It’s a tough life, being a Major League manager. When things are going well, it’s your players — and maybe your GM — who gets all the credit. But when things aren’t going well, you know you’re going to be the first place fans turn to when they look for someone to blame. Plus, most of those fans (and, heck, most of the media, myself very much included) don’t even have a firm sense of what your job entails in the first place.
So we try to at least offer some benefit of the doubt when it comes to evaluating skippers around the league. That said, the fact remains that they’re the on-field leader of their organization, the one in charge of everything from commanding the clubhouse to deciding who hits and who pitches at any given moment. Who’s lived up to that responsibility so far this season? As we reach the halfway mark, let’s hand out grades to all 30 MLB managers.
Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets: F
No, it’s not all Mendoza’s fault; he didn’t put this roster together, nor did he decide to turn Bo Bichette into a pumpkin offensively. But what is his value add here, exactly? Clearly his team isn’t responding to him particularly well, and throughout a nightmare start to the season he’s refused to change his demeanor even one iota. He sure seems like a man without answers, and the expectations and the payroll are too high for that to be acceptable.
Aaron Boone, New York Yankees: B
The most embattled man in baseball has been … you know what, actually pretty good so far this season. Yankees fans are determined to find something to complain about at all times, but the team entered Wednesday tied for the league’s best record and with by far its best run differential — all this despite Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton all spending time on the IL and Brian Cashman’s bullpen being revealed as woefully inadequate. Boone’s players love him, and he handles the circus as well as anybody. That counts for something, even if I won’t argue for him as an elite manager or anything.
Don Mattingly, Philadelphia Phillies: B
Perhaps this seems harsh for a man that took over a team in crisis and has steered it to a 27-12 record since. But I have a hard time crediting Mattingly for that gaudy record, nor can I identify really anything he’s done to help spark this turnaround. The Phillies are, by and large, the same team that they were under Rob Thomson, one with awesome top-line talent but highly questionable depth. The only difference has been close-game luck, and while you can chalk some of that up to managerial wiles, that doesn’t exactly gibe with Mattingly’s reputation at previous stops.
Don Kelly, Pittsburgh Pirates: B+
Kelly acquitted himself well taking over for Shelton midstream last season, and he’s done nothing to dispute the notion that he’s a rising star so far this year. The Pirates have a ton of pitching talent, sure, but it’s hardly like he’s been given a Murderer’s Row to work with. And much of that talent is young; Kelly’s ability to lead like a wizened hand rather than a first-time skipper has been invaluable in keeping this team on track.
