When Bruce Bochy won the 2023 World Series with the Texas Rangers in his first season after coming out of retirement, it once again put in the spotlight just how important having a good manager is for a baseball team.
Bochy, who won three World Series with the San Francisco Giants before retiring, took the Rangers from a 68-94 record in 2022 to a 90-72 record en route to winning the first championship in franchise history.
But just what is it that makes a manager so impactful?
This week on the Short and to the Point podcast, Jess Kleinschmidt was joined by ESPN analyst and former Major League Baseball player Eduardo Pérez, who discussed just what it is that, in his eyes, can make a manager a difference maker.
“Allowing the players to be themselves, empowering them, not entitling them, and being able to delegate really well to their coaches,” Pérez said.
Pérez, son of Cincinnati Reds legend Tony Pérez also recounted a talk he had with Sparky Anderson, who managed the Reds from 1970-78 before going on to manage the Detroit Tigers from 1979-95. “I said, ‘Sparky what’s the secret? What was the secret to you managing Cincinnati and Detroit so successfully? And he goes, you want to make sure that they want to get to the ballpark. If you do that, these are big leaguers and they’ll produce and they’ll give you their all. Get out of their way, just make sure they want to get to the ballpark. Treat them as you would treat yourself.”
Pérez also discussed how Anderson made sure to look out for the players’ families, which, in turn, made the players want to play for him more.
Short and to the Point with Jessica Kleinschmidt is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
