Martinez vs. Girardi vs. Snitker: Who’s the best manager in the NL East? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With the NL East shaping up to be one of baseball’s most competitive division races, NBC Sports Washington’s Matt Weyrich is previewing the 2021 season by ranking each team at every position on and off the diamond. Points will be awarded to teams based on their spot in each ranking with a final tally released just before Opening Day.*
Up next in the series: manager.
1. Joe Girardi (PHI) – 5 points
Bench coach: Rob Thomson / Hitting coach: Joe Dillon / Pitching coach: Caleb Cotham
The last man to lead the New York Yankees to a World Series title, Girardi is the only manager in the NL East with at least 1,000 career wins to his name. He joined the Phillies last offseason to replace Gabe Kapler, who was fired after two seasons of hovering around .500. Girardi led Philadelphia to a 29-31 record during the shortened 2020 campaign but will have higher expectations this season.
While in New York, Girardi guided the Yankees to three AL East titles and five seasons with at least 90 wins. He has a reputation for instilling discipline in his clubhouses, carrying himself with a calm yet confident presence that commands the respect of his players. A former catcher, Girardi understands the game as well as anyone and gives the Phillies an experienced voice at the helm.
2. Davey Martinez (WSH) – 4 points
Bench coach: Tim Bogar / Hitting coach: Kevin Long / Pitching coach: Jim Hickey
Martinez joins Girardi as the only two managers in the NL East to win a World Series. Washington hired the former Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays bench coach over the 2017-18 offseason after he spent nearly a decade working under Joe Maddon. Following an injury-riddled 2018 campaign, Martinez helped the Nationals overcome a 19-31 start in 2019 before leading them to a championship.
In the postseason, Martinez displayed some managerial savvy by navigating a thin bullpen and utilizing his starting pitchers in relief. He’s also credited with instilling a relaxed clubhouse culture that Washington’s veteran-heavy roster responds well to. The 56-year-old heads into 2021 looking to get the Nationals off to a fast start, something they have yet to do in his three years with the club.
3. Brian Snitker (ATL) – 3 points
Bench coach: Walt Weiss / Hitting coach: Kevin Seitzer / Pitching coach: Rick Kranitz
Snitker has been a manager for fewer than five years and already has three NL East titles. The Braves tabbed him interim manager in 2016 following the dismissal of Fredi González and it didn’t take long for them to remove that tag. He oversaw the final year and a half of the Braves’ rebuild before helping the club to 90- and 97-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Up until last year, the biggest knock on Snitker was that he hadn’t won a postseason series. The Braves lost in the NLDS twice in a row before making it all the way to Game 7 of the NLCS last fall. Having recently signed a contract extension that keeps him in Atlanta through at least 2023, Snitker will have plenty of opportunities to build off that success. Considering the loaded roster that the Braves have heading into this season, he may never have a better opportunity than this one.
4. Don Mattingly (MIA) – 2 points
Bench coach: James Rowan / Hitting coach: Eric Duncan / Pitching coach: Mel Stottlemyre
Five years into his Marlins tenure, Mattingly finally led the club to a playoff berth. It wasn’t his fault that the team was sold to a new ownership group that decided to tear everything down. Players such as Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto and Marcell Ozuna were shipped off to other clubs and the Marlins endured two fifth-place finishes before Mattingly got them back to the postseason in 2020.
It was a 60-game season with an expanded playoff field, but Miami took full advantage by winning its Wild Card series against the Cubs before being swept by the Braves in the NLDS. Mattingly has three NL West titles to his name from his five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving the Marlins confidence that he can lead them to success once the roster is fully ready to compete. It’s unclear if that will happen in 2021, but the veteran skipper has the franchise trending in the right direction.
5. Luis Rojas (NYM) – 1 point
Bench coach: Dave Jauss / Hitting coach: Chili Davis / Pitching coach: Jeremy Hefner
Fewer managers were thrust into a tougher situation in 2020 than Rojas. The Mets hired him as their second choice after original selection Carlos Beltran was identified as a key contributor to the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme. New York brought him on a month before spring training and seven weeks later, the coronavirus pandemic shut the sport down.
Rojas never played a game in the major leagues but comes from a family of deep baseball roots that includes six-time All-Star Moises Alou, former player and manager Felipe Alou and longtime Montreal Expos reliever Mel Rojas. After a lost 26-34 season in 2020, the Mets will be expected to compete for the NL East title this year. Players voiced their support for Rojas during his first season. Now must come the results.
*Scoring will be determined as follows:
Max total = 100 points
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5 points awarded for each of the best position players, 4 for second-best, etc.
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1 bonus point awarded for each of the five best position players in the division
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6 points awards for each of the top three starters, 5 for the next three, etc.
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1 bonus point awarded for each of the two best starting pitchers in the division
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5 points awarded for each of the top three bullpen arms, 4 for the next three, etc.
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5 points awarded for the best manager, 4 for second-best, etc.
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5 points awarded for the best GM, 4 for second-best, etc.
Scoring breakdown = 45 max points for hitting, 45 max points for pitching, 10 max points for coaches/GMs
Other NL East position rankings:
Right field: Soto, Acuña, Harper, Conforto, Duvall
Left field: Ozuna, Smith, Schwarber, Dickerson, McCutchen
Center field: Nimmo, Marté, Robles, Pache, Kingery
First base: Freeman, Alonso, Hoskins, Bell, Aguilar
Second base: McNeil, Albies, Segura, Castro, Chisholm/Díaz
Shortstop: Turner, Lindor, Swanson, Gregorius, Rojas
Third base: Anderson, Davis, Bohm, Riley, Kieboom
Catcher: Realmuto, McCann, Gomes, d’Arnaud, Alfaro
Starting pitcher: deGrom, Scherzer, Nola highlight top 18 starters
Relief pitcher: Hand, Smith, Díaz highlight top 15 relievers
GMs & front offices – March 25
Composite rankings – March 26