Dusty Baker: Worst Manager of All Time?

[knightedsoldier5000]

Surely there's a worse manager of all time, but this guy must be the beneficiary of affirmative action to be able to keep managing in MLB. He has to be one of the worst ever.

It goes back to his days of managing Barry Bonds and losing the WS with SF. Then he goes to the Cubs and many say he ruined the arms of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in his bid to get to the WS, yet failed spectacularly when his team had a complete and total meltdown in the championship series and lost. Prior was never the same after that year and could've been a great one.

And now, i'm in disbelief that the Nationals, with as great a pitching staff and roster as they had, lose to the Dodgers, and I see this article with Dusty Baker whining about how he got outmanaged:


"Following his Washington Nationals' 4-3 Game 5 loss to the Dodgers, Baker didn't strictly applaud his opponents and the gutsy maneuvering of opposing manager Dave Roberts. Instead, he pointed out the downside to Roberts' moves."

"Roberts is being lauded for his creativity with managing the Dodgers in the decisive game. He pulled his starter in the third; went to his setup man that inning; used a 20-year-old in relief; put his closer in for the 7th; and then used his ace, Clayton Kershaw, on short rest in the ninth. Baker says that managing in that manner, which is going against the proverbial "book," is not something he'll be doing any time soon."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/dusty-baker-throws-shade-at-dodgers-after-game-5-loss

What a shame the Nationsls are going to waste their window of opportunity with such a great roster with Dusty at the helm.


http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Dusty_Baker#Year-By-Year_Managerial_Record

Year-By-Year Managerial Record
Year
Team
League
Record
Finish
Organization
Playoffs
1993
San Francisco Giants
National League
103-59
2nd
San Francisco Giants

1994
San Francisco Giants
National League
55-60
2nd
San Francisco Giants

1995
San Francisco Giants
National League
66-77
4th
San Francisco Giants

1996
San Francisco Giants
National League
68-94
4th
San Francisco Giants

1997
San Francisco Giants
National League
90-72
1st
San Francisco Giants
Lost Division Series
1998
San Francisco Giants
National League
89-74
2nd
San Francisco Giants

1999
San Francisco Giants
National League
86-76
2nd
San Francisco Giants

2000
San Francisco Giants
National League
97-65
1st
San Francisco Giants
Lost Division Series
2001
San Francisco Giants
National League
90-72
2nd
San Francisco Giants

2002
San Francisco Giants
National League
95-66
2nd
San Francisco Giants
Lost World Series
2003
Chicago Cubs
National League
88-74
1st
Chicago Cubs
Lost League Championship Series
2004
Chicago Cubs
National League
89-73
3rd
Chicago Cubs

2005
Chicago Cubs
National League
79-83
4th
Chicago Cubs

2006
Chicago Cubs
National League
66-96
6th
Chicago Cubs


2008
Cincinnati Reds
National League
74-88
5th
Cincinnati Reds

2009
Cincinnati Reds
National League
78-84
4th
Cincinnati Reds

2010
Cincinnati Reds
National League
91-71
1st
Cincinnati Reds
Lost Division Series
2011
Cincinnati Reds
National League
79-83
3rd
Cincinnati Reds

2012
Cincinnati Reds
National League
97-65
1st
Cincinnati Reds
Lost Division Series
2013
Cincinnati Reds
National League
90-72
3rd
Cincinnati Reds
Lost Wild Card Game

2016
Washington Nationals
National League
95-67
1st
Washington Nationals
Lost Division Series

His son Darrell was born when he was well into his 40s and was already managing the Giants. In the 2002 World Series, he famously served as a bat boy for the Giants even though he was only three, and was almost bowled over in Game 5 when he wandered too close to the plate as a Giants player was running home at full speed; J.T. Snow came swooping in and carried him out of harm's way. Major League baseball then adopted a rule banning such young children from serving as bat boys, for safety reasons.

 

[Leonardfan]

You have to wonder if Baker would be saying he got out managed if the opposing manager was not black as well

Baker is a bad manager and was a bad hire by the Nationals

 

[Riggins44]

I watched the whole game last night. I don't know who made the call to send Jason Werth home in the 6th inning, but he was out by 5 steps, and the call was absolutely idiotic. A 5th grader would have known not to send him. That play was decisive in my opinion.

 

[white is right]

I watched the whole game last night. I don't know who made the call to send Jason Werth home in the 6th inning, but he was out by 5 steps, and the call was absolutely idiotic. A 5th grader would have known not to send him. That play was decisive in my opinion.

Usually that's the third base coach or it could be on Werth ignoring signals.

As for Baker he is overrated at the least. His teams have found classic ways to implode over the years. I would say a top manager is more important in sparing the arms of his relievers when the starting pitcher is faltering. Most of the decisions are text book orthodox decisions that a computer could call for the manager. Also a manager is important in keeping an orderly clubhouse. Many have been fired because of feuds in the clubhouse that tore potential contenders apart.

 

[icsept]

Dusty Baker teams have lost 9 consecutive playoff elimination games. He's the Marvin Lewis of MLB.

 

[celticdb15]

Dusty Baker teams have lost 9 consecutive playoff elimination games. He's the Marvin Lewis of MLB.

Stat of the day and it's a good one!

 

[Tannehill17]

Dusty Baker is a clown! While I don't blame him for the 2003 Cubs playoff debacle by leaving Mark Prior in the game too long (The Cubs had a rather pedestrian bullpen that year) He has shown time and time again that he just doesn't have the where within to lead his teams to the finish line. How he keeps getting managerial jobs is beyond me.... actually wait, no it isn't. We all know why.

 

[icsept]

I've been following the Nats every game this season. Dusty inexplicably, repeatedly rests his star players. He's constantly tinkering with the batting order, despite the fact that the Nats' offense was on fire.

Prime example was today's game against the Marlins, he rested Murphy and Zimmerman - the 4 and 5 hole hitters who are tearing up the league. The Nats were held to one run and the backup first baseman made the critical game losing error. Wasted a dominant game by Scherzer.

 

[foreverfree]

Dusty Baker teams have lost 9 consecutive playoff elimination games. He's the Marvin Lewis of MLB.

By that, do you mean Baker's teams have lost 9 straight games where they had a chance to send their foe out the door and lost?

John

 

[icsept]

By that, do you mean Baker's teams have lost 9 straight games where they had a chance to send their foe out the door and lost?

John

By that, do you mean Baker's teams have lost 9 straight games where they had a chance to send their foe out the door and lost?

John

Correct.

 

[angelus]

He can't be. The White Sox have a guy named Rick Avina Renteria who is the Cubs discarded trash. If you've ever seen this guy manage a game he is a deer caught in the headlights. Of course the DWFs are euphoric that the guy speaks Spanish and can communicate with their majority Spanish team now.

https://giphy.com/gifs/manscape-fixing-testosterone-cQtlhD48EG0SY

 

[celticdb15]

He can't be. The White Sox have a guy named Rick Avina Renteria who is the Cubs discarded trash. If you've ever seen this guy manage a game he is a deer caught in the headlights. Of course the DWFs are euphoric that the guy speaks Spanish and can communicate with their majority Spanish team now.

https://giphy.com/gifs/manscape-fixing-testosterone-cQtlhD48EG0SY

Perfect hire for the shitty neighborhoods of Shitcagos southside. Locals there are more interested in selling crack and drive bys than baseball.

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

Baker has underachieved with many talented teams and is well known for mismanaging pitching staffs and ruining promising arms. But he gets a pass for a lot of it because he's black, just like Ron "Cocaine" Washington.

 

[icsept]

Dusty Baker teams have lost 9 consecutive playoff elimination games. He's the Marvin Lewis of MLB.

Now 10 straight losses in playoff games where his team could advance with a win.

 

[Riggins44]

Now 10 straight losses in playoff games where his team could advance with a win.

In all fairness, there were about five awful mistakes by Nationals players in the game last night that weren't Baker's fault, they were just stupid bush league mistakes. Max Scherzer got a third strike on a Cub and catcher Matt Wieters didn't catch the ball, the ball got past him, he made a bad throw to first base, then a runner scored from third. Then one or two batters later, Wieters got too close to the batter who hit his glove with his bat, which loaded the bases and prolonged the Cubs rally in the 4th. Michael Taylor misplayed a fly ball in the outfield, and Jason Werth totally misplayed a fairly routine fly ball that got past him and I think scored a run. Then in the 8th the Nationals had pulled within one run after being down 4, and had runners on first and second with two outs and had the Cubs closer reeling, and Lotarto, the runner on first gets picked off by the catcher, which was basically the end of the game. I'm not saying Baker is a good manager but the Nats players did themselves in last night.

 

[Heretic]

Baker fired

 

[ramicackle]

Rumor is Dusty Baker to manage Astros in 2020. ...still just a rumor though.

 

[ramicackle]

Dusty Baker now with 40 wins and 44 losses in the post season with 0 rings.

 

[Flint]

They keep gifting this guy with good teams and he can’t get them over the hump. Just goes to show how little a manager effects the team if the team is good.

 

[Bucky]

@icsept had it right. Marvin Lewis of MLB!