Age Is Just A Number: The oldest MLB managers still in the game

Experienced managers have withstood the test of time in Major League Baseball, as they’ve proven over and over again that they have the chops to lead teams to successful seasons. Managers in baseball tend to be a little older than their counterparts in other sports. We’ll run down the list of the oldest dugout leaders in MLB today.

For some baseball fans, it seems like just yesterday that Dusty Baker’s son was being swept away from home plate in the 2002 World Series. That little boy is now a grown man, and Dusty Baker is now 73 years old. He doesn’t seem to have lost a step as the game’s most senior manager, as Houston won the World Series just a year ago.

He may not get some of the acclaim of other managers who have taken teams to World Series’ in East Coast markets, but Bruce Bochy is one of the best leaders in MLB history. He was at the helm of the San Francisco Giants when they won three titles in the 2010’s, and is hoping to add another crown to his belt in a reclamation project with Texas.

It’s been somewhat of a late-career renaissance for Brian Snitker, who got his first opportunity to manage an MLB team at age 60. All he’s done is lead the Atlanta Braves to five winning campaigns in seven seasons, including a World Series title in 2021. He’ll likely be Atlanta’s skipper for as long as he wants.

Buck Showalter in a managerial institution, immortalized in the hit TV show, “Seinfeld.” In the early to mid 1990’s, Showalter managed the New York Yankees, and would appear on the hit sitcom. He now finds himself on the other side of town, and hopes to lead the Mets to their first World Series victory since 1986.

He used to be known as an up-and-coming coach with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, serving as Mike Scioscia’s pitching coach for six seasons. Bud Black has since carved out a solid career for himself as a manager, leading both the San Diego Padres and the Colorado Rockies. He’s hoping his pitchers can keep batters at bay in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

It’s hard to believe that Terry Francona is still just in his early 60’s. He’s lived a very full baseball life, and will always be associated with the Boston Red Sox teams that broke the Curse Of The Bambino in the 2000’s. It’s always been clear just how much Francona loves the game, and how much his players respect him in return.

Very quietly, Bob Melvin has had an excellent managerial career at a few different stops. He hasn’t won a World Series yet, but he’s been named Manager Of The Year three times, as a testament to how well he’s done. He currently oversees a loaded Padres team, who are expected to contend for the National League pennant this year.