Disappointing MLB Managers Who Won't Be Back in 2016
Every year in September, the MLB coaching carousel begins to heat up. As the hot seat becomes unbearable, we'll take a look at a handful of disappointing managers who won't return in 2016.
Managers are fired for a variety of reasons, but underachieving teams are usually a common theme. For the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals, subpar win totals have cast doubt on their respective managerial choices.
Some of the names on this list, like Dan Jennings and Pat Murphy, never really had much of a chance due to the interim tags placed upon them earlier in the season.
There's also Brad Ausmus, who will likely become a victim to a new regime taking over in 2016.
And, of course, Matt Williams and Bryan Price are likely to be let go due to disappointing seasons with extremely talented rosters.
What other managers should be nervous heading into the offseason? Should any of these managers get another opportunity next season? Let us know in the comments section below.
Let's dive right in with the two interim managers on the list.
Dan Jennings, Miami Marlins
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Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is no stranger to wacky moves that perplex the baseball world.
But even by Loria's standards, sending general manager Dan Jennings to the dugout to manage the Marlins this season was a bizarre decision.
Since Jennings took over earlier this season, the Marlins have posted a 40-57 record. Injuries to Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Fernandez, Dee Gordon, Henderson Alvarez and Christian Yelich made his job much more difficult, but Miami failed to respond to Loria's unorthodox managerial appointment.
Due to an unsuccessful transition from the front office to the dugout, Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently reported that the Marlins are expected to fire Jennings before the end of the season. The only question remaining is if Loria will allow Jennings to return to his former role as Miami's general manager.
If not, Jennings won't be short on suitors.
"Keep in mind that Jennings is under contract through 2018," said Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "But he has been mentioned as a potential candidate for other front-office jobs in baseball, including the general manager job with the Seattle Mariners, whom he worked for earlier in his 31-year career in professional baseball."
Jennings may not be cut from managerial cloth, but he still has value across MLB as a front-office decision-maker. Regardless, there will be a new man leading the Marlins in 2016.
Pat Murphy, San Diego Padres
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Dan Jennings likely won't be the only interim manager looking for new work this offseason.
The San Diego Padres were 32-34 when Pat Murphy took over for Bud Black earlier this season. Since his promotion from Triple-A manager, Murphy has led San Diego to a 33-36 record.
Without a lack of tangible improvement, it will be hard for Murphy to make a compelling case as to why he deserves the job on a full-time basis. General manager A.J. Preller has proven he's not afraid to make a splash and could look to replace Murphy with a more established name.
"The players like Murphy but the Padres haven’t shown great progression during his time as interim manager," said Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "His return as the permanent manager is very much in question. The Padres may go for a bigger name — someone to excite the fan base."
For all of 2015, Padres fans waited for their team's talented roster to reel off an impressive win streak and get back in the National League playoff picture. Preller hoped that Murphy could spark such a turnaround, but the longtime minor league manager hasn't made enough of an impact to warrant the full-time job.
Bryan Price, Cincinnati Reds
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Maybe we should have seen the writing on the wall with Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price earlier this season.
Back in April, Price made headlines thanks to a profanity-infused verbal tirade aimed at the media. He used the F-word 77 times, angry at a Reds beat writer for reporting on the whereabouts of starting catcher Devin Mesoraco.
Although he later apologized, Price's public image took a major blow. But considering how bad Cincinnati has been in 2015, Price's status with the media should be the least of his worries.
Despite a team that fielded a healthy Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman for most of the season, the Reds are a whopping 30 games out of first place in the National League Central. Obviously, the NL Central is the best division in baseball, but there's no excuse for a team this talented to be among MLB's worst teams.
Reds owner Bob Castellini was recently asked about Price's future with the organization. Castellini told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that Price "is our manager" and that the club wouldn't be "making a change this year."
Castellini may have assured Price of his job for the remainder of the season, but he didn't exactly give him a convincing vote of confidence. After two underachieving seasons and one of the most embarrassing incidents of 2015, Price won't survive the offseason.
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Brad Ausmus, Detroit Tigers
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In his first year as manager, Brad Ausmus led the Detroit Tigers to an AL Central division title last season.
Things have been much different in 2015. Ausmus and the Tigers are in last place in the division. Those words may take a minute to fully register, as Detroit recorded only one sub-.500 record from 2006 to 2014.
But all good things come to an end. Detroit's run of winning seasons was centered around fantastic starting pitching, including the likes of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. But even with 21 starts from David Price, the Tigers rank 28th in ERA in 2015.
An argument can be made that Ausmus is a victim of bad timing. The Tigers failed to re-sign Scherzer this offseason, Verlander is on the backend of his career, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez missed significant time with injury and Price and Yoenis Cespedes were traded at the deadline due to looming free agency.
Despite all of those obstacles, Ausmus could still be out of a job next season. After longtime general manager Dave Dombrowski and the club parted ways, the Tigers have been breaking in new general manager Al Avila over the season's final months. Understandably, Avila may not want to begin his career with an incumbent manager he didn't choose.
He may have been dealt a bad hand in 2015, but things aren't looking like they'll fall Ausmus' way this winter. If the Tigers continue to limp to the finish line, don't be surprised to see a new face leading the club in 2016.
Matt Williams, Washington Nationals
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The Washington Nationals are MLB's most disappointing team in 2015, plain and simple. Despite assembling a star-studded pitching staff this winter, the Nats are 5.0 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East.
By failing to reach the expectations facing the Nats before the season, manager Matt Williams is coaching for his job over the season's final weeks.
Sure, Williams apologists can point to injuries as an excuse for the club's poor play. Denard Span, Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg have all missed significant time in 2015.
But Washington is still too talented to be on the verge of falling out of the race. Bryce Harper has posted a ridiculous slash line of .333/.467/.634, has gone deep 32 times and is a shoo-in for NL MVP. Meanwhile, the pitching staff still ranks in the top 10 in ERA.
The good news: Washington has six games remaining against the Mets, including a three-game set to end the season. It doesn't look promising right now, but Williams still has an opportunity to save his job if the Nationals can regain the top spot in the NL East.
But as inconsistent as Washington has been throughout 2015, it's hard to see that happening. Injuries or not, this Nats team is too good to miss the playoffs, and Williams will be the scapegoat if that happens.
Stats courtesy of FanGraphs and accurate as of Sept. 5.
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