All 30 MLB managers, ranked

Schumaker was a pesky utilityman over 11 MLB seasons, and those types of players often make for great managers. After serving as bench coach in St. Louis last year, Schumaker was hired by the Marlins to manage in 2023. He has an almost impossible task in a division led by the Braves, Mets, and Phillies.

Quatraro is another manager from the long line of Rays, with the assumed new-school approaches Tampa Bay has employed since the days of Joe Maddon. He has a history as a hitting coach, but his newer approach should be welcome for a Royals organization that has seemed to be in the Ice Age since winning the World Series in 2015.

A former bench coach with the Royals, Grifol was hired by the rival White Sox this year. It's difficult to know what to expect from Grifol in his first full season, though it probably won't take much to see improvement in the opinion of White Sox fans, who grew weary of Tony La Russa's return to the dugout over the last two seasons.

The Pirates have had an extremely rough go since Shelton was hired in 2020 with a sub-.400 win percentage in all three seasons. It's tough to imagine worse results for the team, though it's fair to say Shelton hasn't had much to work with in Pittsburgh. With top prospects finally emerging, the bar is set higher in 2023.

Kotsay knew the job would be tough when he took it last year, and the A's proceeded to lose 102 games. The task could be even more difficult this year, as Oakland traded away more MLB talent while adding a few stopgaps. The measure of success for the former outfielder should be solely young player development at this point.

Bell comes from a baseball family, but most of the on-field results since he was hired by Cincinnati in 2019 have been disappointing. The Reds failed to strike during their window of peak talent, with only a brief playoff experience during the expanded playoffs of 2020 to show for their efforts. After a fire sale, the team lost 100 games last year and is in a complete rebuild. Bell has had a non-descript impact on the field but continues getting mulligans.

Whether it's Martinez's fault or not, the Nats have seemed to fall behind in analytics and on-field tactics since winning the World Series in 2019. Even for much of that triumphant season, the team was seen as an underachiever, and their luck has turned on a dime since hoisting the World Series trophy. Martinez has very little to work with in what has become a complete teardown in Washington, but the pressure is on him to get the team's young players moving in the right direction after a 107-loss season.

Black is an appropriate manager in Colorado, as a former pitching coach and pitcher confidence whisperer. It's not his fault that the organization has been mismanaged since he came aboard in 2017, but Black hasn't contributed many tangible results to help. He's been a sub-.500 manager for the Padres and Rockies over a 15-year managerial career.

Nevin picked up the slack after Joe Maddon was fired by the Angels last year and fared well enough with the job to get the full-time gig. As a player, he was a former first-overall draft choice who became an accomplished major leaguer, but he's paid his dues as a coach working his way up through the minors. Working on the staffs of the Giants, Yankees, and Angels since 2017, Nevin is used to the big expectations presented in Anaheim this year.

Schneider stepped in for Charlie Montoyo last year, proceeding to go 46-28 before a playoff ouster. The long-time minor league manager deserves credit for getting the team on track, and their high hopes remain in 2023 with an extremely talented roster. It remains to be seen how Schneider performs with far more pressure.

As Arizona comes up on the other side of a teardown, Lovullo could be entering a make-or-break season. He enters his seventh year with a .472 winning percentage and only one postseason appearance, though the young players have come along nicely under his watch, including Ketel Marte, Zac Gallen, Jake McCarthy, and Corbin Carroll.

Some players seem like surefire managers when they are players, and Ross was certainly in that category. The former backup catcher has overseen a painful time for the Cubs organization, losing the core that led them to a World Series win in 2016. Ross has needed to show patience while the team bridges to the strong minor league talent, but the expectations have kicked up a notch in 2023 after the Cubs spent big money on Dansby Swanson and company.

The Phillies bench coach since 2018, Thomson replaced Joe Girardi at midseason in 2022. It's fair to say he succeeded, as Philadelphia went 65-46 to make the playoffs and excelled all the way to the World Series. It's unclear if Thomson's promotion or Girardi's firing was more of the culprit, but over 30 years in coaching has certainly given Thomson the wealth of experience needed for the job.

Baltimore is coming off a breakout season, as they started to see their young talent blossom and saw the results of their advanced methods and teaching resonate on the field. After three losing seasons, Hyde guided an Orioles squad that exceeded expectations with 83 wins last year, and the best should be yet to come with several top prospects entering their first full MLB seasons. If the trajectory continues, Hyde has a chance to be a more well-known figure in MLB soon.

The Twins have seen very mixed results under Baldelli for four years. They seemed to arrive much earlier than expected, with 101 wins in 2019, but the team has struggled to stay healthy and underachieved over the last two years. After re-signing Carlos Correa and adding depth this offseason, Baldelli could be entering a must-win season.

Marmol was promoted from bench coach to manager last year, and his first season can be characterized as a success after winning the NL Central. The 36-year-old subscribes to new school analytics and seemed more open-minded than former Cardinals managers Mike Matheny and Mike Shildt. Curiously, much of the team's critical coaching staff departed following the 2022 season, though it's unclear if Marmol had any role in their departures.

Servais has guided the M's through winning and losing, but it looks like they're finally here to stay. The team has produced back-to-back 90-win seasons under his watch, along with their first playoff appearance in over 20 years. The organization's young players have seen mixed results under Servais, but the team has often exceeded expectations.

Giants fans are often critical of the new brand of baseball that Kapler promotes, but he's undoubtedly done a fine job leading a new school coaching staff in San Francisco. The Giants had an incredible 107-win season in 2021 and scratched and clawed their way to a .500 record last season despite injuries. Kapler is representative of the new figurehead manager in MLB who allows his front office to have a louder voice, but it's difficult to have a major issue with Kapler's results in five MLB seasons between Philly and San Francisco.

Boone got an earful from the media and fans for the Yankees' second-half collapse last season, but it should be noted it was his third season with at least 99 wins in four years. That's a remarkable result in a division that's consistently strong, though Boone will still receive his criticism until he wins a World Series. The fiery manager has done well to keep his players rowing in the same direction in a market where it's easy to get off course.

Showalter's squads have consistently overachieved during his 21 years as an MLB manager, yet he has limited playoff appearances and success to show for it. He got the Mets on track with a 101-win season in 2022, but the team needs to find more success in the playoffs after another free-spending offseason. Showalter was well ahead of his time with many of his managerial tactics with the Yankees and Diamondbacks during the 1990s and seems to be liked by most of his players despite what appears to be a rigged exterior in front of the media.

The Padres wanted an experienced manager after a bad experience going the opposite way, and Melvin was able to right the ship after a long run in Oakland. San Diego returned to the playoffs following an 89-win season without Fernando Tatis Jr. and then proceeded to make some noise in the playoffs. His experience in Seattle, Arizona, and Oakland showed a manager who routinely exceeded expectations and made the playoffs seven times.

It's been a whirlwind four seasons for Cora at the helm of the Red Sox. He won 108 games during the regular and the World Series in his first season, followed by 84 wins in 2019, a suspension in 2020, 92 wins in 2021, and only 78 wins with an injury-plagued squad last year. There's no getting around the shedding of talent in Boston since Cora has been around, yet he remains one of the most respected managers in the game. Cora has bought himself plenty of leeway with his early success, though last year's struggles can't become a trend.

Hinch drew acclaim while manager of the Astros over five seasons that included three 100-plus win seasons, two World Series appearances, and one ring. His tenure in Houston ended unceremoniously due to the sign-stealing scandal, and the rebuild in Detroit has been much rockier over two seasons. We shouldn't hold ill-advised signings by the former Tigers front office against Hinch, and his experience as a new school player development maestro should go a long way in helping. 

Milwaukee's evolution to an analytical franchise has been in tandem with Counsell's emergence as a manager since 2015. The organization has turned around its losing ways, finishing with a winning regular in the last five full seasons and making the playoffs in four straight years before just falling short in 2022. Counsell was one of the first managers to employ the shift heavily, and the organization's development during his tenure is undeniable, particularly in the starting rotation.

This baseball lifer was rewarded for his dedication to the Braves in 2016 and has guided one of the most impressive ascents in recent MLB history. Atlanta has four consecutive winning seasons and won the World Series in 2021. Their regular season in 2022 was the best during Snitker's tenure, winning 101 games and a brutal NL East division. Snitker has shown no fear of giving young players an opportunity, and one after another has developed well with his acumen as a former minor league manager. The new school of the Atlanta front office blends perfectly with Snitker's old-school demeanor.

Should Roberts receive credit for the Dodgers' long run of regular-season success since he became manager in 2016 or blame for only winning one World Series despite historic regular-season results? It's probably somewhere in between. The Dodgers have elite talent but have also continually exceeded player expectations, particularly with their pitching staff. The brilliant LA front office has clearly had a lead in strategy with defensive positioning and other tactics, and credit goes to Roberts for putting their genius to work. Still, his minute decisions have often been questioned, particularly with his bullpen usage.

Bochy has an incredible managerial resume, including three World Series wins and four appearances from his 25 years managing the Padres and Giants. He's renowned for his ability to manage people and bullpens, though the game has changed markedly even since Bochy's last retirement in 2019. The Rangers' aggressive offseason gave Bochy plenty to work with as he returns at age 67.

Entering last season, Baker had accomplished everything as manager except win a World Series. He finally checked that box at age 73, but Baker isn't done yet. He's been surprisingly welcoming to Houston's new school approach and still seems to be one of the most well-liked player's managers in the game. Baker has held a cumulative winning record with four of the five organizations he has led over a 25-year managerial career, winning in every style possible.

The low-budget Rays continue to innovate in every area of the game and are also annual contenders with four consecutive playoff appearances. There are still questions about their ability to take the next step, but Tampa Bay did make a World Series appearance in 2020 and has the talent entering 2023 to get back atop the league. After showing the guts to lead the league with the opener, shift, bullpen-by-committee, multi-position defensive players, and other new development methods, it's exciting to see what Cash and company will do with the new rules this season.

The 63-year-old Francona seems to play it year-to-year, now entering his 23rd season as an MLB manager with his third organization. The low-budget Guardians have been to the playoffs six times in his 10 seasons, which is a credit to Francona's managing and player development process. He perfectly marries analytics with old-school coaching and has finished below .500 only once in 18 seasons since he came on board with Boston in 2004. His two World Series victories in Boston all but assured him a Hall of Fame induction, and his success in Cleveland is icing on the cake.