Ranking all 30 managers heading into the MLB season

MLB managers have one of the hardest jobs in sports. They have to navigate a 162-game regular season while constantly being second-guessed for pitching changes and lineup decisions. Certain skippers have stood out above the rest, and we’ve got all 30 MLB managers ranked ahead of the 2025 season. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.

It’s the opening no one wanted. The White Sox set the major league record for losses in a season in 2024. One might argue there’s nowhere to go but up for Venable, who is in his first year as a major league manager. Venable told MLB’s website about his role, “For me today, I think it’s just about creating a positive environment for these guys to come to every day, as well as structure and support to help them do the things they need to do individually.”

McCullough joins Venable as the only other first-time manager in MLB this season. He’s excited about the pitching potential of his new ballclub. He told MLB’s website, “Exciting group of players. There’s talent here. Certainly on the mound, there’s always been some real arm strength here.”

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Wilson is also technically a first-time manager, but took over the Mariners on an interim basis to close out the 2024 campaign. Seattle seemed to respond, going 21-13 in that span. However, Wilson is no longer the new girlfriend, and will have to mold the team in his vision. Pitcher Logan Gilbert told Seattle Sports of Wilson, “I really feel like right out of the gate, just pitchers and catchers camp, it was like he belonged.”

Patience in professional sports is rare these days, but the Rockies have given Black a lot of rope. With that said, Black hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, and is 537-657 in his tenure as Colorado manager through eight years. It’s a bit puzzling why the organization continues to stick with him, but it feels like the end might be fast approaching.

Saying that Kotsay has had nothing to work with in his three seasons with the Athletics might be an understatement. To make things more challenging, the Athletics will play their 2025 home games in a minor league ballpark in Sacramento. One player Kotsay will rely on heavily is pitcher Luis Severino, who the team uncharacteristically splurged for in free agency.

This might be a make-or-break year for Shelton in Pittsburgh. He’s 294-414 in his five years with the Pirates, but the roster is now replenished with young talent. Shelton hopes that phenom Paul Skenes can lead Pittsburgh to the playoffs. He told Sports Illustrated, “The way he’s built, the way he prepares. Until you go through a 30 start or 32 start season, you don’t know, but I think he is built to pitch that way.”

It’s been a mixed bag for Marmol in his three seasons in St. Louis. He’s led them to 93, 71 and 83 wins respectively. He’s been looking for consistency behind the plate since Yadier Molina retired, and believes that Ivan Herrera or Pedro Pages could fill that role. He told Red Bird Rants, “Do they have the experience in the years of Matheny or Yadi? No, but we’re planning for the future and these two guys are going to play an important role.”

The Blue Jays are in an ultra-competitive American League East, but Schneider and his team have fallen short of expectations in his tenure. Toronto’s roster featured some of the best young talent in the game, and it hasn’t translated to winning at the highest level. According to Yardbarker’s Kevin Henry, Schneider is already on the hot seat heading into 2025.

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The Royals were one of the most improved teams in baseball a year ago, winning 30 more games in 2024 than they did in 2023. Quatraro deserves a ton of credit for the turnaround, and now has the challenge of catapulting Kansas City from good to great in 2025. Anne Rogers of MLB’s website wrote, “Quatraro was the same manager, a steady and reliable presence who urged his players to only focus on the day they had in front of them…”

Martinez won the World Series in his second year with the Nationals, back in 2019, but Washington has languished at the bottom of the standings ever since. Despite their struggles, Martinez remains confident in himself and his staff. As AP News reported, he announced that everyone would return for 2025. There may be wholesale changes after the year if things don’t improve, however.

Washington is one of the most respected individuals in the game, and the Angels are hopeful that the baseball lifer can impart some wisdom on a young ballclub. Washington told Yahoo after the 2024 season, “Change is going to happen. But when you make changes, it’s not easy, and we’ve never been afraid of tough. I don’t want the players to be afraid of toughness, either.”

The Brewers knew what they had in Murphy, since he served as their bench coach since 2015. They elevated him to manager ahead of the 2024 season, and Milwaukee was rewarded with a 93-win season. Murphy won National League Manager of the year, and the franchise hopes that he can take the Brewers a step further in 2025.

Espada was another first-year manager who had success in 2024. Houston got off to a terrible start, but bounced back to make yet another postseason appearance. Brian McTaggart of MLB’s website wrote, “Espada’s cool demeanor as a leader fit the Astros perfectly. The team and its manager never panicked when the club was left for dead in June.”

Mendoza had a dream season in his first year as a manager with the Mets. He put Francisco Lindor at the leadoff spot in the middle of May, and that move completely turned things around in New York. The Mets are riding high after an NLCS appearance and the signing of Juan Soto, so Mendoza will deal with high expectations in year two.

Last but not least was Vogt, who was also new to the managerial scene in 2024. Vogt pushed all the right buttons in Cleveland during the regular season, leading them to a 92-win campaign. He was rewarded with the American League Manager of the Year award. According to Sarah Langs of the MLB’s website, it’s the fastest anyone has gone from retiring as a player to Manager of the Year.

In five seasons as a manager, Shildt has never finished under .500. He impressed in his first year in San Diego in 2024, and was promptly signed to a contract extension. General manager A.J. Preller said in a statement, “As Mike demonstrated this year, he has an unwavering commitment to winning and a unique set of skills that got our group to perform at a high level.”

Counsell has proven to be one of the sharpest minds in the game. After nine successful years in Milwaukee, Counsell took the managerial job in Chicago and finished with an above .500 record. Counsell will need to prove that he can make the right moves in the postseason, which Chicago hopes they can qualify for.

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Baldelli is in a similar boat as Counsell. He’s shown to be a capable to above average manager who can keep the ship pulling in the right direction. Baldelli will need to prove that he can get Minnesota over the hump and deep into the postseason in 2025. The Twins started 2024 off well but finished 12-27 in their last 39 games according to ESPN, so they’ll look to finish strong in 2025.

Arizona has trusted the process and Lovullo over a long period of time, and their faith has been rewarded. Lovullo has stuck by a core group of young players who have blossomed. He told Sports Illustrated, “You could see what happened when our homegrown talent was developed and touched a lot of the coaches that got them ready for this moment. We started to take off, and I think it happened at the tail end of 2022.”

Baltimore deployed a similar strategy to Arizona, and have come out on the other side with a strong group of blue chip players. The Orioles have had two consecutive playoff seasons, but have not stepped up when it mattered most. Hyde’s main objective in 2025 will be to get his young stars hitting on all cylinders in October.

NESN analyst Will Middlebrooks said of Cora, “I think he’s able to get guys to the next level mentally. It’s like a belief and a confidence that he’s a good communicator. He’s good at teaching. Some managers aren’t good at teaching. They’re good at making good lineups and being a big voice.” Cora led Boston to a World Series title in his first year in 2018, and will need to remind fans just how good of a teacher he still is.

Perhaps no team has consistently done more with less than the Rays, and Cash deserved a ton of credit for that. He’s 819-699 in 10 years in Tampa, with a team that has one of baseball’s smallest payrolls. He’s the longest tenured manager with his current team, and the Rays will need that stability as they transition to playing away from Tropicana Field in 2025.

Melvin is one of the winningest managers in MLB history, with 1,597 victories to his name. Despite his success, he’s bounced around a bit in his career, and is starting his second season in San Francisco. He called 2024 his “hardest year” as noted by CBS Sports, as San Francisco wasn’t as competitive as he expected.

Francona is one of the most famous managers in recent MLB history, as his two World Series victories with the Boston Red Sox have gone down in baseball lore. What’s often forgotten is that he also had a strong run in Cleveland, going 921-757 in his 11 years there. He now takes over a Reds club filled with young talent like Elly De La Cruz.

His resume might be somewhat tainted given the Houston Astros cheating scandal, but Hinch has been one of the best skippers in baseball over the last decade. He oversaw a surprise postseason run in Detroit in 2024. He told MLB’s website after the season, “I’m so proud of our team and our year and our coaches and our resilience, and our ability to play the whole schedule and see what happens after you post 162 times.”

Thomson has turned Philadelphia into one of the best clubs in baseball since he took over the team midway through the 2022 campaign. According to the New York Times, Thomson won 196 of his first 333 career games, which is the eighth-most by a manager to begin their career since 1961. Thomson will look to get the Phillies over the hump in 2025.

Despite much criticism throughout his seven-year tenure, Boone has led the Yankees to the playoffs in six of those seasons. They won their first pennant under Boone in 2024, and New York fans are hoping for even better things in 2025. The Yankees gave Boone a raise after a new deal he signed in February.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Ken Sugiura believes that Snitker has a legitimate path to the Baseball Hall of Fame if he keeps up his strong managerial track record. Another World Series title would help his case immensely, but the Braves have made the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons, and show no signs of slowing down.

Bochy is a four-time World Series winner, and has over 2,100 wins to his name. While the Rangers came back to Earth in 2024 after winning it all in 2023, Texas cannot be counted out. Bochy made a habit of winning titles every other year with the Giants in the 2010s, so look out for a Rangers bounce back in 2025.

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Roberts was thought to be the manager who did the least with the most for a long time, but it’s hard to criticize him anymore after the Dodgers won the 2024 World Series. There are some who still feel like he’s overrated, however. MLB Network’s Brian Kenny slotted him in as the ninth best skipper, but we feel like that’s way too low given his accomplishments.