Even World Series winning managers don’t have job security

By JERRY TAPP

You would think that winning a World Series would give a manager a certain degree of job security. Think again.

Just this year, we saw that three of the last seven managers to win a World Series are no longer with that team: Bruce Bochy, who won three titles with the Giants (2010, 2012 and 2014) retired after the 2019 season; Joe Madden, who guided the Cubs to a World Series in 2016, was fired (or better stated, his contract was not renewed) at the conclusion of this year; and, Ned Yost, who led the Royals to a championship in 2015, decided to retire after the ’19 campaign.

Here’s another take on this: Of the 15 different managers who won a World Series since 2000, only three are now still managing in the majors: Terry Francona (he won two World Series with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007) who is now the skipper of the Cleveland Indians, and Houston manager A.J. Hinch (he won the title in 2017 with the Astros) and Boston manager Alex Cora (he won with the Red Sox last season), are still with the teams they led to the title.

Here’s a look at the World Series winning managers since 2000 and where they are now.

2000: Joe Torre, New York Yankees (last managed in 2007). Now MLB’s Chief Baseball Officer

2001: Bob Brenly, Arizona (last managed in 2004). Broadcaster

2002: Mike Scioscia, Anaheim (last managed in 2018). Stepped down after the 2018 season

2003: Jack McKeon, Florida (last managed in 2005). Retired in 2011 after a short stint as San Diego interim manager.

2004: Terry Francona, Boston (still managing … current Cleveland skipper).

2005: Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox (last managed in 2011). Broadcaster

2006: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis (last managed in 2011). Vice-President of the Boston Red Sox

2007: Terry Francona, Boston (see above-2004))

2008: Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia (last managed in 2013). Phillies hitting coach in 2019

2009: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees (last managed in 2017). Broadcaster

2010: Bruce Bochy, San Francisco (last managed in 2019). Retired in 2019.

2011: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis (see above-2006)

2012: Bruce Bochy, San Francisco (see above-2010)

2013: John Farrell, Boston (last managed in 2017). Broadcaster

2014: Bruce Bochy, San Francisco (see above-2010)

2015: Ned Yost, Kansas City (last managed in 2019). Retired in 2019

2016: Joe Madden, Chicago Cubs (last managed in 2019). Fired/Contract not renewed in 2019

2017: A.J. Hinch, Houston (still managing the Houston Astros)

2018: Alex Cora, Boston (still managing the Boston Red Sox)

A couple of men on the above list are being mentioned as candidates for managerial openings that are (or will be) available; Girardi could wind up with the Cubs, a team he played seven seasons for in two stints. Madden, a former Angels minor leaguer, has been mentioned as a strong candidate for the Angels opening, and there has been talk that Farrell is ready to get back into the dugout as a manager.

So… stay tuned.

Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp