Who is the best manager in NL East?
By John Buhler
The National League East has had two new managers hired this offseason and one with the interim tag removed. In the Eastern Division of the Senior Circuit who has the best man in the dugout?
The NL East had only one team make the 2015 Postseason, but that team happened to win the National League in the New York Mets. After the Mets dropped the World Series in five games to the American League’s Kansas City Royals, it’s already time to focus on next season.
The 2015 New York Mets won with solid starting pitching and timely hitting. What hurt them was that Kansas City is a great fastball hitting team and could catch up to the heat of Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Noah Syndergaard. New York in all likelihood emerges as the favorite to repeat in the NL East in 2016.
However, the set of managers in this division aren’t exactly at the top of the totem pole in the MLB hierarchy. There isn’t a Joe Maddon or a Terry Francona or even a Ned Yost. Outside of Pete Mackanin who is still somewhat unproven, the rest of the NL East have managers that have cost the teams they’ve managed games in the postseason and down the stretch of the regular season.
Yet, someone will emerge victorious in 2016, as this is still a division that will have a winner and possibly a Wild Card team. Without further ado, here are the five managers in the National League East ranked from worst to first as we turn our heads to the 2016 MLB Season.
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