Is Playing in the MLB an Unwritten Requirement for MLB Managerial Positions?
This season, more than half of MLB managers are former MLB players. Of the remaining teams in the playoffs, five of eight have played at the big league level. However, the numbers are tipped in favor of managers who played in the MLB when it comes to making it as well as winning the World Series, which serves as a barometer of success for a manager. In the last 10 years, there have been four managers without MLB playing experience who have appeared in the World Series. In addition, only two managers have prevailed to the very end. During the 2016 season, Joe Maddon guided the Chicago Cubs to their first title in 108 years. With Brian Snitker at the helm in 2021, the Atlanta Braves won the World Series against the Houston Astros. Therefore, to make a deep postseason run, playing in the MLB appears to be a credential or unwritten requirement for MLB managers.
Two managers lacking the previously mentioned unwritten requirement of MLB playing experience are John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays and Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers. Schneider has won the appreciation from fans by preaching consistency and holding his team to high standards in his three years as the conductor of the Blue Jays. On the other hand, Murphy has the hardware, a 2024 National League Manager of the Year Award. At the same time, like Schneider, Murphy has endeared himself to the team and its fans earlier this season, honoring the Brewers' late play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker by reading a speech he wrote in Uecker’s style and getting a tattoo modeled after the team-wide Uecker uniform patch.
Each is matched up against their division rivals, the Yankees and Cubs. Since Schneider and Murphy know their opponents so well, they must prepare well. So far, Schneider and Murphy have pressed the right buttons to arrive at leads in the American League and National League Division Series. However, what lies beyond are unfamiliar opponents. Will failing the unwritten requirement haunt them, or will they triumph over it? Only time will tell.
The last manager still alive in the postseason, also missing the unwritten requirement, is Rob Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies. In his time as manager of the Phillies, he led them to the 2022 World Series and 2023 National League Championship Series. However, this year, he and the Phillies face a huge challenge in the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the Phillies’ “win now” mindset, he may be out of a job if the Dodgers go on to win the series.
