Buck Showalter: How His Experience Will Push Baltimore Orioles into Postseason

Buck Showalter is one of the most knowledgeable and well-respected skippers in all of baseball. He is known for taking control of young, inexperienced and struggling teams and turning them into successful winning franchises.

So far he is working his magic in Baltimore (71-57) in his second full season.

The Orioles sit 14 games above the .500 mark and currently are tied for first in the Wild Card with the Oakland Athletics. Not to mention that they are just 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East on August 29th.

Who would have thought that by the end of August the Birds would be fighting for a chance to advance to the playoffs for the first time since 1997?

His Philosophy

Showalter seems to make all the right decisions at the right time. The Orioles sport a 24-6 record in one-run games this season. They have been clutch, and one of the main reasons has been the way they have been managed. He has a unique way of commanding authority, but at the same time he is very calm and collected.

Before embarking on his journey with the Orioles in August of 2010, Showalter had previously been working as an analyst for ESPN, both for Baseball Tonight and as a commentator.

Prior to his broadcasting days, Showalter managed three clubs, all of which went on to great success both with him at the helm and after he departed.

Showalter is the type of manager to come in and rebuild a team from the bottom up. He is a fundamentalist and understands how the game of baseball works. He doesn’t mind suffering through a couple of seasons, as long as the team is heading in the right direction.

He is one of the best teachers around and leads by example. You rarely see Showalter react wildly or lose his cool. He possesses a great sense of pride and dignity while on the diamond.

Let’s check out his managerial report card.

New York Yankees

Showalter’s first managerial job was a tough one; he took over for Stump Merrill and the Bronx Bombers after they went just 71-91—20 games behind the leading powerhouse Toronto Blue Jays.

Although he struggled in his first year with the Yanks, as they finished fourth in the division with a 76-86 record, they improved.

In his second year, they jumped to second place and haven’t looked back since. They went 88-74 in 1993 and were on pace to post an even better clip the next year.

However, the 1994 season was cut short due to the players' strike, and they were on pace for one of their best seasons in recent memory. At the time, the Bombers were leading the division with a 70-43 record and still had 49 games left to play.

The 1995 season got off to a slow start as they missed the first 18 games of the year due to the prolonged strike. They finished in second place for the second time in three years under Showalter with a 79-65 record.

In his four years with New York, he won 313 games and dropped 268, which is a .539 winning percentage, and they finished in second twice and first one time.

Not to mention, more importantly, he set them up for success in the future. They have not finished below .500 since he took the helm in ’92, and they’ve been one of the most playoff-friendly teams over the last 20 years or so.

Showalter went into New York with a plan, and they have been reaping the rewards ever since. Not to say that Showalter had everything to do with their late '90s and early 2000s success, but he definitely played a large role in that structure. 

Arizona Diamondbacks

After helping rebuild the Yankees dynasty, there was a new project on Showalter’s horizon. Who would be better to take control of a brand new team other than Buck?

Well, in 1998, Showalter became the first manager of the newly formed Arizona Diamondbacks.

In their first season, they struggled a bit. But, they were a completely new team, and no one expected them to win the division. They finished with a 65-97 record and last in the Western division.

However, in their second year, something clicked. They went from 32 games under .500 to an amazing 38 games above, and they won 100 games. It’s hard to believe he lead them to 100 victories in just two years after formation.

They finished first in the division that year.

In 2000, his third year in control, they continued to play well, but they dropped off a bit. They finished in third place with a respectable 85-77 record.

Showalter departed after the 2000 season, which proved to be a year too soon as the Diamondbacks, behind phenom Randy Johnson and the dominant Curt Schilling, won their first World Series Championship.

Texas Rangers

In his most recent managerial experience, Showalter faced another tall order. But keeping with tradition, he landed in Arlington, Texas with a plan and showed them how to win.

Although he only led them to one winning season from 2003 to 2006, he paved the path for future success. The Rangers are the reigning American League Champions two years in a row, meaning they have been in the World Series each of those seasons.

Showalter made his way to Texas in 2003. The Rangers had struggled mightily over the past three years, finishing fourth each year with just 72 wins on average.

In 2003, Alex Rodriguez was still with the team, and the focus was on him. The team was composed of mostly young and inexperienced players and the home run-hitting former shortstop.

His first year was no different as the previous three. They finished with a 71-91 record and another last place finish in the West.

However, Showalter worked his magic again and managed to get the team to focus and play on the same page.

His second season with the club proved to be the best. He lead them to 89 wins and just 73 losses. However, they finished just third in the division because of their tough-division rivals’ strong play.

That was the only year they finished with an above .500 record under Showalter. In 2005, they went 79-83, and in his last year in ’06, they finished just two games below with an 80-82 clip.

Although he never took the Rangers to the playoffs, he built the foundation of one of the strongest teams in the MLB right now. If he was not there for those four years, who knows where the Rangers would be.

Baltimore Orioles

As most remember, Showalter took the helm of the Orioles after Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel both struggled to keep the Birds afloat.

Showalter faced very few problems at first. He led the Birds to a 34-23 record to round off the 2010 campaign. Those were the only two months they finished with a winning record. Although they still finished in last place, they accomplished the main goal at that point of avoiding a 100-loss season.

Last year, the Birds continued to struggle as a whole. There were some standouts like Adam Jones and Jim Johnson, but their overall pitching really lacked continuity. They finished with a 69-93 record and another last-place finish.

This year, as everyone is aware, Baltimore has become the most surprising team in all of baseball. The other day, I saw a stat that said the Orioles have the largest win differential this season compared to last.

It only took a season for Showalter to transform the black and orange and revert them back to their winning ways. 

Smart Manager

Showalter is one of the best baseball minds out there and it’s obvious he wants to win and knows what it takes to get there.

He has never stayed with a team long enough to win a World Series. If he didn’t leave New York, he would have won a ring at some point. Arizona won one the year after he left and if the Rangers continue to make it to the World Series, they are bound to win it at some point.

The point is, Showalter is quite possibly the best manager in all of baseball and could be on his way to winning his third manager of the year award. He took his first prize home after the ’94 year when the Yanks were leading the way, and he won his second in ’04 with the Rangers after winning 89 games.

Showalter prides himself and his team on playing the game the right way. He is a winner. The Orioles were very lucky when they snagged one of the greatest minds in baseball.

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