Here’s how hot each MLB manager’s seat will get in 2018
By Brad Weiss
As we head into the 2018 Major League Baseball season, let us take a look at each manager, and how hot their seat is heading into the new year.
The 2018 Major League Baseball season is certain to be an exciting one, as it really is every year. Last season, the Houston Astros won the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they will head into this season as one of the teams to watch.
The New York Yankees bolstered their lineup this past offseason, adding 50-plus home run slugger Giancarlo Stanton to a unit that already has 50-plus home run slugger Aaron Judge. Their rival, the Boston Red Sox, also added a huge bat in J.D. Martinez, so the AL East should be exciting once again.
As we head into the season, let us take a look at all 30 managers, and how hot their seat is, or could be by the end of the year.
Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles
It seems like Buck Showalter has been the manager of the Baltimore Orioles for 20 years now. However, he has only been in charge since 2010, and has done a lot of winning with the franchise since then.
During his run as manager, Showalter has led the Orioles to two 90-plus win seasons. In addition, he was named American League Manager of the Year back in 2014.
Last season, the Orioles took a turn for the worse, and it could end up costing Showalter his job with the team. The team won only 75 games in 2017, which was his lowest number since his first full season with the team back in 2011.
In total, Buck has won over 600 games as manager of the Orioles, and usually with his team playing in one of the best divisions in all of baseball. His Orioles have been fighters during his tenure, but this 2018 team is going to give him even more grey hairs.
The 2018 Orioles are slated to finish near the bottom of the AL East, after failing to improve the roster during the offseason. The impending free agency of star third baseman Manny Machado is also on everybody’s mind, as he could be gone by the end of the season, so the Orioles can get something in return for him.
If the Orioles flounder and Machado leaves, it could spell the end of Showalter in Baltimore. He has given a lot to the City, and will go down as one of the best managers in the history of the franchise.