Do As I Say, Not As I Do – Hall of Fame Managers Who Were Terrible Players

Ranked in order, from best player to worst.

 

Joe Torre (actually pretty good)

• WAR:  57.6
• Years:  18, 1960s-70s
• Teams:  Mil/Atl, StL, NYM
• Pos:  c, 1b, 3b
• Single-season highlights:  In 1971, led majors in batting (363), hits, RBIs & TBs; was NL MVP
• Career highlights:  297 average, 9 All Star appearances
• Similar players:  HoFers Ryan Sandberg & Bobby Doerr
• Fun fact:  Never appeared in postseason

John McGraw (actually not bad at all)

• WAR:  45.7
• Years:  17, 1890s & 1900s
• Teams:  Brooklyn, NYG, Balt
• Pos:  3b, ss
• Single-season highlights:  3 years leading league in OBP, 2 in runs
• Career highlights:  1000 runs, 1300 hits, 440 SBs; career OBP ranks 3^rd all-time
• Similar players:  HoFer Hugh Jennings
• Fun fact:  Missed most of one season due to contracting malaria

Miller Huggins (pretty good actually)

• WAR:  35.4
• Years:  13, 1900s & 1910s
• Teams:  StL, Cinn
• Pos:  2b
• Single-season highlights:  4-time league leader in walks; multiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  1475 hits, 950 runs, 325 SBs
• Similar players:  Eddie Stanky, Bobby Richardson
• Fun fact:  Known as “Rabbit," "Mighty Mite,” and "Little Everywhere"

Billy Southworth (not bad)

• WAR:  21.6
• Years:  13, mostly in the 1920s
• Teams:  5
• Pos:  of
• Single-season highlights:  Led league in triples; multiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  297 average, 1300 hits, 560 RBIs
• Similar players:  Casey Stengel (see below)
• Fun fact:  Game-winning hit clinched Cards’ first modern-era pennant

Casey Stengel (still pretty decent)

• WAR:  20.2
• Years:  14, 1910s & 20s
• Teams:  5
• Pos:  of
• Single-season highlights:  Led league in OBP; in 1917, led league in fielding percentage, putouts, assists & games
• Career highlights:  284 average, 1220 hits, 535 RBIs
• Similar players:  Billy Southworth (see above)
• Fun fact:  Batted 393 in 3 World Series

Ned Hanlon (still OK)

• WAR:  18.1
• Years:  13, 1880s & 90s
• Teams:  Mostly Detroit Wolverines
• Pos:  of
• Single-season highlights:  Led league in games played; multiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  1300 hits, 930 runs, 500 RBIs, 330 SBs
• Similar players:  Omar Moreno, Vince Coleman, Michael Bourn
• Fun fact:  Traveled to Hawaii, Australia, Ceylon, Arabia, Egypt & Europe as part of Albert Spalding's "Around the World Baseball Tour”

Al Lopez (still decent)

• WAR:  16.4
• Years:  19, 1930s & 40s
• Teams:  Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Boston Braves
• Pos:  c
• Single-season highlights:  2-time All Star; multiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  1500 hits, 600 runs, 650 RBIs
• Similar players:  HoFers Ray Schalk, Rick Ferrell
• Fun fact:  Set a record for games played by a catcher (since broken)

Bucky Harris (still decent)

• WAR:  16.3
• Years:  12, mostly in the 1920s
• Teams:  Mostly Washington
• Pos:  2b
• Single-season highlights:  3-time league leader in HBP & SH; multiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  1300 hits, 720 runs, 500 RBIs
• Similar players:  Dave Cash, Mickey Morandini
• Fun fact:  Player/manager at age 27

Wilbert Robinson (pretty average actually)

• WAR:  6.7
• Years:  17; 1890s-1910s
• Teams:  4, mostly Brooklyn
• Pos:  c
• Single-season highlights:  Batted 353 in 1894; multiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  1400 hits, 720 RBIs
• Similar players:  HoFer Ray Schalk
• Fun fact:  Once caught a triple-header, followed by a double-header the next day

Connie Mack (average or below)

• WAR:  6.0
• Years:  11, 1880s & 90s
• Teams:  3
• Pos:  c
• Single-season highlights:  League leader in HBP; mutiple defensive stats
• Career highlights:  125 SBs
• Similar players:  Larry Kopf, Con Daily, Silver Flint
• Fun fact:  “A light-hitting catcher with a reputation as a smart player, but didn't do anything particularly well as a player.” (Bill James)

Leo Durocher (average at best)

• WAR:  4.1
• Years:  17, 1920s-40s
• Teams:  4
• Pos:  ss
• Single-season highlights:  3-time All Star, 3-time league leader in fielding percentage
• Career highlights:  1320 hits, 570 RBIs, 575 runs
• Similar players:  Tim Foli, Spike Owen, Freddie Patek
• Fun facts:  Was called the “All-American Out” by teammate Babe Ruth

Dick Williams (below average)

• WAR:  3.4
• Years:  13, 1950s & 60s
• Teams:  5
• Pos:  of
• Single-season highlights:  In 1959, hit 16 HRs, with 75 RBIs & 72 runs
• Career highlights:  360 runs, 330 RBIs
• Similar players:  Darnell Coles, Mark Teahen, Gino Cimoli
• Fun fact:  500 average in the postseason (1 hit in 2 ABs)

Bill McKechnie (below average)

• WAR:  3.4
• Years:  11, 1907-20
• Teams:  6
• Pos:  Mostly 3b; everything else other than c
• Single-season highlights:  In 1914, in the Federal League, batted 304, scored 107 runs & stole 47 bases
• Career highlights:  715 hits
• Similar players:  Emilio Bonifacio, Babe Pinelli, Klondike Douglass
• Fun fact:  Player/manager at age 28

Whitey Herzog (bad)

• WAR:  2.8
• Years:  8, 1950s & 60s
• Teams:  4
• Pos:  of
• Single-season highlights:  Got over 400 at bats only once, in his rookie year
• Career highlights:  1600 at-bats, 215 runs, 170 RBIs
• Similar players:  Al Pilarcik, Leron Lee, Joe Christopher
• Fun facts:  Once said, “said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it."

Bobby Cox (bad)

• WAR:  0.9
• Years:  2, 1960s
• Teams:  NYY
• Pos:  3b
• Highlights:  Starter in 1968, getting 100 hits 440 at bats
• Similar players:  Ray Bates, Emil Huhn, Tucker Ashford
• Fun fact:  Retired because of bad knees

Walter Alston (terrible)

• Years:  1936
• Teams:  StL
• Pos:  1b
• “Highlights”:  Struck out on 3 pitches in single at-bat; 3 innings in field, making an error on 2 chances
• Fun fact:  Subbed for Johnny Mize (who had been objected ejected) in the  final game of the season

Tony La Russa (terrible)

• WAR:  -0.6
• Years:  6, 1960s & 70s
• Teams:  mostly Athletics
• Pos:  mostly 2b
• Single-season “highlights”:  Got over 100 at bats only once
• Career “highlights”:  Finished 1 point under the Mendoza line, never hit a homer
• Fun fact:  bonus baby

Tommy Lasorda (terrible)

• WAR:  -1.1
• Years:  3, 1950s
• Teams:  Brooklyn, KC Athletics
• Pos:  p
• Single-season “highlights”: In his only start, left after the first inning after tying a major-league record with three wild pitches in one inning (and then was spiked trying to cover home on the last one)
• Career “highlights”:  0-4, 6.48, 1.869 WHIP; 1 hit in 14 ABs
• Fun fact:  Sent down to the minors for Sandy Koufax

Sparky Anderson (terrible)

• WAR:  -1.2
• Years:  1, 1959
• Teams:  Phillies
• Pos:  2b
• “Highlights”:  527 ABs, 0 HRs, 34 RBIs; did lead league in games played at 2b
• Fun fact:  Traded by Dodgers to Phils for 3 players – Rip Repulski, Gene Snyder & Jim Golden

Earl Weaver (didn't even make the majors)

• Years:  0 (14 in minors, 1940s-60s)
• Teams:  From D thru AAA
• Pos:  2b
• Career highlights:  5000 ABs, 1000 hits, 500 RBIs
• Fun fact:  Played for West Frankfort, Dublin (GA) & Fitzgerald (GA)

Joe McCarthy (ditto)

• Years:  0 (15 in minors, 1900s-1920s)
• Teams:  Highest level was AA
• Pos:  Utility
• Career highlights:  5540 ABs, not quite 1500 hits
• Fun fact:  Played as a Baron, Millionaire & Peach

Jim Leyland (ditto)

• Years:  0 (7 in minors, mostly 1960s)
• Teams:  Tigers organization; never got past AA
• Pos:  c
• Career “highlights”:  222 average & 4 HRs over 1220 ABs
• Fun fact:  Pitched 4 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 ERs, no walks & 2 Ks

Frank Selee (non-existent)

• Years:  0 (amateur only, 1884)
• Teams:  Melrose (MA) Alphas
• Pos:  of
• Career highlights:  no records exist
• Fun fact:  “He played the outfield a few times that year, and those contests represent Frank Selee’s entire professional playing career.” (SABR)