In the wake of all the criticism that is being heaped on Buck Showalter for his alleged strategical mistake the other night, it’s a indication that too much emphasis is often placed on the value of in-game strategy when evaluating (as a whole) the responsibilities of an MLB manager today.
The legend surrounding the MLB managerial career of Billy Martin often includes something about his being a genius in the dugout. He could out-think and out-strategize anyone. He knew when to bunt, when to pinch hit, and when to leave his starter in for another hitter. He knew all that, but he didn’t know how to talk, speak, or communicate with another human being.
Billy Martin managed five different MLB teams. There was a reason why it was so many. He was hired and fired three separate times by the New York Yankees. There was a reason for that, too. He also went through his wives as fast as he went through managing jobs. And there was a reason for that, too.
This is not to gang up on Martin. Instead, it’s to make an important baseball point. Indeed, Billy Martin was a baseball genius. But he made more than his share of mistakes as a father, a husband, and most of all as a manager. He failed in these things because he was not a people person. Like it or not, above all else a big league manager today must be at least a decent human being with the ability to communicate at all levels… and so much more.
Martin is not the only one who falls into this category as a failed genius. Casey Stengel is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he was not above ridiculing his players in public. This was the case, for example, when he brought a birthday cake into the clubhouse for his less-than-sure-handed first baseman “Marvelous” Marv Throneberry while announcing, “I’d hand it to him, but I’m afraid he’d drop it.” Funny? Not if you are Throneberry. Bobby Valentine was the same way. Another baseball genius who wore out his welcome wherever he went.
So here then are the five attributes a successful MLB manager needs to have today. And rest assured, being a baseball “strategist” will be at the bottom of the list.