Is Dusty Baker a Baseball Hall of Fame Manager?

 

When Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker was hospitalized in September with an irregular heartbeat and mini-stroke, we were all concerned for his health and well-being. Baseball seemed secondary for a time. Even though Baker recovered enough to retake the helm and lead the Reds in their playoff loss to the San Francisco Giants, we are left wondering if he can continue to serve as manager much longer.

And when Baker does bring his managerial career to a close, the question becomes whether or not he is a Baseball Hall of Fame manager.

As of 2012, Baker has moved into the top 20 in lifetime wins for a manager. A three-time National League Manager of the Year (1993, 1997, 2000), Baker has compiled a 1,581-1,432 career mark, according to baseball-reference.com. His winning percentage is .525. Right ahead of Baker at number 18 on the list for wins is Tommy Lasorda with a 1,599-1,439 record, good for a .526 winning percentage. And right behind Baker is Dick Williams with a 1,571-1,451 record and .520 winning percentage. Both Lasorda and Williams were elected to the Hall of Fame. With the recent retirements of Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox, Baker is now second in wins among active managers, trailing only Jim Leyland, who has 1,676 wins but only a .503 winning percentage.

Since Baker’s regular season record compares favorably with Lasorda, Williams and several other Hall of Fame managers, he should be a shoo-in for the Hall, right? Oh, not so fast. The problem is Baker has a lone pennant and no World Series titles to his credit. Lasorda and Williams both won four pennants and two World Series titles. Baker has a higher winning percentage than contemporaries Leyland and Lou Piniella, both of whom are often mentioned as future Hall of Fame managers. However, like Lasorda and Williams, both Leyland and Piniella have World Series rings as managers.

There are some managers in the Hall of Fame who have never won a World Series. Wilbert Robinson and Al Lopez won two pennants but no World Series. They also managed in an era when the pennant was won without having to go through any divisional and league championship series. Baker has won five division titles and he has also taken three different clubs into postseason play.

There are members of the Hall of Fame who gained admission for the totality of their service to baseball. Red Schoendienst, for instance, made the Hall on the strength of his playing career as a second baseman. But probably it was his playing career combined with his successful coaching and managerial career with the St. Louis Cardinals that put him over the top. Along with his successful 19-year career as a big league manager, Dusty Baker also had a fine playing career. These two things together might be enough to make Baker a Hall of Famer.

Baker is probably a classic case of a borderline Hall of Famer. His health now has to be his primary focus, but if he can stay on as manager for a few more years and build an even more impressive resume, he should make the Hall of Fame. In October he signed a two-year contract extension to continue managing the Reds, one of the most talented teams in baseball. One thing that would help tremendously is if he could finally get over the hump and win a World Series. He has been close a number of times but just hasn’t been able to win that final game.

Sources:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/bakerdu01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/lasorto01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/willidi02.shtml

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Yearbook, 2006