For only sixth time ever—and first time in more than 40 years—there’s just one active incumbent World Series-winning manager
Decline of active incumbent World Series-winning managers from previous season
At the end of 2019, there were six managers who won a World Series on the team they currently managed. To open 2020, there is just one. The loss of five active incumbent World-Series-winning managers is the largest ever. The previous highest loss was three (1927 and 1951). Here are the 12 seasons in which there was a decline of two or more World Series-winning managers leaving their current teams. Shown is the decline of such managers at the close of each season and the total number of active incumbent title-winning managers at the close of those seasons. While the 2020 figure (-5) is from the preseason, it will still be the all-time record at the close of the 2020 season because it can be no better than -4.Year | Change in incumbents active from previous season |
Incumbents active at season end |
|
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2020* | -5 | 1 |
2 | 1927 | -3 | 4 |
2 | 1951 | -3 | 1 |
4 | 1913 | -2 | 3 |
4 | 1921 | -2 | 4 |
4 | 1929 | -2 | 2 |
4 | 1938 | -2 | 3 |
4 | 1946 | -2 | 3 |
4 | 1976 | -2 | 3 |
4 | 1996 | -2 | 4 |
4 | 2011 | -2 | 6 |
4 | 2012 | -2 | 4 |
For additional details, see the Active incumbent World Series-winning managers chart at the bottom of this page and the Fewest active incumbent World Series-winning managers graphic at the top of this page.
At the end of the 2019 baseball season, there were six managers who had won a World Series title on the team they currently managed.
But with retirements, partings-of-ways and fallout from the sign-stealing scandal, there is just one such manager remaining to open the 2020 season—Dave Martinez of the Washington Nationals, winner of the most recent 2019 World Series.
Going from six active incumbent managers who have won a World Series to just one is the biggest drop in one offseason since the World Series was first played in 1903. It is also just the sixth time in World Series history—and the first time in more than 40 years—that there has only been one manager who has won a title on the team he is currently managing (see the graphic above: Fewest active incumbent World Series-winning managers).
(At the bottom of this page is a complete graphical view of title-winning skippers from 1903 to 2019, Chart: Active incumbent World Series-winning managers, showing the tenures of World Series-winning managers with their current team, the numbers of active incumbent World Series-winning managers at each season’s end and the total number of combined titles those managers had won.)
How did we get here?
At the end of 2019, there were six managers who had won a World Series on the team they managed during 2019:
Decline of World Series wins accounted for by active incumbent managers
At the end of 2019, there were six managers who won a combined eight World Series titles on the team they currently managed. To open 2020, there is just one manager who won one title. The loss of seven titles accounted for by active incumbent World-Series-winning managers is the second-largest ever. The largest was 1946 (-9), fueled mainly by the loss of Joe McCarthy, who won seven titles with the Yankees—he was replaced during the 1946 season. Here are the seasons in which there was a decline of two or more title wins by World Series-winning managers leaving their then-current teams. Shown is the decline of titles at the close of each season, the total number of titles then accounted for, followed by the changes in active incumbent title-winning managers and total number of active incumbent managers at the close of those seasons. While the 2020 figure (-7) is from the preseason, it will still be ranked second or tied for second at the close of the 2020 season because it can be no better than -6.Year | Change in total WS wins accounted for |
WS wins accounted for |
Change in incumbents active from previous season |
Incumbents active at season’s end |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1946 | -9 | 7 | -2 | 3 |
2 | 2020* | -7 | 1 | -5 | 1 |
3 | 1961 | -6 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
3 | 1951 | -6 | 3 | -3 | 1 |
5 | 1976 | -4 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
6 | 2008 | -3 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
6 | 1929 | -3 | 7 | -2 | 2 |
6 | 1996 | -3 | 6 | -2 | 4 |
6 | 2012 | -3 | 5 | -2 | 4 |
10 | 1932 | -2 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
10 | 1979 | -2 | 2 | -1 | 2 |
10 | 1913 | -2 | 5 | -2 | 3 |
10 | 1927 | -2 | 9 | -3 | 4 |
For additional details, see the Active incumbent World Series-winning managers chart at the bottom of this page and the Fewest active incumbent World Series-winning managers graphic at the top of this page.
Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants, who won three titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals, who won in 2015.
Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs, who won in 2016.
AJ Hinch of the Houston Astros, who won in 2017.
Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox, who won in 2018.
Dave Martinez of the Washington Nationals, who won in 2019.
Bochy and Yost both retired at the end of 2019. Maddon and the Cubs parted ways at the end of the season. The loss of those three alone would have been among the biggest-ever declines of active incumbent World Series-winning managers from a previous season. But then, in January 2020, Major League Baseball announced results of its investigation into the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season, in which they won the World Series.
In the aftermath of the report, the Astros fired manager Hinch on Jan. 13. Cora had been a bench coach for the Astros in 2017 and was referenced in the report. He is also subject to a separate, yet-to-be-finalized, investigation into sign-stealing by the Red Sox during their 2018 World Series-winning season. Though that investigation was incomplete, Cora stepped aside as Red Sox manager on Jan. 14, the day after Hinch was fired by the Astros.
Biggest decline
With the loss of Hinch and Cora, the total decline of active incumbent World Series-winning managers from the previous season was now five, the biggest ever. The decline is also guaranteed to the be biggest at the close of the 2020 season (see the chart elsewhere on this page: Decline of active incumbent World Series-winning managers from previous season). At the end of 2020, the decline will either be five or four, depending on whether Martinez wins another title or remains with the Nationals. The previous highest decline from a previous season at each seasons’ end was three, which happened in 1927 (going from seven to four such managers) and 1951 (going from four to one such manager).
This largest-ever decline in active incumbent managers was made possible because of the comparative abundance of such managers at the close of 2019. The six active incumbents at the end of 2019 is tied for the fifth-most at the end of any season since 1903 (see the chart elsewhere on this page: Most active incumbent World Series-winning managers (at seasons’ end)). There were only four seasons in the World Series era in which there were more active incumbent title-winning managers at the close of a season—2010, when there were a record eight; plus 1926, 2009 and 2017, when there were seven. There have been 13 seasons—including 2019—in which there were six such managers at the end of a season.
While there is now just one manager—Martinez—who has won a World Series title on the team he is currently managing, there are now three other managers who have won a World Series with a previous team:
Terry Francona won the World Series in 2004 and 2007 while managing the Boston Red Sox from 2004 to 2011. Francona is now manager of the Cleveland Indians, hired Oct. 6, 2012.
Joe Girardi won the World Series in 2009 while managing the New York Yankees from 2008 to 2017. Girardi is now manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, hired Oct. 24, 2019.
Joe Maddon won the World Series in 2016 while managing the Chicago Cubs from 2015 to 2019. Maddon is now manager of the Los Angeles Angels, hired Oct. 16, 2019.
Decline of titles by active incumbent managers
Fewest active incumbent World Series-winning managers (at seasons’ end)
There have been five times in which there has been only one active incumbent World Series-winning manager at the end of a season. Each time, obviously, that one manager was the winner of the most recent World Series. After 2020, there will be either one or two active incumbent World Series-winning managers, which would rank among the 14 seasons listed here—and the first time in 41 years there will be two or fewer such managers.Year | Incumbents active at season end |
WS wins accounted for |
|
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1903 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 1904 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 1951 | 1 | 3 |
1 | 1952 | 1 | 4 |
1 | 1953 | 1 | 5 |
6 | 1905 | 2 | 2 |
6 | 1906 | 2 | 2 |
6 | 1929 | 2 | 7 |
6 | 1930 | 2 | 8 |
6 | 1954 | 2 | 6 |
6 | 1956 | 2 | 7 |
6 | 1965 | 2 | 5 |
6 | 1966 | 2 | 5 |
6 | 1979 | 2 | 2 |
The five active incumbent World Series-winning managers who have left their teams since the end of 2019 accounted for a total of seven total World Series wins—four accounted for one win each and Bochy accounted for three. That represents the second-biggest decline of titles accounted for by active incumbent World Series-winning managers from one season to the next. The largest such decline happened in 1946, when the net loss of two such managers accounted for the net decline of nine total World Series wins. That loss was mainly due to Joe McCarthy in 1946 leaving the New York Yankees team with whom he won seven titles. (Also Billy Southworth, who won two titles with the St. Louis Cardinals, left the team at the end of 1945 and Bill McKechnie, who won a title with the Cincinnati Reds, left the team prior to the end of the 1946 season. A then-new manager to the list, Eddie Dyer of the St. Louis Cardinals, won his first and only World Series in 1946.)
While the decline of seven such title wins in 2020 is from the preseason, it will still be ranked second or tied for second among the biggest such declines at the end of 2020, because it can be no better than a net decline of six title wins accounted for. If Martinez wins another title in 2020 or if another manager wins and Martinez remains with the Nationals, there will be a net decline of six titles accounted for by active incumbent managers. There were two other seasons in which there was a net loss of six such titles at the close of a season—1961 (going from 10 at the end of 1960 to four at the end of 1961, after Casey Stengel, who won seven titles with the Yankees, was fired after the 1960 season) and 1951 (going from nine at the end of 1950 to three at the end of 1951, mainly due to the retirement of Connie Mack in 1950, who won five titles with the Philadelphia Athletics).
If for whatever reason Martinez does not remain with the Nationals at the end of 2020 (with another manager winning the World Series), the net decline in World Series titles won by active incumbent managers will remain at its current level (-7) and will rank alone as the second-biggest such decline in the World Series era.
First time in more than 40 years
This year will be the first time in more than 40 years—more than one-third of the 117-year history of the World Series—that there will be two or fewer active incumbent World Series-winning managers at the end of a season. The last time that happened was the end of 1979, when there were two—Chuck Tanner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won in 1979, and Earl Weaver of the Baltimore Orioles, who won in 1970.
Fewest World Series wins by active incumbent managers (at seasons’ end)
As of January 2020, there is only one manager currently active with his team who has won a World Series—Dave Martinez of the Nationals—and he has only one World Series title. The fewest World Series titles accounted for by active incumbent managers at the end of a season is one, which has happened only twice—1903 and 1904. At the end of 2020, the number will be either one or two, which will put it among five seasons with two or fewer such wins and the fewest in 41 years.Year | WS wins accounted for |
Incumbents active at season end |
|
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1903 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 1904 | 1 | 1 |
3 | 1905 | 2 | 2 |
3 | 1906 | 2 | 2 |
3 | 1979 | 2 | 2 |
6 | 1907 | 3 | 3 |
6 | 1951 | 3 | 1 |
6 | 1980 | 3 | 3 |
6 | 1982 | 3 | 3 |
There has never been a moment since the World Series was first won in 1903 that there have been no active incumbent World Series-winning managers. But it is possible and it could happen in 2020. If Martinez, for whatever reason, no longer manages the Nationals prior to the 2020 World Series, then the number of active incumbent title-winning managers will slip from one to zero.
The actual number of such managers at the close of 2020 is to be determined but can only be two or one:
Two—If Martinez remains Nationals manager and another manager wins the 2020 World Series.
One—If Martinez as Nationals manager wins his second straight World Series or if Martinez does not remain Nationals manager and another manager wins the 2020 World Series.
Six periods with one active incumbent title-winning manager
There have been six total periods in which there has been only one active incumbent World Series-winning manager. The periods have ranged from 48 days to 1,421 days (nearly four years). (See the graphic at the top of the page: Fewest active incumbent World Series-winning managers.)
The first two periods happened early in World Series history. Obviously, the first title-winning manager in 1903, Jimmy Collins of the Boston Americans, was the only such manager when he won. There was no World Series played in 1904, so Collins remained the only such manager until the second World Series of 1905, when John McGraw of the New York Giants won. Then in mid-season 1906, Collins was fired by the Boston Americans, leaving McGraw as the only active incumbent manager until the 1906 World Series, when Fielder Jones of the White Sox won.
Most active incumbent World Series-winning managers (at seasons' end)
At the end of 2010, there were eight managers who had won a World Series who were still active with that team, the most since the World Series began in 1903. The eight were Bruce Bochy (SF), Joe Girardi (NYY), Charlie Manuel (PHI), Terry Francona (BOS), Ozzie Guillen (CHW), Tony La Russa (STL), Mike Scioscia (LAA) and Bobby Cox (ATL) (though technically, Cox announced his retirement days before Bochy won his first title). At the end of the 2019 season, there were six such managers, tied for the fifth-most.Year | Incumbents active at season end |
WS wins accounted for |
|
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2010 | 8 | 9 |
2 | 1926 | 7 | 11 |
2 | 2009 | 7 | 8 |
2 | 2017 | 7 | 9 |
5 | 1920 | 6 | 8 |
5 | 1925 | 6 | 10 |
5 | 1989 | 6 | 7 |
5 | 1992 | 6 | 8 |
5 | 1995 | 6 | 9 |
5 | 2005 | 6 | 9 |
5 | 2006 | 6 | 9 |
5 | 2007 | 6 | 10 |
5 | 2008 | 6 | 7 |
5 | 2011 | 6 | 8 |
5 | 2016 | 6 | 8 |
5 | 2018 | 6 | 8 |
5 | 2019 | 6 | 8 |
After that, a period of 44 years passed before there was another instance of only one active incumbent World Series-winning manager. On Nov. 10, 1950, Casey Stengel of the New York Yankees, who at that point had won titles in both 1949 and 1950, became the only active incumbent title-winning manager.
At the end of the 1950 season, three title-winning managers left their teams:
Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics, who won five titles while managing from 1901 to 1950.
Eddie Dyer of the St. Louis Cardinals, who won the title in 1946.
Lou Boudreau of the Cleveland Indians, who won the title in 1948. Boudreau was the last of these three managers to leave their team on Nov. 10, 1950.
Stengel remained the only manager to win a World Series with his current team as he won five straight World Series, winning three more after 1950, in 1951, 1952 and 1953. He remained the only such manager until Oct. 2, 1954, when Leo Durocher managed the New York Giants to the 1954 World Series title.
There was another brief period in 1966 lasting 155 days when there was only one active incumbent World Series-winning manager. Johnny Keane of the St. Louis Cardinals, who won the 1964 title, was fired May 7, 1966. That left Walter Alston as the only active incumbent title-winning manager. Alston won four titles with the Brooklyn, then Los Angeles Dodgers in 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965. He remained the only active incumbent title-winning manager until Hank Bauer of the Baltimore Orioles won the 1966 World Series Oct. 9, 1966.
In 1979, Earl Weaver of the Baltimore Orioles became the only active incumbent World Series-winning manager (he won in 1970). On June 19, 1979, Bob Lemon of the New York Yankees, winner of the 1978 World Series, was fired, leaving Weaver as the only active incumbent title-winning manager for 120 days until Oct. 17, when Chuck Tanner of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the second, winning the 1979 World Series.
Recent larger collection of such active managers
Most World Series wins by active incumbent managers (at seasons' end)
At the end of 1945, there were five World Series-winning managers still active with their teams who had won a total of 16 World Series, the most such wins by active incumbent managers. The five managers were Steve O'Neill (DET, one title), Billy Southworth (STL, two titles), Bill McKechnie (PIT, one title), Joe McCarthy (NYY, seven titles) and Connie Mack (Philadelphia Athletics, five titles). There have been 14 seasons in which active incumbent managers had 10 or more World Series wins at the end of a season (listed in the chart below), the most recent being in 2007 (10, tied for 10th-most).Year | WS wins accounted for |
Incumbents active at season end |
|
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1945 | 16 | 5 |
2 | 1944 | 15 | 4 |
3 | 1943 | 14 | 4 |
4 | 1941 | 13 | 4 |
4 | 1942 | 13 | 4 |
6 | 1940 | 12 | 4 |
7 | 1926 | 11 | 7 |
7 | 1937 | 11 | 5 |
7 | 1939 | 11 | 3 |
10 | 1925 | 10 | 6 |
10 | 2007 | 10 | 6 |
10 | 1936 | 10 | 5 |
10 | 1928 | 10 | 4 |
10 | 1938 | 10 | 3 |
10 | 1959 | 10 | 3 |
10 | 1960 | 10 | 3 |
Since then and until recently, there had always been at least two active incumbent World Series-winning managers. In fact, since 1980, there had never been fewer than three. Moreover, recent years have had among the largest collection of such managers. (See the chart elsewhere on this page: Most active incumbent World Series-winning managers (at season’s end).) Of the 17 seasons in which there were six or more such active managers at season’s end, 11 of those seasons have happened in the 15 seasons beginning 2005 or later.
That includes 2010, in which there were a record eight active incumbent World Series-winning managers at the end of the season. There were seven such managers at season’s end three times—1926, 2009 and 2017. There were six or more such managers at the end of each of the previous four seasons—2016-2019.
That large collection of active incumbent World Series-winning managers dwindled considerably in the 2019 offseason and reached just two on Jan. 13, 2020, when the Astros fired AJ Hinch, then reached just one the next day, Jan. 14, 2020, when the Red Sox and Alex Cora parted ways.
It’s not just tied for the fewest such managers ever and the fewest in more than 40 years, but it is the biggest such drop-off ever. The record steep and abrupt decline is all the more startling as it comes with the sudden departure of Hinch and Cora—two prominent, respected, title-winning managers—leaving their teams in an unprecedented way on back-to-back days for being associated in a cheating scandal.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day. (However, this is the rare post that does not include any reference to Box-Toppers points.)
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(Note: On Jan. 15, Box-Toppers incorrectly tweeted that there was a period in 1979 in which there were no active incumbent World Series-winning managers after the Yankees fired Bob Lemon. Somehow, we didn’t have Earl Weaver accounted for—he won the World Series in 1970 with the Orioles and his tenure lasted until 1982. Further research has also uncovered six periods—rather than five as tweeted on Jan. 15—in which there was only one active incumbent World Series-winning manager—the 155-day period in 1966 was not previously included. Those incorrect tweets have been deleted. And if something in this post is still incorrect, let me know, so we can make it right.)
Chart: Active incumbent World Series-winning managers
At the end of 2019, there were six managers who had won at least one World Series championship for the team they were currently managing. But for the 2020 season, five of those managers are no longer with that team. That leaves only one manager who has won a World Series with his current team—Dave Martinez of the Nationals, who won the most recent 2019 World Series. This is the sixth time since the World Series began in 1903 that there has been only one manager active with the team with whom they won the World Series. It is the first time this has happened in more than 40 years.
Chart in miniature here, normal size below
Below, at the bottom of this page, is a list showing the numbers each season of active incumbent World Series-winning managers since the start of the Fall Classic in 1903. The World Series-winning manager for each season is shown followed by his tenure with the team and his last day with the team. The number of active incumbent World Series-winning managers is shown in the next column, followed by the total number of World Series titles won by those managers.
What follows that, scrolling right for several dozen columns is a graphic representation of the managerial tenures of World Series-winning managers and the number of titles they won during their tenure for their team. Managers are shown in reverse chronological order, with Dave Martinez (2019 winner) to the left and Jimmy Collins (1903 winner) to the extreme right. Each manager’s current tenure after winning a title is shown in red and each World Series they’ve won to that point is indicated with an “x.”
For example, Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack won his first World Series in 1910. Scrolling nearly all the way right, under the column “Mack” there is a single “x” in the 1910 column and the cell is shaded red. Mack won his second World Series in 1911 and his third in 1913 and with each win, the “Mack” column picks up an additional “x” to represent the number of titles he’s won to that point with his then-current team. At the end of 1913, there were three managers who had won a World Series with their current team, winning a combined five titles—Mack accounted for three of those. Mack eventually won five titles during his tenure, which lasted until 1950. However, he won his fifth and final title in 1930.
Each World Series title won by a manager for his current team is shown with an “x.” If a World Series-winning manager began the next season with that same team but did not finish the season, it is marked with a single “half-x” or “>.” The most recent example of this is Charlie Manuel, who won the 2008 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Under the “Manuel” column, you can see his tenure with the team continued until 2013. However, since he was fired Aug. 16, 2013, and did not complete the season, his 2013 season is represented with a “>” and he is not counted as one of the active incumbent World Series-winning managers at season’s end, nor is his World Series victory included in the overall total won by active incumbent managers for 2013.
Managers winning titles for different teams or during separate managerial tenures are treated separately. For example, Tony La Russa won the World Series in 1989 with the Oakland Athletics. That tenure ended at the end of 1995. Though he went to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996, his tenure as an active incumbent manager did not carry over since he was with a new team. However, when his Cardinals won the 2006 World Series, he began a new, separate tenure as an active incumbent World Series-winning manager. That second tenure is represented in the column “La Russa 2.”
Danny Murtaugh is the only manager to win the World Series for the same team in different tenures. He managed the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates to a title during his tenure from 1957 to 1964. His Pirates won the series in 1971 during a separate managerial tenure from 1970 to 1971. Those tenures are treated also separately in two different columns, “Murtaugh” and “Murtaugh 2.”
* Brief interruptions in managerial tenure with the same team. An interim manager briefly served, but when the manager returned within a season or at the start of the next season without being plainly replaced, we count that as uninterrupted tenure. For example, Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1950, but was replaced by his son several times during the 1930s for brief periods.
† Manager who returned to the team for a separate tenure. For example, Bill Carrigan managed the Boston Red Sox from 1913 to 1916, winning the World Series in 1915 and 1916. He returned to the team from 1927 to 1929, but his previous World Series wins aren’t counted as active incumbent World Series wins during his second tenure. Danny Murtaugh is the only manager to win World Series titles on the same team during separate tenures. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1957 to 1964, winning the World Series in 1960. When he returned to manage the Pirates in 1967, his previous World Series win was not counted as an active incumbent win. When he returned for a third time, from 1970 to 1971, his previous World Series win also was not counted. However, when the Pirates won the World Series in 1971, that single World Series win was counted as a single win by an active incumbent manager.
§ Managed the same team during a previous separate tenure (in which the manager won no World Series titles).
° Won World Series titles during two separate managerial tenures. (Only Danny Murtaugh won titles during separate tenures for the same team—the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960 and 1971.)
Reading the managers columns
Scrolling right, there are individual columns for each tenure in which a manager won a World Series and remained active with that team. A manager’s tenure is shaded in red in the year he won the World Series and remains shaded each season he remained with the team during the same tenure. Each World Series title a manager has won during a tenure is marked with an “x.” If a manager wins multiple World Series titles during a managerial tenure, it is marked with an “x” for each title. If a manager won World Series titles during separate tenures, each tenure is included in a separate column and wins during one tenure are not counted in another. If a manager started but did not complete their final season with a team it is marked with a “half x” or a “>.”
Source: Most information used to create this graph and post came from research from BaseballReference.com.