managed just two winnings seasons and failed to reach the playoffs. However, 2023 was epic. The Diamondbacks reached the playoffs as the No. 6 seed and promptly swept the Dodgers in the NLDS and took out Philadelphia in the NLCS to win the NL Pennant. Lovullo is regarded highly as a manager and his players appear to love him.
7. A.J. Hinch — Detroit Tigers
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Do the Tigers have the potential to win the American League Central in ’24? It’s certainly possible. Hinch is entering his fourth year with the Tigers following his exile from Houston, and the Tigers are entering the season with their highest expectations yet. Some people will doubt Hinch’s ability to manage until he wins with a team the right way, but in our minds, he is one of the top managers in the game regardless of his past acts.
6. Bob Melvin — San Francisco Giants
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A three-time manager of the year honoree, Melvin is used to getting the most out of his teams. Especially during his time with the small-market Oakland Athletics. The man with 1,517 big-league managerial victories didn’t have a nice ending in San Diego, but he will now look to lead the Giants back into the postseason. Melvin’s Padres disappointed in 2023 and he was ultimately allowed to leave town. Now, Melvin will coach a team that is seen as an underdog in the National League West — we wouldn’t bet against the veteran turning around San Francisco quickly.
5. Kevin Cash — Tampa Bay Rays
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One won’t find many who’ll say a bad word about Cash. For good reason. He’s 739-617 in nine seasons guiding the small-market Rays and has made them a perennial postseason contender. Considered a players’ coach with a brilliant baseball mind, Cash values analytics and thinks outside the box, notably when it comes to in-game strategy. The Rays have made five-straight postseason appearances, won back-to-back AL East titles in ’20 and ’21, and made their second World Series trip along the way. Cash has gone from a promising skipper to elite status in less than a decade.
4. Brian Snitker — Atlanta Braves
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Snitker enters the 2024 season with a contract that runs through 2025. Atlanta has made the playoffs six years in a row — and has won 101 and 104 games the past two seasons. In 2021, he guided the Braves to their first World Series crown since 1995. This will be his 48th year with the Atlanta franchise. Talk about loyalty. It’s all truly paid off for Snitker, the epitome of professionalism, who has won 646 games in parts of eight seasons as Atlanta’s manager. Atlanta has come up short against Philadelphia two years in a row, but it remains an elite team thanks in part to Snitker.
3. Dave Roberts — Los Angeles Dodgers
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Let’s put the Dodgers’ 2023 postseason choke aside and look at Roberts’ overall body of work since taking over as franchise manager in 2016. He’s 753-442 overall — Roberts’ .632 winning percentage ranks third all-time in major-league history. He’s won seven NL West titles, been to the World Series three times and won it all in 2020. A calming, professional presence, Roberts is an elite MLB manager. The Dodgers have never missed the postseason during his tenure.
2. Craig Counsell — Chicago Cubs
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Before shocking the sport by leaving the Milwaukee Brewers for the Chicago Cubs, Counsell became Milwaukee’s all-time winningest manager with 707 victories. Milwaukee posted a winning record in his last six full seasons — excluding the COVID year. Counsell is considered by many to be the best manager in baseball, but he has not yet reached a World Series. For that reason, he cannot be No. 1 just yet.
1. Bruce Bochy — Texas Rangers
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Bruce Bochy is the only active MLB manager with at least 2,000 wins. Bochy, with 2,093 wins, returned to the dugout last year following a three-year break. A three-time World Series winner with the San Francisco Giants, Bochy quickly demonstrated why he is one of the all-time greats. In his first year with the Rangers, Texas won 90 games and proceeded to win the first World Series in franchise history. Bochy has four World Series titles since 2010 — he is one of just six managers to win four times.
