7 MLB managers that could be on the hot seat in 2022
There is always a lot of turnover at the managerial positions in MLB but especially in recent years, a lot of the old guard of long-tenured managers have left their teams.
Since 2010, managers like Bobby Cox (Atlanta), Tony La Russa (St. Louis), Bruce Bochy (San Francisco), Mike Scioscia (Angels), Ned Yost (Kansas City), Bob Melvin (Oakland), and others have left their teams after spending at least 10 seasons with their teams.
In fact, since the end of the 2018 season, 19 of the 30 MLB managers have hired a new manager. There is no manager that has more than a decade with a team currently as Terry Francona (Cleveland) is the most tenured of the MLB managers.
He was hired as their manager for the start of the 2013 season. He also has only managed 14 games in 2020 for them (and none of their postseason games) and he only managed 97 games in 2021 due to health issues.
Either during the season or after this offseason, there will be some managers fired but there are some, even just 10 or so games into the season, that are on the hot seat.
Here are 7 MLB managers that are on the hot seat right now.
1) Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell (2-9)
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell is definitely at or towards the top of the list of managers on the hot seat in the NL.
Bell, 49, has been the manager of the Reds since the start of the 2019 season and he hasn’t seen much success. He had a 75-87 record in 2019, a 31-29 record (and a playoff appearance) in 2020, and an 83-79 record in 2021.
It’s definitely not all of Bell’s fault considering the lack of talent (and the lack of a good owner) but managers usually end up being fall guys and, if he gets fired, Bell would definitely be that.
2) Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly (4-5)
Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly is another manager that hasn’t been given much talent and deals with an awful owner but he has two other things against him.
One of them is that the Marlins hired Kim Ng to be their GM. Mattingly was hired by the previous regime so Ng could decide to bring in her own manager.
Secondly, Mattingly’s contract is up at the end of the 2022 season.
With the Marlins, he is 378-499 (.431 winning percentage) and the team has only been above .500 and to the playoffs once (31-29 record in 2020).
3) Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (3-7)
2022 is Torey Lovullo’s sixth season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team made the playoffs in his first season with the team (2017). They were also above .500 in 2018 and 2019 but they went 25-35 in 2020, 52-110 in 2021, and they are off to an awful start now.
The D-Backs are known to cycle through more than their fair share of managers as Lovullo is their sixth manager (or interim manager) since 2009.
At the end of the 2021 season, Lovullo only signed an extension for one year (2022) with a club option for 2023 so it looks like the D-Backs could decide to move on if the team continues to be a bad team (which is inevitable with the talent they have).
4) New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (5-5)
The New York Yankees (and their fans) have been a team that has been fine with mediocrity for the last decade-plus. That’s why they signed Aaron Boone to a three-year extension at the beginning of last offseason.
It’s “win the World Series or bust” for the Yankees so if they play like a .500 team, they could look for a change in the managerial chair and maybe even at the GM spot too.
5) Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward (2-7)
The Texas Rangers spent more money than any other team on the free agent market this offseason. They spent more than half of a billion dollars on Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jon Gray, and a few others. But still were projected to finish last by most people. Sure enough, entering Tuesday, they have the worst record in the American League.
Chris Woodward is in his fourth season as manager and they have gone 78-84, 22-38, and 60-102 in the first three seasons.
With a new GM in town as well in Chris Young (entering his second season), he could look to hire his own person to manage the team. Woodward is contracted through the 2023 season.
6) Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (3-7)
The Baltimore Orioles have long been one of the worst teams in baseball. While they do have some great prospects, manager Brandon Hyde has not seen any success with the team in his 3+ years with the team. They went 54-108 in 2019, 25-35 in 2020, and 52-110 in 2021.
The full contract terms are not known for Hyde but it is believed that he is in his final year under contract.
7) Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli (4-6)
Rocco Baldelli became the manager of the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2019 season and the team was phenomenal in 2019, as they went 101-61. However (as per usual in recent Twins history), they were swept in the ALDS by the Yankees.
In 2020, they won the AL Central again as they went 36-24 … but they were swept in the Wild Card series by the Astros.
In 2021, they were, arguably, the most disappointing team in baseball as they finished in last in the weak AL Central at 73-89.
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They signed Carlos Correa, traded for Sonny Gray, and made some other moves to make the team better in 2022 so if they continue with their slow start, Baldelli could be shown the door.