Bruce Bochy, Hall of Famer?

Good points, but didn't Torre have a career losing record well into his Yankees run because of his years managing the Mets and to some extent some poor Cardinals teams?

 

I count only four 90-loss seasons ('02, '03, '07, '08). And I suspect with the Padres, and I know for a fact with the Giants, that he was heading up teams that had little or no interest in winning. With those Giants it was all about milking the Bonds HR chase and then cutting all ties and giving a fresh start. Bochy couldn't do a thing with those teams.

But in 2009 they were 88-74, starting this latest burst of solid contending seasons, and that was at a time when NOBODY expected anything higher than fourth place in the division.

 

The last 10 managers to go in:

2010 Herzog
2008 Dick Williams, Billy Southworth
2000 Sparky
1999 Frank Selee
1997 LaSorda
1996 Weaver, Ned Hanlon
1994 Durocher
1983 Alston

Most recent managing by a Hall of Famer was LaSorda in 1996.

 

Torre went over .500 as a manager during his third season as Yankees manager. He started 109 games under and was plus 22 in 96, plus 30 in 97 and plus 66 in his third.

 

That's true. Bochy is still in "mid career" so he has time to build up his winning percentage. Plus if he reaches 2,000 career wins that would greatly strengthen his HoF credentials even further.

 

2,000 wins gets you in. All 10 managers to get there have been inducted. Gene Mauch at 1,902 is the cutoff and he is 135 games below .500 with no titles or pennants. Mauch is the only manager in the top 25 in wins without either and one of two in the top 35.

 

OK, which of you is Stan McNeal?

http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-10-29/world-series-2012-giants-bruce-bochy-tigers-results-sweep

 

You frequently read in the Detroit media that Leyland is a "lock" for the HOF. Several guys use it as a standard assumption.

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Bochy's future success will depend on how Giants management deals with the increasing salaries of their core players. Matt Cain (thru at least 2017) and Madison Bumgarner (thru at least 2018) are signed long term. Tim Lincecum is due to become a free agent after the 2013 season. How Lincecum performs in 2013 will go a long ways whether the Giants sign him long term or not. Pablo Sandoval is due to become free agent after the 2014 season and is due for a large raise in arbitration. Buster Posey is eligible for arbitration after 2013 and is eligible for free agency after 2016. So the Giants have a window of opportunity from 2013-2015 to keep winning titles IMO.

 

The Giants are limited only by their willingness to pay, not their ability. The upcoming end of their mortgage payments (believed to be at the latter part of this decade) will add tens of millions of dollars to payroll flexibility.

They also have Zito, Huff and Freddy Sanchez coming off the books in short order. Signing any of the players you mention will not be a problem. The only question is whether Lincecum or Sandoval is going to be fit enough long-term to deserve it.

 

I'm kind of curious, didn't see a lot of Francona - Hall of Fame? when he won his second one. I don't doubt that Bochy is a great manager. Seems to be that rare guy who knows the game and knows how to deal with players, but just kind of curious why the question needed to be asked now?