ESPN.com – MLB – Neyer: ‘Overall contribution’ clause could open HOF doors
“Dusty Baker
Baker was never a great player, not even for a moment (not like his teammate Reggie Smith, for example). In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, James ranked Baker as the 54th-greatest left fielder in major league history. Not Hall of Fame-worthy, by any measure. But what if we consider Baker’s 14 (and counting) seasons as one of the game’s best-known (and often successful) managers? You might not like what he has done with the Cubs lately, but he does have a winning record in his career and three first-place finishes and a near miss in the 2002 World Series.”
We’re talking about Dusty Baker right? How the hell is he considered a potential hall of famer as a MANAGER? My god Rob, come to your senses! Let’s compare his managerial record with Bruce Bochy, manager of my beloved Padres.
Bochy: 863 Wins, 901 Losses, .489 winning average, 3 division titles, and a trip to the 1998 World Series.
Baker: 1096 Wins, 945 Losses, .537 winning average, 3 division titles, and a trip to the 2002 World Series, losing in Game 7 to the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels.
Well, hot damn look at that record Dusty! But wait, How many years did Bochy have a player like Barry Bonds? What about what Dusty’s done to the careers of some young pitchers? I can’t back it up, but my suspicon is if you gave them identical teams Bochy would do better. But, is he a hall of fame manager? Nope, and neither is Dusty.
