MLB: 5 Major League Managers on the Hot Seat
Joe Girardi. 4. player. 43. <strong>Record:</strong> 726-571 (.560) overall, 648-486 (.571) with New York . Manager. New York Yankees
The most pressure-packed job in Major League Baseball is managing the New York Yankees. Consistently ranked among the biggest payrolls in the game, the team is expected to compete for a World Series title each and every season.
Joe Girardi has done a good job of dealing with the high expectations, having managed the club to its 27th world championship in 2009 and winning 648 games since taking over in 2008 (he also won the NL Manager of the Year award with the Marlins in 2006, for what it’s worth).
The good news is that Girardi is in relatively good graces with the fans and seems to have the support of the club’s top decision makers, both of which are key ingredients for long–term job security.
However, following an 84-78 record and two-straight years without a playoff appearance, the pressure is building more every day. Girardi’s seat on the Yankee Stadium bench will never be entirely comfortable and the fan base and front office are both capable of changing their outlook should the Bronx Bombers underperform this year.
Also, the AL East is arguably baseball’s strongest division top to bottom. At the beginning of the season, the Yankees look like the fourth best team behind the defending champion Orioles, rival Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. If New York can stay healthy, they’ll be in the mix for a playoff spot, but with a starting rotation stocked with a .500 record is a more realistic expectation.
Girardi is currently in the second season of a four-year, $16 million deal, so he has some security – but would he survive another year if he can’t lead Major League Baseball’s most storied franchise to the postseason for the third consecutive season? It seems unlikely.
Next: Don Mattingly