Tony La Russa Retirement: Where He Fits Among Top 20 MLB Managers of All-Time

With the announcement coming today that Tony La Russa has retired as the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, now is a perfect time to reflect on his impressive career and where he ranks among the best skippers in baseball history.

He chose to go out on top, coming off the third World Series title of his career, and while MLB manager retirements are never a certain thing, it looks as of now that La Russa is content calling it quits.

So here is a look at where he ranks among the 20 greatest managers in baseball history, a group of present and future Hall of Famers who truly made a difference on the bench.

No. 20: Dick Williams

Seasons: 21

Record: 1,571-1,451 (.520)

Teams: Boston Red Sox (1967-1969), Oakland A's (1971-1973), California Angels (1974-1976), Montreal Expos (1977-1981), San Diego Padres (1982-1985), Seattle Mariners (1986-1988)

Career Highlights: Four Pennants, two World Series titles

Williams began his managerial career in 1968 by taking the Red Sox to the World Series, but after two subpar seasons, he was out in Boston. He next joined the Athletics, where he would win back-to-back World Series titles in 1972 and 1973.

As was standard with his career, he went on to the next team after those two titles, as he would manage six different teams in his career, but none for longer than six seasons. He capped off his postseason success by capturing the NL pennant with the Padres in 1984 to become one of two managers to win a pennant with three different teams.

No. 19: Al Lopez

Seasons: 17

Record: 1,410-1,004 (.584)

Teams: Cleveland Indians (1951-1956), Chicago White Sox (1957-1965, 1968-1969)

Career Highlights: Two Pennants, Hall of Fame Inductee

A very productive catcher over his 19-year career, Lopez garnered MVP consideration in seven different seasons and made a pair of All-Star teams.

Just three seasons after he retired, Lopez was back in baseball as the manager of the Indians, and he led the team to a pennant in 1954 to break up the Yankees impressive run of AL dominance. He won another pennant in 1959 with the White Sox, and in his 15 full seasons as manager, he never had a losing record.

No. 18: Frank Selee

Seasons: 16

Record: 1,284-862 (.598)

Teams: Boston Beaneaters (1890-1901), Chicago Cubs (1902-1905)

Career Highlights: Five Pennants, Hall of Fame Inductee

As a 30-year-old, Selee took over in Boston and posted a winning record in each of his first 10 seasons with the team, bringing home five AL pennants in the process, although he was never able to win it all.

After that, he moved onto Chicago, and while the Cubs never won anything with him at the helm, he was the man who signed the famed trio of Tinker-Evers-Chance, which played a major role in the Cubs' success later on in the decade.

No. 17: Bucky Harris

Seasons: 29

Record: 2,158-2,219 (.493)

Teams: Washington Senators (1924-1928), Detroit Tigers (1929-1933), Boston Red Sox (1934), Washington Senators (1934-1942), Philadelphia Phillies (1943), New York Yankees (1947-1948), Washington Senators (1950-1954), Detroit Tigers (1955-1956)

Career Highlights: Three Pennants, two World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

Despite bouncing around throughout his managing career, Harris is best known for his time with the Washington Senators, as he led them for 18 seasons over three different stops.

As one of the more successful player/managers, he led the team to a title in 1924 at the age of 27, then captured the AL pennant the next season as well. He also took home the 1947 World Series title as the Yankees manager.

No. 16: Billy Southworth

Seasons: 13

Record: 1,770-1,044 (.597)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1929, 1940-1945), Boston Braves (1946-1951)

Career Highlights: Four Pennants, two World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

Just two years removed from playing with the Cardinals, Southworth took the helm in St. Louis and immediately attempted to be a strict disciplinarian. When the players didn't respond, he was demoted to the minors.

However, when he came back 11 years later, it was a different story, as he won three straight pennants from 1942-1944 with two titles for the Cardinals.

He would later win a third pennant in 1948 with the Braves, and in all, he posted the second best winning percentage in managerial history.

No. 15: Tommy Lasorda

Seasons: 21

Record: 1,599-1,439 (.526)

Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-1996)

Career Highlights: Four Pennants, two World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

Taking over for another Hall of Fame manager in Walter Alston, the Dodgers didn't miss a beat with Lasorda at the helm, as he won back-to-back NL pennants in just his second and third seasons as a manager.

That was followed by a pair of World Series wins during the 1980s before Lasorda was finally done managing in 1996 after five years without a winning season. He then came out of retirement to manage the Olympic team in 2000, leading them to a gold medal.

No. 14: Joe Torre

Seasons: 29

Record: 2,326-1,997 (.538)

Teams: New York Mets (1977-1981), Atlanta Braves (1982-1984), St. Louis Cardinals (1990-1995), New York Yankees (1996-2007), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-2010)

Career Highlights: Six Pennants, four World Series titles

Torre enjoyed one of the best player and manager career combinations, as he was a nine-time All-Star and NL MVP during his 18-year playing career before enjoying equal success as a manager, as he stands at fifth on the all-time wins list.

After experiencing no significant success to open his managing career with three different teams, Torre took over the Yankees in 1996 and began his time in the Bronx by leading them to their first World Series since 1978. After a second place finish in 1997, the Yankees won three straight titles under Torre.

No. 13: Leo Durocher

Seasons: 24

Record: 2008-1709 (.540)

Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers (1939-1946, 1948), New York Giants (1948-1955), Chicago Cubs (1966-1972), Houston Astros (1972-1973)

Career Highlights: 2 Pennants, 1 World Series title, Hall of Fame Inductee

A controversial figure throughout his career, Durocher repeatedly feuded with umpires and the press alike as he was never afraid to speak his mind.

After very successful runs with the Dodgers and Giants, Durocher retired after the 1955 season at the age of 49. However, he came back ten years later to take over the Chicago Cubs and after a 103-loss first season he slowly built them back into a competitive team.

He is often at least partially blamed for the 1969 team's collapse as he went with the same lineup day-in and day-out and the players looked worn down. Nonetheless, he was a respected and successful manager.

No. 12: Miller Huggins

Seasons: 17

Record: 1,413-1,134 (.555)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1913-1917), New York Yankees (1918-1929)

Career Highlights: 6 Pennants, 3 World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

After a solid 13-year playing career in which he posted a 35.7 WAR while playing for the Reds and Cardinals, Huggins began his managing career in St. Louis as a player/manager in 1913 and took over the Yankees in 1918 at the age of 40.

Thanks in part to the fact that he was managing Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, among many other future Hall of Famers, Huggins enjoyed great success in New York. However, managing someone like Ruth was no easy task, and Huggins should certainly be commended for the way he led those great Yankees teams.

No doubt he would have managed longer and accumulated even more wins had he not died of the skin disease erysipelas in September of 1929 at just 50 years old.

No. 11: Whitey Herzog

Seasons: 18

Record: 1,281-1,125 (.532)

Teams: Texas Rangers (1973), California Angles (1974), Kansas City Royals (1975-1979), St. Louis Cardinals (1980-1990)

Career Highlights: Three Pennants, one World Series title, Hall of Fame Inductee

Herzog began his baseball front office career as the Director of Player Development for the New York Mets from 1967-1972, but when the team did not offer him the manager's job, he moved on.

He managed the Rangers and Angels before finally finding a home in Kansas City, where he took over as manager and GM, building the team around speed and pitching and playing what would be known as "Whiteyball" in taking the Royals to three straight postseasons.

He then moved on the St. Louis and again built the team around his philosophy, and went on to win three NL pennants and the 1982 World Series title in St. Louis. Hhe gets a bump on this list for both building and managing his teams to success.

No. 10: Bill McKechnie

Seasons: 25

Record: 1,896-1,723 (.524)

Teams: Newark Pepper (1915), Pittsburgh Pirates (1922-1926), St. Louis Cardinals (1928-1929), Boston Braves (1930-1937), Cincinnati Reds (1938-1946)

Career Highlights: Four Pennants, two World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

A manager who saw it all, McKechnie led the offensive-minded Pirates to a World Series title in 1925, then took a pitching-led Reds team to a title in 1940, as he was just a good all-around manager of players.

He was the first manager to win a title with two different teams, and is one of two to win a pennant with three different teams. While he is not identified with one single team like many on this list, he was a great manager nonetheless.

No. 9: Earl Weaver

Seasons: 17

Record: 1,480-1,060 (.583)

Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1968-1982, 1985-1986)

Career Highlights: Four Pennants, one World Series title, Hall of Fame Inductee

The rare manger to spend his entire career with one franchise, Weaver was legendary for his belief in winning with the three-run home run and his blowups with umpires. He was ejected from 91 games, including both games of a doubleheader on three different occasions.

He was also incredibly successful, winning 100 or more games five times and over 90 on 11 different occasions. The Orioles won three straight AL pennants from 1969-1971 under Weaver and took the title in 1970.

No. 8: Bobby Cox

Seasons: 29

Record: 2,504-2,001 (.556)

Teams: Atlanta Braves (1978-1981), Toronto Blue Jays (1982-1985), Atlanta Braves (1990-2010)

Career Highlights: Five Pennants, one World Series titles

With a dynamic pitching staff and a deep farm system of position player talent, the Braves won 14 straight division titles under manager Bobby Cox.

The all-time leader in ejections, Cox was never afraid to stick up for his players and his team. Despite the regular season success, the Braves managed to win just one World Series title during his tenure, which bumps him down this list a bit, but there is no arguing he was a great and widely-respected manager.

No. 7: Sparky Anderson

Seasons: 26

Record: 2,194-1,834 (.545)

Teams: Cincinnati Reds (1970-1978), Detroit Tigers (1979-1995)

Career Highlights: Five Pennants, three World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

As the manager of the "Big Red Machine," Anderson had the benefit of being at the helm of one of the greatest teams in baseball history. As one of the first managers to use a bullpen in the present sense of the term, Anderson made the most of an average pitching staff.

He also made the gutsy decision to move Pete Rose to third base that really set things in motion for the Reds. After leaving Cincinnati, he joined the Tigers, and in 1984, he became the first manager to win a title in both leagues.

No. 6: Walter Alston

Seasons: 23

Record: 2,040-1,613 (.558)

Teams: Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1954-1976)

Career Highlights: Seven Pennants, four World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

A players manager who worked as a teacher in the offseason while he was in the minors, Alston was the first Dodgers manager to win a World Series titles and led the team to its only title while they were still in Brooklyn in 1955.

A six-time manager of the year, Alston is ninth on the all-time wins list and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983, as he enjoyed a very successful run as Dodgers manager before giving way to Tommy Lasorda midway through the 1976 season.

No. 5: Tony LaRussa

Seasons: 33

Record: 2,728-2,365 (.536)

Teams: Chicago White Sox (1979-1986), Oakland Athletics (1986-1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011)

Career Highlights: Six Pennants, three World Series titles

Just the second manager in all of sports to reach 5,000 games, La Russa stands at third on the all-time MLB wins list and is the only manager to win multiple pennants in both leagues, and one of two to win the World Series in both leagues.

He leaves the Cardinals on a high note after winning his third World Series title, and while the team will no doubt miss him, he has incorporated his style of play into the entire organization, and they will likely be enjoying success thanks in part to La Russa for years to come.

No. 4: Casey Stengel

Seasons: 25

Record: 1905-1842 (.508)

Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers (1934-1936), Boston Bees/Braves (1938-1943), New York Yankees (1949-1960), New York Mets (1962-1965)

Career Highlights: 10 Pennants, 7 World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

One of the most colorful figures in baseball history, Stengel enjoyed tremendous success in his 12 seasons at the helm for the Yankees as the team won 10 pennants and seven titles.

Stengel did not enjoy nearly the same level of success anywhere else, but that was due in large part to what he had to work with. He was the manager of the expansion New York Mets, a team that didn't win over 53 games in his four seasons with the team.

In the end though, he is the only manager to win five straight titles and he was a big part of the reason why the city of New York got behind the Mets despite their early struggles.

No. 3: Connie Mack

Seasons: 53

Record: 3,731-3,948 (.486)

Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1894-1896), Philadelphia A's (1901-1950)

Career Highlights: Nine Pennants, five World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

When Connie Mack took over the Athletics for the 1901 season at the age of 38, I don't think anyone would have guessed he would be at the helm for the next 50 seasons before finally walking away from baseball at the age of 87, but that is exactly what he did.

While his career record is not great, the player/owner had to deal with constant financial issues and was frequently selling off his top talent to keep the team afloat. Even with that issue, Mack became the first manager to win the World Series three times, and is still the only skipper to win back-to-back titles more than once. The all-time leader in wins, losses and games his longevity speaks for itself.

No. 2: John McGraw

Seasons: 33

Record: 2,763-1,948 (.586)

Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1899, 1901-1902), New York Giants (1902-1932)

Career Highlights: 10 Pennants, three World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

The all-time wins leader in National League history with 2,669, McGraw served as a player/manager for the first eight seasons of his managerial career, winning two pennants and one title. He was one of the better hitters of the Dead Ball Era, with a .334 career average.

In the end, though, he will always be remembered for his managing, as he was known as one of the most temperamental skippers in baseball history, earning him the nickname "Little Napoleon," and the fact that he had just four losing seasons in 33 years as a manager is amazing in itself.

No. 1: Joe McCarthy

Seasons: 24

Record: 2,125-1,333 (.615)

Teams: Chicago Cubs (1926-1930), New York Yankees (1931-1946), Boston Red Sox (1948-1950)

Career Highlights: Nine Pennants, seven World Series titles, Hall of Fame Inductee

Although he is best known for his time spent with the Yankees, where he won 1,460 games, including eight pennants and seven World Series titles, McCarthy was also the first manager in baseball history to win a pennant in both leagues, as he captured the NL pennant with the Cubs in 1929.

He ranks eighth all-time on the career wins list, but is first in winning percentage in the regular season (.615) as well as in the postseason (.698), and his seven World Series titles are tied for the most ever by a manager.