Grading every first-year MLB manager on the curve they deserve

Less than two weeks remain in the 2026 MLB season, and it’s been a mixed bag for the seven first-year managers. The Atlanta Braves’ Walt Weiss and the San Diego Padres’ Craig Stammen are on the verge of locking up playoff spots, and the Texas Rangers’ Skip Schumacher could join them.

Conversely, the less said about the San Francisco Giants’ Tony Vitello, the better.

But if we were to grade each of the seven men relative to both preseason expectations and the team’s overall performance, how would they score? For this list, we’re analyzing only the five rookie managers and those who had previously managed but are in their first full year with a new team.

In other words, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Don Kelly and the Colorado Rockies’ Warren Schaeffer, both of whom served as interim skippers last year, did not crack our list.

Additionally, we’ve omitted the three interim managers: the Boston Red Sox’s Chad Tracy, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Don Mattingly, and the New York Mets’ Andy Green. But for those curious, we’d give Tracy and Mattingly an A+, and Green gets a solid B.

Blake Butera, Washington Nationals

Final grade: A

Ahead of Opening Day, we predicted that the Nationals would record at least 110 losses. Depending on how their final 11 games play out, Butera’s club could avoid the 90-loss mark. So not only were we dead wrong, but that’s a testament to the job he’s done as a rookie skipper. 

Keep in mind that Butera is only 34, yet the Nationals are two wins away from their most since the 2019 championship team. We’re sorry for doubting you, Drew!

Craig Albernaz, Baltimore Orioles

Final grade: D+

The 73-76 Orioles have fallen to three games back in the AL East with nine games to go. Initially, we planned to give Albernaz a D for failing to capitalize on the Pete Alonso signing, but Baltimore is 34-30 since July 1. So is a D grade fair?

Baltimore’s 4.19 ERA is right in line with the 4.18 league average, and that’s been a key reason why the Orioles will miss the playoffs yet again. We’ll give Albernaz a D+, in part because there are multiple managers who deserve our wrath instead.

Craig Stammen, San Diego Padres

Final grade: B (for now)

The Padres have won eight straight following Monday’s victory over the NL West rival Rockies, and they officially locked up their fifth consecutive winning season. If we count the shortened COVID year, San Diego has rattled off six winning records in seven years. Impressive stuff. 

Here’s where things get interesting. San Diego is only 1.5 games back of the NL’s top Wild Card seed, which would likely net Stammen an A. Heck, we might even give him an A+! But barring a collapse that would involve Arizona jumping them for the final playoff spot, he’ll finish with either a B or B+. Not too shabby. 

Derek Shelton, Minnesota Twins: 

Final grade: C

We initially gave Shelton a B before looking deeper into the Twins’ overall stats. Is that the right grade when they’ve been outscored by 67 runs? Young starter Taj Bradley and his 3.9 bWAR season aren’t enough to balance out what’s been an awful bullpen. 

Meh. We’ll give Shelton a C+ because the Twins are only three wins away from avoiding 90 losses. Minnesota stayed in the playoff hunt for much of the second half to the point where the organization didn’t opt for a fire sale at the deadline. That’s good enough for us. 

Kurt Suzuki, Los Angeles Angels 

Final grade: F (for now)

Honestly, we were tempted to give Suzuki a D because of the roster he inherited. The expectation was always that the Angels would finish in last place, even if Mike Trout stayed healthy for the second straight year. 

But we’re in a good mood, so we’ll offer a compromise. The Angels are 57-93, putting them at risk of their first 100-loss season in franchise history. Hitting that mark will net Suzuki an automatic F, because there’s no justifying a 100-loss campaign. We’ve seen some awful Marlins and Pirates teams avoid being that bad, so what’s the Angels’ excuse?

But if the Angels win at six of their final 12 games, well up Suzuki’s grade to a D. Fair? We think so. 

Skip Schumaker, Texas Rangers 

Final grade: C+ (for now)

As of Tuesday morning, the 74-76 Rangers are one game back in the AL West and 1.5 games behind Cleveland in the Wild Card race. As you’d expect, Schumaker’s final grade will largely be dependent on the final 12 games. 

We’d likely bump his grade to a B- if the Rangers earn the final Wild Card seed, though we’re unsure if we’d go one step further and give him a B if Texas wins the AL West. Giving him a C+ or lower for reaching the postseason feels unfair, even if their chances have come down to the wire. 

But if the Rangers miss the postseason, his grade will drop to a C- at best. The AL West was extremely winnable this year, and Texas had both the payroll and talent to run away with the division. 

Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants 

Final grade: F

Respectfully, this has pretty much been the case since May. Outside of Rafael Devers’ resurgence, there aren’t many positive things we can say about Vitello. He’s looked overmatched and uncomfortable dating all the way back to spring training. 

For the NFL fans among you, remember when then-New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo showed up to his introductory press conference in 2016 wearing a way-too-big sports coat? He looked like the elementary school kid trying on his father’s clothes, and that’s Vitello’s first Giants season in a nutshell. 

For whatever reason, Buster Posey recently announced that Vitello will return for the 2027 season. It’s always encouraging when your lead baseball executive essentially waves the white flag on next season. 

Walt Weiss, Atlanta Braves 

Final grade. A

Weiss was among our favorite hires this past cycle because he made way too much sense. The Braves didn’t overthink this one, and the end result will be their first NL East crown since 2023. 

We give Weiss additional points for maintaining the Braves’ team culture, something far easier said than done. He’d spent eight seasons as Atlanta’s bench coach and knew what worked: letting players police the locker room. Notice how Weiss has never called out Ronald Acuña Jr. for his home run celebrations or his recent curtain call at Citizens Bank Park.

Great job by the Braves here, and we’ll see whether it ends with their second championship in six years — and no, a first-round exit wouldn’t automatically drop his grade to an A or B+.  We’d need to evaluate how the Wild Card Series played out.

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