Catchers Make the Best Major League Baseball Managers

Often in sports managers come in the form of former players, after all they know a lot about the game since they played. In Major League Baseball there is one position in particular that produces Major League Baseball managers, catcher.

In 2008 five Major League Baseball teams will have new managers and three of them, Joe Torre, Joe Girardi and John Russell, played catcher. Out of the 30 Major League Baseball managers, 12 of them played catcher.

Why do catchers make good managers? Catchers probably make good managers because catchers are like generals on the field. The catcher is the only player besides the pitcher that is a part of every play, and most pitchers aren't going to be playing the whole game while catchers often do. A catcher has to know every player's strengths and weaknesses and that ability to have a lot of knowledge carries on with them.

The following Major League Baseball managers all played catcher during their career:

Mike Scioscia (Angels)
Mike Scioscia was a two-time All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was a solid catcher for many years. Scioscia was catcher for the Dodgers during the 1988 World Series and caught most of the innings in Orel Hershiser's scoreless inning streak. Scioscia has also shown that he is a very capable manager. Scioscia has led the Angels to six winning seasons in the last eight years and won the Manager of the Year and led the Angels to the World Series in 2002.

Bob Geren (A's)
Bob Geren didn't have a long career in Major League Baseball but spent 10 years in the Minors before being called up by the New York Yankees where he played for three seasons. Last year Bob Geren replaced Ken Macha as the Oakland A's coach.

John Gibbons (Blue Jays)
John Gibbons had a very brief career with the New York Mets. Gibbons was expected to be the future catcher of the New York Mets but he only batted .220 in his short time in Major League Baseball. Gibbons became the manager of the Blue Jays in 2004 and in three full seasons has led the Blue Jays to 80 wins each year, including a second place finish in the American League East in 2006.

Ned Yost (Brewers)
Ned Yost was primarily a backup catcher during his four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Yost was also the catcher for the Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers for a season each but never started more than 80 games. Yost became the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003 and has been in charge of a young and improving Brewers team. It looked like the Brewers manager was going to lead the Brewers to the playoffs this season but they fell off at the end.

Bob Melvin (Diamondbacks)
Bob Melvin was also a backup for most of his catching career in Major League Baseball. During his Major League Baseball career Melvin played catcher for the Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giaints, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. Bob Melvin has gotten off to a much better start as a manager. Melvin was manager of the Mariners in 2003 and 2004 and led the Mariners to 93 wins in 2003. After the Mariners didn't extend his contract Bob Melvin became the manager of the Diamondbacks, who have probably overachieved in all three of his seasons he has managed. In 2007 Bob Melvin was named the National League Manager of the Year.

Joe Torre (Dodgers)
Many people know that Joe Torre is the best manager on this list but not everyone realizes he is also the best catcher on this list. Joe Torre was a nine time All-Star, won the MVP in 1971 and was in the top ten in Batting Average four times. As a manager Joe Torre won four World Series and won the American League pennant two other times.

Bruce Bochy (Giants)
Bochy played catcher for the Houston Astros, New York Mets and San Diego Padres but never averaged more than 100 at-bats per season. Bochy's first season as the manager of the Giants ended with a 71 - 91 season but before that Bruce Bocy was manager of the San Diego Padres and went to the playoffs four times, including the World Series in 1998. Bruce Bochy was National League Manager of the Year in 1996.

Eric Wedge (Indians)
Eric Wedge only played a handful of games in Major League Baseball but was in the minor league system of the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies for several seasons. Eric Wedge took over the manager position of the Cleveland Indians in 2003 and has led the Indians to a rise through the division despite it being possibly the toughest division in baseball. In 2007 Eric Wedge was named the American League Manager of the Year after leading the Indians to a 96 - 66 record.

Jim Leyland (Tigers)
Jim Leyland was a catcher in the Tigers organization for many years before getting a coaching job for one of the Tigers' minor league teams. Leyland's first manager position in Major League Baseball was with the Pirates where he turned a 64 win team in 1986 to an 80 win team in 1987. Eventually the Pirates would win 95 games or more in three consecutive seasons and Leyland would win the National League Manager of the year in 1990 and 1992. In 1997 Jim Leyland became manager of the Florida Marlins and in his first season they won the World Series. Leyland would coach another season in Florida and one season in Colorado before retiring in 1999. In 2006 Jim Leyland returned to Major League Baseball as manager of the Detroit Tigers and he also led them to the World Series in his first year and won the American League Manager of the Year.

Joe Maddon (Devil Rays)
Joe Maddon never played a single game in Major League Baseball but served as a catcher in the Angels' minor leagues for many years. Joe Maddon had short stints as manager with the Angels in 1996 and 1999 and is now manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Joe Girardi (Yankees)
The new Yankees manager is also a former catcher. Joe Girardi was a solid Major League catcher for several years, starting with the Chicago Cubs. Joe Girardi was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in their expansion draft. Eventually Joe Girardi played catcher for the Yankees from 1996 to 1999 where he played with many of the players he'll be coaching now. Joe Girardi only has one year of experience as a manager but he led a very young Florida Marlins team to a 78 - 84 record and won National League Manager of the Year.

John Russell (Pirates)
John Russell is another catcher that bounced around Major League Baseball, not playing anywhere for very long. The highlight of Russell's career came in 1990 when he caught Nolan Ryan's 6^th no-hitter. This season will be Russell's first season as a Major League manager but twice he was named the best coaching prospect in the Minors by Baseball America.