Photos: These five rookie MLB managers led a team to a World Series trophy
From the Catch '22: The Cardinals have a superb defense, but do they have a subpar offense? series
Cardinals first-year manager Oliver Marmol, at 35 the only manager in the majors younger than 40, has not been shy about his expectations and how the team will be "disappointed" if it does not win a World Series. Marmol’s comment isn’t quite the Ruthian guarantee Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts made in promising a championship, but Marmol’s is noteworthy for its rarity.
Only five times has a rookie manager led a team to a World Series trophy. One was young. One helmed the Cardinals. This is fastest five.
Alex Cora, 2018 Boston Red Sox
Alex Cora
2018 Boston Red Sox
Age: 42
Fresh off a championship as a coach with Houston in 2017, Cora inherited a first-place Sox team, won 108 games, and elevated his reputation as a manager prodigy — before smashing into scandal. He served a one-year suspension for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing caper.
Bob Brenly, 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
Bob Brenly
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 47
Out of the broadcast booth and into the dugout, Brenly replaced Buck Showalter three seasons into Arizona’s existence. The Diamondbacks advertised Brenly as “player friendly,” and no kidding — anyone would be chummy with 20-game winners Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling on staff.
Ralph Houk, 1961 New York Yankees
Ralph Houk
1961 New York Yankees
Age: 41
Nicknamed “Major” — a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, and Purple Heart recipient — Houk spent years as a backup catcher. He had only 91 games in the majors before replacing Casey Stengel at manager of the Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra powerhouse — and then led back-to-back championships.
Eddie Dyer, 1946 Cardinals
Eddie Dyer
1946 Cardinals
Age: 46
A sore arm led Dyer to managing, which he did for 13 seasons in the minors before Hall of Famer Billy Southworth vamoosed for Boston and left the Cardinals without a skipper. Dyer took over the Swifties, rolling from three consecutive pennants, and won the ’46 title, then came close in '49. After 1950, he resigned and never managed again.
Bucky Harris, 1924 Washington Senators
Bucky Harris
1924 Washington Senators
Age: 24
Harris had five years, a .284 average, and five homers in the majors when he got $9,000 to manage and play second base. “The Boy Manager” quickly became an innovator and eventually a Hall of Famer. He used one reliever to finish games, pulled starters early, and won AL pennants with the woebegone Washington club in his first two seasons.
In this Series
Catch '22: The Cardinals have a superb defense, but do they have a subpar offense?
Derrick Goold
Derrick Goold is the lead Cardinals beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and past president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
The Post-Dispatch talked to major-league managers, past and present, to ask what lesson they learned that can only be experienced as a manager.
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