Keri: Is Bruce Bochy one of the best managers in baseball history?
From Jonah Keri at Grantland.com on October 9, 2014, with mention of SABR members Chris Jaffe and Phil Birnbaum:
The Giants’ success starts with the players, of course — the mainstays like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Madison Bumgarner who’ve come up big in the last three postseason runs. Superstitious types will cite The Even-Year Effect, which (theoretically) enabled the San Francisco squad to carve through October every even-numbered season. But at some point, we have to throw some credit to the man who has been there longer than all but two members of the current roster. It’s quite possible that the Giants wouldn’t be where they are now without the guidance of Bruce Bochy — one of the best managers in baseball history.
It may sound strange to anoint Bochy with such a lofty title. After all, managers don’t pump out detailed, easily scrutinized stats the way that star players do. Objective data tells us that Derek Jeter is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, even before we get into reverence and rings. With managers, the only standard on which everyone can agree is wins. And judging a manager solely by team wins is just as problematic as judging a pitcher by the same measure. But that’s not to say evaluations can’t be made. And when you look at it closely, there’s no doubt Bochy is an all-timer.
Read the full article here: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/bruce-bochy-best-manager-san-francisco-giants-baseball/
Originally published: October 9, 2014. Last Updated: October 9, 2014.