Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Make fun of the Washington Nationals now for their hiring of Dusty Baker as their new manager. In a couple years, though, Baker might be the one laughing.
He has received a bad reputation around the game because of the way his Chicago Cubs collapsed in 2003 and then failed to make it back to the postseason. However, he has been a well-above-average manager in MLB based on track record. In 11 out of his 20 managerial seasons, his teams have won more than 88 games. In Cincinnati, he was fired because the Reds collapsed in the playoffs in 2012 and then didn’t make it out of the Wild Card game in 2013, but his record was 509-463 in six seasons there.
When you break it down, it’s clear that Baker does better with teams that are on the brink of success rather than teams that are in the middle of a rebuild. This might be true for a lot of managers, but it’s especially true for Baker. He averages 88 wins in his first season with a new team. This is because he’s a good manager of veteran talent, but he’s not good at managing young arms, and he’s not good at getting young guys proper playing time.
In Chicago, the front office practically had to twist his arm to get him to play some of the team’s bright prospects.
In Washington, he doesn’t have to worry about that a whole lot. Max Scherzer is a veteran and a bona fide superstar, Stephen Strasburg is a well-seasoned (even though it may not seem like it), and Gio Gonzalez is battle-tested in his own right. The only pitcher he might have to worry about is Tanner Roark, but even he’s been around the block a bit.
There is some uncertainty in the lineup heading into next year as Ian Desmond and Denard Span enter free agency, and Baker’s biggest challenge could come with earning the respect of the likely 2015 NL MVP, Bryce Harper, who is hard to please.
The Nationals still have a bad taste in their mouth from this past season, but winning is the best medicine. Baker has shown he can lead teams that are close, and he can do it again. At 66 years old, he knows this might be his last shot to do something he hasn’t done yet as a manager: win a World Series.
