At the Helm- 2023 Manager Changes
What is going on, Ball Boys and Girls? As we prepare for the MLB regular season, we have another small housekeeping piece today. As you read in the last piece from us, we are planning and compiling the re-launch and rebrand of Ball Boy Talk: The unhinged Sports Talk Show; we are shooting to have this out sometime in March. This podcast will not just be about baseball; we will go into all sports and put ridiculous opinions out there. Make sure to join me on IG, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok simply by clicking here.
Today, we will recap the manager changes we saw in 2022 and who is now at the helm in those positions heading into 2023, and a bonus of one manager that is: on the hot seat, needs to be replaced and is underappreciated. Let's jump in.
First, the managers we saw were fired during 2022 or shortly after.- Charlie Montoyo of the Blue Jays, Joe Girardi of the Phillies, Joe Maddon of the Angels, and Chris Woodward of the Rangers were each replaced with interims during the 2022 season. Don Mattingly of the Marlins, Mike Matheny of the Royals, and Tony La Russa of the White Sox were all let go or retired after the season.
Replacements
The Phillies promoted bench coach Rob Thomson to the helm after the Joe Girardi firing, which you can read all about here. Not only did the Phillies not know that Rob Thomson would bring good vibes and memes to the city of brotherly love, but he also brought hope. Thomson had been on the coaching staff for 37 years and finally got his chance and ran with it. He took the Phillies from a 23-29 to an 87-75 record and the World Series; he then earned a 2-year extension through the 2024 season. Fun fact, he was with the Yankees for 18 years and lost out on the Managerial job to Aaron Boone; they whiffed that one.
With two generational talents, the LA Angels did nothing again and decided it was time to split with Joe Maddon, which days I wrote about here. Then Perry Manasi decided he was going to sell, then pulled back those reports in Jan of 2023 since he couldn't oversell the franchise and make enough profits. After a sad start and an even worse finish for the franchise that says Ohtani stated that he was tired of losing multiple times, the Angels promoted Phil Nevin and extended him into 2023.
The Blue Jays moved on from Montoyo and promoted John Schneider, who led the team to a 46-28 record down the stretch, a wild card berth, and a loss to the Seattle Mariners. He then earned a 3-year extension on the back of it. The Jays have a great core, a young roster, talent at every position, and depth of that talent in the minors. I wouldn't be surprised; on talent alone, Schneider can get them back into the Wild Card in 2023.
The Rangers fired Chris Woodward during the season, which you can read about here. Woodward was the 3rd manager fired after a series loss to the Mariners, along with Montoya and Maddon. After bringing in the two best free agents on the market, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the result was a laughable 52-64. The Rangers and Chris Young decided to clean house further, firing Woodward and president of baseball ops Jon Daniels in August; they then hired 3x World Series-winning manager Bruce Bochy after being out of managing for the past three seasons. They also signed Jacob deGrom. I wonder if Bochy's thoughts will continue in Texas with the Rangers; see here.
The Marlins made the playoffs during the Covid season in 2020 thanks to wicked expanded playoffs, then failed to live up to expectations in 2021 and 2022. The team and manager, Don Mattingly, aka Donnie Baseball, split ways after seven seasons. It's worth noting that Jeter also sold off his stake in the franchise this season. The Marlins hired Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker.
The Royals parted ways with the longtime president of baseball ops Dayton Moor and promoted J.J. Picollo to that position. Weeks later, they dismissed manager Mike Matheny after three seasons. They then hired rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as their next manager, the same position that Charlie Montoyo held before being hired by the Blue Jays. It's an interesting situation, with tons of talent coming up, yet only a little talent to honestly evaluate at the same time and get the best team on the field. With the upside of Vinny Pasquatino, Bobby Whit Jr, and the Salvy Perez rock, Quatraro could do some exciting things in the AL Central with the Royals.
Lastly, the White Sox. Manager Tony La Russa had left the team on Aug. 30th due to health reasons, which were seen on the field in his face, in how he moved, and in the decision-making. The White Sox have been unlucky in injuries to Eloy Jimenez and Luis Roberts in recent years. Bench coach Miguel Cairo handled the managerial duties for the rest of the season. However, he did not keep the job, as the team hired Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to fill the role. I hope the White Sox can stay healthy as they give the Guardians the most challenge for the AL Central.
That's it all. I hope you enjoyed this managerial recap for the upcoming season; we are excited for all the baseball content to come in the following months. Make sure to like, follow, subscribe, and share.
GOT CHA, Do you think I forgot the bonus names?
My hot seat manager: Yankees Aaron Boone
The manager that needs to go: Nationals Dave Martinez
Underappreciated Manager: Seattle Scott Sevias