Who is the best manager in MLB right now?

Francona has Hall of Fame credentials over as 23-year managerial career with three different organizations, and he's looking to cap off his career in Cincinnati. He helped break the curse with Boston in 2004 and won another World Series three years later, and also guided Cleveland to the World Series in 2016. He produced winning seasons in nine of 11 seasons with Cleveland, proving to be a master motivator and great on-field manager.

Bochy's legend continues to grow, winning four World Series and appearing in five. He's reached the World Series with three different organizations, changing with the times over 27 years as a player's manager and master of bullpen usage. Texas regressed in Bochy's second season, but have the talent to rebound with better health.

Roberts has long been criticized for LA's lack of playoff success, but he's now appeared four World Series and won two in nine seasons. The Dodgers have made the playoffs in all of his seasons, with an incredible .627 regular season win percentage. Roberts' positive attitude has rubbed off on his players, and he's been receptive to a smart front office and next-level coaching staff.

The controversial Hinch was fired from the Astros after a cheating scandal, but put together five winning seasons, three with over 100 wins, and a World Series title in 2017. Detroit is on the same trajectory after four seasons, as Hinch led the team to the playoffs in 2024. It's tough to find a better example of a manager developing young players.

Cora's managerial career couldn't have started any better, winning the World Series in his first season. Boston has been up and down since that time, but it appears they're back on track entering 2025 with a talented roster and robust farm system. Cora has been a favorite of his players and great at blending gut with analytics on the field, sporting a .536 winning percentage over six seasons.

Counsell earned a reputation as one of the elite managers in the game, and received a contract that reflected his reputation when the Cubs hired him in 2024. The first season on the North Side was disappointing, but Counsell was terrific in nine years with Milwaukee, making the playoffs five times. More playoff success would help make his case as an elite manager, and Chicago might have the roster to make a run in 2025.

The Rays and cash continue to be tactical trail blazers, though last season ended a five year streak of playoff berths. Tampa Bay has made the playoffs five times in his 10 seasons, taking analytics and on-field tactics to the edge. The team has developed multiple young stars under Cash's watch, but playoff success has been fleeting.

There's no more scrutinized coaching role in MLB than Yankees manager. Boone has weathered the storm with seven straight winning seasons, along with a World Series berth in 2024. The fact the team has yet to win a World Series with Boone at the helm is considered a downfall by some, but Boone has done a strong job developing young players and getting the most out of his veterans.

Snitker bided his team before getting his first MLB managerial job in his 60's, but he hasn't looked back. He's overseen an elite Braves roster over the last four seasons, including a World Series championship in 2021. Snitker has not only gotten the most out of his players in nine seasons but also the most out of his talented coaching staff.

A well-liked and long-time MLB coach, Thomson clearly has a lot of fans in the Phillies clubhouse. The team has consistently overachieved since he took over in 2022, making the playoffs in each season and winning the pennant in his first year. Guiding a roster that's now older will be tough, but Thomson now has the experience and credibility with his players to prolong the organization's window.

Shildt overachieved in four seasons with the Cardinals, and did the same in his first year as manager of the Padres. Despite a loss of significant talent, Shildt got the Padres on the right track last season with 93 wins, marking his fifth winning season in five years as an MLB manager. He's grown a stern image but also shown clear leadership with his players, leading to impressive success.

Arizona just missed the playoffs in 2023, but Lovullo did a remarkable job to win 89 games given the team's pitching injuries. He's considered a player's manager, who has consistently earned the respect of his players in eight seasons as Arizona's manager. Lovullo's five winning seasons and two playoffs berths during that time should his ability to develop players in spite of some questionable tactical moves.

Hyde has proven astute in Baltimore's rebuild and come out on the other side after three terrible seasons to start his career. He's made the playoffs in each of the last two years, developing the organization's players slowly but surely. The Orioles haven't had the playoffs success they've hoped so far, but Hyde has yet to make any obvious errors.

Baldelli certainly buys in to analytics, with the Twins routinely playing matchups over the last six years. They team has had just as many disappointing seasons as surprises over his time, but four winning seasons in six years in a small market does deserve some props. The Twins young players have mostly developed well under his watch, as well.

Melvin has an amazing 21 years as MLB manager with five different organizations. Unfortunately, his two-year stay in San Diego was a disappointment, and his first year in San Francisco wasn't any better with only 80 wins. Melvin's teams have made the playoffs eight times, but the recent disappointing results are a major knock after years of overachieving in Oakland.

What a start to Vogt's managerial career in 2024, leading the Guardians to a surprising 92 wins and AL Central title in his first season. Acclaimed pitching coach Carl Willis deserves part of the blame, along with the rest of a highly effective coaching staff. Still, Vogt was able to meet all the challenges in spite of an injury-plagued starting rotation, and make some playoff noise in his first season.

A formerly accomplished college coach, Murphy has seen it all in his career. He took over for Craig Counsell last season, and helped guide one of the biggest surprises of 2024 with an NL Central title after winning 93 games. He appears to be a gruff, no-nonsense manager from the outside, but did a fine job leading a young roster in his first full season as an MLB manager.

Mendoza has already earned the respect of the New York media after a tenure as a Yankees coach. He got the most out of a Mets roster with low expectations last season, making the playoffs with 89 wins. Mendoza has pushed all the right buttons so far.

Espada replaced the legendary Dusty Baker in Houston and had a fantastic first season, winning the AL West with 88 wins. He did so in spite of multiple hardships, including a significant injury to Kyle Tucker. Houston hasn't missed a beat with Espada leading the way.

It's hard to believe Martinez has seven seasons of managerial experience already. His feet were held to the fire before winning the World Series in his second year, and the team has done a lot of losing in five years since then as they continue to rebuild. The World Series win has bought Martinez some time, but it remains to be seen how much more slack he has left with four straight years of over 90 losses.

Quatraro first season in KC couldn't have gone much worse with 106 losses, which makes his rebound campaign with 86 wins and a playoff berth even more impressive. He's shown leadership in two years already, molding the roster with plenty of new faces. Now the project will be keeping the Royals on the winning track.

Toronto has made the playoffs in two of Schneider's three seasons, yet the ultimate results have been disappointing. The fiery manager has seen inconsistency from his players, particularly his offenses, and the team's on-field tactics have appeared vanilla, for the most part.

Kotsay is been in a very difficult situation with the A's, guiding a rebuild and also a move out of town. The team made great progress in his third season with 69 wins, as many of the team's key young players had breakout seasons in 2024. The expectations will continue to be raised as the team gets closer to their ultimate move to Vegas.

The 38-year-old manager replaced Mike Shildt in 2022, but was seen by some as a puppet for the Cardinals front office. After winning the division in his first season, the Cardinals have fallen on hard times. That's certainly not all Marmol's fault in an organization that hasn't invested enough in player development, but he hasn't done much to stand out.

After five straight losing seasons, it's time for Shelton to deliver in Pittsburgh. The team has been in a long and painful rebuild, but they show potential in 2025 led by Paul Skenes. Shelton has done a strong job helping develop the team's pitching staff, but there have been whispers about poor hitter development under Shelton and the organization in recent years.

Washington won two AL pennants over eight seasons while manager of the Rangers from 2007-2014, but his first season with the Angels wasn't as smooth. He had to guide the roster through a myriad of injuries, though Washington's old school tactics and seeming preference to play veterans didn't do much for the organization. Washington is known as one of the best fielding instructors around, but he will try to prove the game hasn't passed him by in his second season after losing 99 games last year.

Black often overachieved in nine seasons with San Diego, but Colorado has been in a rut over the last six years with Black at the helm. While he led the team to the playoffs in his first two years, Black has now accrued consecutive 100-loss seasons and has shown a penchant for often playing veterans over young players. Colorado could move on if Black doesn't turn things around in 2025.

We don't know much about Wilson as a manager after getting only 34 games under his belt late last season, but the M's did go 21-13. The former catcher did a fine job getting his team on the right track, though a bigger sample size is needed to make a proper judgment.

Venable has long been seen as a manager in the making, and gets that chance with the White Sox. It's a tough situation after the team broke the loss record last season, but he's had great experience as a bench coach under Alex Cora and Bruce Bochy.

The Dodgers first base coach since 2021, McCullough has been front and center on a winning ball club. He previously gained experience as a minor league manager in the Blue Jays organization, and will need to take that experience developing players with him in a rebuilding Marlins org.