List_of_Major_League_Baseball_player–managers

List of Major League Baseball player-managers

List of Major League Baseball player-managers

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Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Founded in 1869, it is composed of 30 teams.[1] Each team in the league has a manager, who is responsible for team strategy and leadership on and off the field.[2] Assisted by various coaches, the manager sets the line-up and starting pitcher before each game, and makes substitutions throughout the game. In early baseball history, it was not uncommon for players to serve as player-managers; that is, they managed the team while still being signed to play for the club. In the history of MLB, there have been 221 player-managers, 59 of whom are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[3][needs update]

Pete Rose is the most recent player-manager in Major League Baseball, having last done so from 1984 to 1986

The dual role of player-manager was formerly a common practice, dating back to John Clapp, who performed the task for the Middletown Mansfields in 1872. One reason for this is that by hiring a player as a manager, the team could save money by paying only one salary.[4][5] Also, popular players were named player-managers in an effort to boost game attendance.[6] Babe Ruth left the New York Yankees when they refused to allow him to become player-manager.[7] Five of the eight National League (NL) managers in 1934 were also players.[8] Connie Mack, John McGraw, and Joe Torre, among the all-time leaders in managerial wins, made their managerial debuts as player-managers.[3] At least one man served as a player-manager in every major league season from Clapp's debut through 1955.

Today, player-managers have become rare in baseball. Pete Rose is the most recent player-manager, serving from 1984 through 1986 with the Cincinnati Reds. Whereas some player-managers, such as Lou Boudreau, were full-time players as player-managers, by the time Rose became player-manager, he was a part-time player.[9] Rose was trying to prolong his career to break the all-time hit record set by Ty Cobb, and Reds owner Marge Schott used this as a marketing ploy.[10] Rose removed himself from the 40-man roster after the 1986 season to make room for Pat Pacillo, unofficially retiring as a player, but remained as the Reds manager until he was banned from baseball following the release of the Dowd Report in 1989.

One criticism of the practice holds that the manager has enough to be preoccupied with during a game without playing.[11] With specialized bullpens, extensive scouting reports, and increased media scrutiny, the job of a manager has become more complex.[3] A player-manager needs to decide how much playing time to give himself.[12] Don Kessinger, player-manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1979, believes he did not play himself enough.[3] Additionally, Bill Terry felt he became isolated from his team when he became a player-manager.[13]

However, teams continue to consider hiring player-managers. The Toronto Blue Jays considered hiring Paul Molitor as a player-manager in 1997.[14] When approached with the idea in 2000, Barry Larkin reported that he found it "interesting", though general manager (GM) Jim Bowden rejected the idea.[15] In the 2011–12 offseason, the White Sox considered hiring incumbent first baseman Paul Konerko to serve as manager.[16] White Sox GM Kenny Williams said that he believes MLB will again have a player-manager.[16]

List

Portrait of a man in a jacket with a dark collar wearing a white shirt and tie.
Cap Anson was a player-manager for 23 seasons.
A man in a grey baseball uniform and blue hat leans out of a dugout.
Lou Boudreau won the Most Valuable Player Award while a player-manager in 1948.[17]
A man with dark hair in a dark baseball cap and a white baseball jersey with "CLEVELAND" on the chest.
The then-Cleveland Bluebirds were renamed the "Naps" in honor of player-manager Nap Lajoie.[18]
A black and white head shot of a man in a baseball cap.
Fred Lake retired as a player in 1898, but inserted himself into three games in 1910.
A dark-haired man wearing a black sweater and crownless baseball cap looks into the camera. His hair hangs down over his right side of his forehead, and he has a slight smirk on his face.
Christy Mathewson played one season with the Cincinnati Reds as a player-manager, then remained as their manager.
A gray haired man in a dark three-piece suit.
John McGraw retired as a player in 1906, but managed the New York Giants until 1932.
A head shot of an African-American man with a white baseball cap with a red "C" in the center.
Frank Robinson became the first African-American manager in MLB history when he was named player-manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975.[19]
A baseball player in a grey uniform and a red hat.
Pete Rose became the all-time MLB hit leader while serving as the Cincinnati Reds' player-manager.[10]
A black and white photograph of a man swinging a baseball bat.
Tris Speaker won the 1920 World Series as player-manager of the Cleveland Indians.[20]
A baseball card of a man holding a baseball bat. The name "Tappe" is listed in the bottom left corner.
El Tappe, a member of the Chicago Cubs' College of Coaches, played for the Cubs while managing.[21]
A man in a white and blue button-down shirt smiles.
Joe Torre began his managing career as a player-manager for the New York Mets.
A baseball card showing a man in a white baseball uniform throwing a ball.
Pie Traynor was an All-Star while a player-manager in 1934.
A man in a dark baseball cap and white shirt with a dark collar holds a baseball bat in both hands.
Honus Wagner served as player-manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in his final season as a player.
A baseball card showing a man holding a baseball bat over his left shoulder.
John Montgomery Ward threw a perfect game on June 12, 1880, then became a player-manager for the last 32 games of the 1880 season.[22]
More information †, Year(s) ...
More information Player-manager, Team(s) ...

See also

References

Bibliography
  • Stein, Fred (2002). And the Skipper Bats Cleanup: A History of the Baseball player–manager, with 42 Biographies of Men Who Filled the Dual Role. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1228-3.
In-line citations
  1. [1]
    "Complete Baseball Team and Baseball Team Encyclopedias". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  2. [2]
    "Manager: Definition | Dictionary.com". Dictionary.Reference.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  3. [3]
    Gonzalez, Alden (November 10, 2011). "Will there ever be another player-manager? In era of specialization, once-popular dual role would be tall task". MLB.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  4. [4]
    Stein, p. 4
  5. [5]
    "Bush May Take Bancroft's Post as Pilot". The Evening Independent. November 25, 1933. p. 6A. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  6. [6]
    Stein, pp. 4–5
  7. [7]
    Powers, Jimmy (October 9, 1934). "Ruth to Quit Unless Given Manager Job". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  8. [8]
    Stein, p. 10
  9. [9]
    "Rose to be Reds' Player–Manager". The Milwaukee Sentinel. August 16, 1984. p. 2-1. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  10. [10]
    Stein, p. 5
  11. [11]
    "Robinson will be Player–Manager with Tribe". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. United Press International. October 2, 1974. p. 1C. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  12. [12]
    "Kessinger Resigns as Player–Manager of White Sox". The Palm Beach Post. August 3, 1979. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  13. [13]
    Stein, p. 6
  14. [14]
    "Jays might get Molitor as player and manager". The Kansas City Star. The Associated Press. October 30, 1997. p. D9. Retrieved March 9, 2012. (subscription required)
  15. [15]
    Furman, Andy (September 1, 2000). "Larkin Intrigued by Player–Manager Idea". The Cincinnati Post. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2012. (subscription required)
  16. [16]
    Gonzales, Mark (October 11, 2011). "Williams briefly considered Konerko as player-manager". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  17. [17]
    "Lou Boudreau (1917-2001) 'Remarkable life' ends at 84 MVP season in '48 helped Indians to title". Chicago Sun-Times. August 11, 2001. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2012. (subscription required)
  18. [18]
    Jones, David; Constantelos, Stephen. "Nap Lajoie". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  19. [19]
    Acocella, Nick. "ESPN Classic – Robinson set records and broke barriers". Espn.go.com. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  20. [20]
    "When Wahoo First Roared: 1920 Trip to World Series Left Many Lasting Memories". Akron Beacon Journal. October 20, 1995. p. D1. Retrieved April 20, 2012. (subscription required)
  21. [21]
    "El Tappe Managerial Career". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  22. [22]
    Stein, p. 35
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