With the arrival of Opening Day it is a good time to take stock of some managers that are already on warm seats that could be scalding in short order, especially if their teams get off to bad starts. The improved competitive balance of today’s game only adds to the pressure of MLB managers and patience will be running thin among many fan bases.
Let’s take a look at who has the hottest seats as we start the season.
Terry Collins – New York Mets
Mets fans are already out of patience for Collins as he has never posted a winning season since taking over in 2011. There is a lot of hype about the Mets being ready for a breakout season with what is touted to be an improved pitching staff. While the misery of the Mets has not been Collins fault, the fact remains that managers end up paying the price for poor ownership and upper management. Collins will need a sustained run of contending baseball into September to be able to hang on to his post. The return of pitching ace Matt Harvey may actually put more pressure on Collins due to expectations that may be unrealistic.
Bud Black – San Diego
No team in baseball got more glowing coverage than the Padres, due to their aggressive offseason in which they remade their roster. They are being touted as the most improved team in the game. The Padres are expected to seriously contend for a playoff spot after having last made the post season in 2006. Black took over the year after that last playoff berth, and has put together just two winning seasons, and only one serious shot at the post season. Like Collins, Black has not been the reason for the Padres woes, but now that he has what is perceived to be a vastly improved roster he will need to win big and fast to survive.
Bryan Price – Cincinnati
Price had a rough first season after replacing Dusty Baker, who had led the Reds to three seasons of at least 90 wins and two Central Division titles. Baker was bounced because of playoff failures, but Price could not deliver a post season bid last year. Price was not at fault for all of the Reds problems last year as Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, and Homer Bailey all missed time due to injuries. The Reds have a payroll over $100 million and Baker created high expectations that Price must meet, especially if those aforementioned key stars stay healthy.
Don Mattingly – Los Angeles Dodgers
With baseball’s highest payroll by a wide margin and the game’s most dominant pitcher in Clayton Kershaw, Mattingly is expected to win big and to do so immediately. A wild card to Mattingly’s survival is the arrival of a new front office led by team president Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi. Mattingly was not hired by that tandem and it is expected that the Dodger skipper will be peppered with analytics and player usage suggestions that may prove to be combustible. Mattingly has done well working with a diverse Dodger clubhouse but expectations are beyond rational.
Brad Ausmus – Detroit
Much like Price, Ausmus took over a Detroit team that was highly successful under predecessor Jim Leyland, who led the Tigers two the playoffs in each of his last four seasons, including a World Series berth in 2012. Ausmus inherited an aging team in transition and although he did lead Detroit to the playoffs last year they were swept in the ALDS. It’s never easy following a popular and winning predecessor and Ausmus may not survive that challenge, especially with a slow start.
John Gibbons – Toronto
Although Toronto posted its first winning season in four years, Gibbons and the Blue Jays fell far short of the preseason hype that serenaded them in the preseason. Once again Toronto is touted for big things in an American League East that looks highly winnable. The Blue Jays have been spending like gangbusters the past two years and landed big fish catcher Russell Martin in the offseason , which has served to add fuel to the fire of a franchise looking for its first playoff berth since 1993.
