The Atlantic

Being a Good Manager Is No Longer Good Enough

With the surprising firings of Dusty Baker, Joe Girardi, and others, Major League Baseball is learning that managers must do far more than just win.
Source: Nick Wass / AP

With 40 years of combined bench experience that has resulted in 3,437 regular-season wins, 13 division titles, three league pennants, and two World Series championships, the trio of Dusty Baker, Joe Girardi, and John Farrell have produced the kind of sustained success that most baseball fans would enthusiastically embrace. Just this past season, all three led their respective teams —the Washington Nationals, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox—to 90 or more wins and a spot in the playoffs.

All three are now out of a job. For most of baseball history, managers were judged above and beyond on their ability to win. Now, they are evaluated

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