Buried among the loam of postseason subplots is this: four managers with a chance to establish their Hall of Fame credentials. We speak, of course, of Dusty Baker of the Nationals, Buck Showalter of the Orioles, Terry Francona of the Indians, and Joe Maddon of the Cubs.
Before we dive into each individual case, here's a look at their current credentials. In the table below, you'll find each of the four managers in question along with their career wins, career winning percentage, career number of games over the .500 mark, number of total playoff appearances (counting this year), number of World Series won, and the number of different franchises they've guided to at least one postseason berth. Each manager's all-time rank in each category will be in parentheses, and all numbers via the lovely and talented Baseball-Reference ...
| Wins | WPCT | Games > .500 | Playoff appearances | World Series won | # of franchises to playoffs | |
| Dusty Baker | 1,766 (17th) | .529 (78th) | 195 (25th) | 8 (T-7th) | 0 | 4 |
| Terry Francona | 1,381 (30th) | .533 (69th) | 172 (31st) | 7 (T-10th) | 2 | 2 |
| Joe Maddon | 981 (66th) | .535 (66th) | 129 (39th) | 6 (T-17th) | 0 | 2 |
| Buck Showalter | 1,429 (25th) | .521 (92nd) | 114 (45th) | 5 (T-24th) | 0 | 3 |
As you can see, those are some impressive resumes. Straightaway, we can say that Maddon needs some time in terms of body of work. He's shy of 1,000 wins. The Hall of Fame manager -- meaning a Hall of Famer who's in primarily for or solely because of his managerial accomplishments -- with the fewest wins is Billy Southworth with 1,044. So consider that a baseline. Obviously, Maddon is on firm footing in Chicago, and the Cubs profile as contenders for years to come. Barring the drastically unexpected, Maddon will get to 1,000 some time in 2017. In the meantime, he as the chance to tick off a major Hall-of-Fame manager criterion by winning the World Series. In some ways, that's the most difficult hurdle, and Maddon in 2016 is about as well positioned you can be in the era of three playoff rounds to get it done.
As for Baker, everything else is in place except the World Series trophy. He's got the wins, and perhaps most impressively he's now guided four different clubs to the postseason. That speaks to his adaptability and the universal nature of his leadership. Showalter's in a similar position -- he's helmed playoff teams for three different clubs, and he'll wind up topping 1,500 wins. What he lacks is a World Series win. Obviously, with the Orioles' being a part of the wild card game, his road in 2016 is more difficult than Baker's. The important thing for Baker and Showalter is no manager has made the Hall -- again, as someone whose body of work is mostly tied up in managing -- without winning a World Series. The good news is that a number of managers have made it with one title in the presence of other indicators of longevity and success. The standards for modern managers to make the Hall aren't all that exacting, so if Baker or Showalter breaks through and wins it all this year, I'd be comfortable calling either a future Hall of Famer.
As for Francona, he's probably already in. He's got the wins, he's got multiple World Series rings, and he's guided multiple teams to the playoffs. For those who don't believe in the wisdom of second chances, in Francona we're talking about a manager who was canned by the Phillies after four losing seasons in four years on the job and a paltry .440 winning percentage. However, you've got a couple of managers with two World Series wins who haven't made the Hall of Fame and who otherwise have similar dossiers to Francona (Ralph Houk and Danny Murtaugh). But three World Series wins? If Francona notches a third belt and title this season, then he's in for sure. After all, only one manager to win three World Series isn't in the Hall of Fame.
That one manager is Bruce Bochy of the wild-card entrant Giants, and that's why I haven't mentioned him until now. He's a future Hall of Famer, what with his three titles with San Fran and one pennant with the Padres. Obviously, Bochy and the Giants have designs on another championship, but insofar as his getting a plaque in Cooperstown is concerned, his work is done.
As for Baker, Showalter, Francona, and Maddon, there's more work to be done. Very soon, they'll get started.
