The Brady Bunch of Baseball: Managers of the AL Central

Mike Matheny

Age: 50

Years of Experience: 8 Years (7 in St. Louis, 1 in Kansas City)

What to Love: After Royals staple Ned Yost retired, Matheny’s arrival to Kansas City was swept under the rug given the million other things going on in the world. With a wealth of experience in St. Louis , Matheny became the first manager in MLB history to lead his team to a division title in his first four seasons. While his first season with the Royals wasn’t anything special, Matheny’s emphasis on strong defense and experience will help build up a Kansas City team that hasn’t seen success since 2015.

What to Hate: Despite success in St. Louis, none of Matheny’s teams have been able to break through and win a World Series. And while championships are likely out of reach for a few more years, it will be interesting to see how and if Matheny can put together a stretch of dominance like he did in St. Louis.

Fun Fact: When he was a player in St. Louis, Matheny started his own nonprofit called “Catch-22.” The organization is aimed to benefit children with special needs and physical limitations. In 2005 he and his wife opened a field in Missouri that has a completely flat and rubber surface, making it accessible to children with physical disabilities.

Terry Francona

Age: 61

Years of Experience: 20 years (8 in Cleveland, 8 in Boston, 4 in Philadelphia)

What to Love: If one were to make a list of ‘winners in the game of baseball,’ Terry Francona’s name would be near the top. A cornerstone in some of baseball’s most historic moments, Francona has seen the highest of highs and lowest of lows. As of recent, Francona has dealt with some excellent teams in Cleveland and developed strong relationships with their baseball community.

What to Hate: While Francona was able to obtain the ultimate prize in baseball in Boston, he has yet to bring a title to Cleveland. Time may be running out as the White Sox and Twins seem to be growing and Cleveland shrinking. Francona’s health kept him from fully managing the end of the 2020 season and we wish him nothing but the best going forward.

Fun Fact: Terry was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, home of Northern State University, the CC Lee Open tennis tournament, and birthplace of Super 8 Motels!

AJ Hinch

Age: 46

Years of Experience: 7 years (5 in Houston, 2 in Arizona)

What to Love: Along with Rocco, Hinch fits the role of “young guns” in this group. In the game’s climate of analytics, Hinch is on par with the best of ‘em for managing games and player development through stats and science. Regardless of scandals, Hinch has shown that he knows how to not only win, but shift the culture of an entire organization like he did with the Astros. The Tigers struck the gold mine on this one and the hiring of AJ Hinch will pay off.

What to Hate: The Houston Astros 2017 cheating scandal will always tarnish Hinch’s career wherever his journey leads him. Unlike some, Hinch has been pretty open about the mistakes he made, including speaking to the issue in his inaugural press conference in Detroit. While his mistakes won’t necessarily impact the play on the field, Hinch and the Tigers will have to mute noise from critics who question his ethics.

Fun Fact: Hinch was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 1995 MLB draft. He elected to stay at Stanford and finish his college career, where he was a stud catcher and Psychology major.

Tony LaRussa

Age: 76

Years of Experience:35 years (9 in Chicago, 10 in Oakland, 16 in St. Louis)

What to Love: Tony LaRussa has a strong case to be on baseball’s Mount Rushmore of managers. With a lifetime record of 2,728 and 2,365, the guy knows how to win. Through all the years he has mentored and developed some of the game’s legends and has the opportunity to gift his knowledge to some of the baseball’s young stars.

What to Hate: As expressed by Jeff Passan of ESPN, many consider LaRussa to be out of touch with the baseball of today versus his prior days at the helm of MLB clubs. Players and teams across baseball (and other sports) have shown that the national pastime is more than just a game played on the field and the White Sox have been integral to that movement. I’m not here to say that Tony LaRussa won’t be able to learn from the younger generation; heck, LaRussa has shown that he’s not afraid to spice things up prior in his career. Regardless of wins and losses, I hope that both parties find a way to learn from each other and grow in today’s climate.

Fun Fact: LaRussa grew up in Tampa, where he played American Legion baseball alongside Lou Pinella!

Rocco Baldelli

Age: 39

Years of Experience: 2 Years (Both with Twins, including 2019 AL manager of the year honors)

What to Love: What is not to love about Rocco Baldelli? The answer? Very little. An analytical junkie who has the big league player experience, Baldelli creates the perfect storm of knowledge, building relationships, and bringing a fresh kick to an organization that is quite traditional.

What to Hate: As a biased source, there isn’t too much. However, just as all young managers experience, Baldelli will continue to work his way through growing pains as a byproduct of being a young buck.

Fun Fact: Known to most by now, Baldelli is the world’s biggest ‘Phish’ fan and has seen the popular rock band multiple times. Expect this to impact walk-up song implications at some point in his career in Minnesota.

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