In 2014, Cooperstown likely will play host to a Mount Rushmore of recent baseball managers: Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and now the retired Tony La Russa, who stepped down after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title. All three become eligible that year, according to National Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson, and probably will go into the Hall arm in arm.
Arguably, they are the greatest managers in the last 30 years.
Davey Johnson is in that argument.
La Russa left the managerial ranks one season after Cox and Torre. Johnson, meanwhile, returned to the dugout this season for the first time since 2000 as the interim manager of the Washington Nationals. General manager Mike Rizzo announced Monday that Johnson will be back next season.
The Nationals represent Johnson’s shot at finishing up a resume that is Hall of Fame worthy. He already has a reputation as one of the best managers of his time.
The resume is up for debate. His cumulative numbers fall far short of La Russa (2,728 career wins), Cox (2,504) and Torre (2,326).
Over 15 seasons, Johnson has managed his team to 1,188 victories.
But when it comes to winning percentage, Johnson stands among the best of all time.
He is tied for 13th among managers with a minimum 1,000 games at .561, five percentage points better than Cox and well ahead of La Russa and Torre. Of the 12 ahead of Johnson, only one is not in the Hall of Fame.
Johnson has won at four different stops: New York, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Los Angeles. But he has just one World Series championship to show for all that winning — with that memorable 1986 Mets squad — and five playoff appearances.
At 68, no one expects Johnson to manage long enough to catch La Russa, Cox or Torre in wins. But several seasons of success would elevate his total to a level worthy of consideration.
Johnson took over the Nationals after Jim Riggleman shockingly resigned in midseason, and after settling in and getting a handle on his team, he managed the Nationals to a 40-43 record and an overall 80-81 mark, including wins in 14 of their last 18 games.
He has a young team that seems on the verge of winning, and it’s reasonable, based on those expectations, that Johnson could win 170 games over the next two seasons.
That would put him at 1,350 career victories — more than Whitey Herzog, a Hall of Famer who won three pennants as the Cardinals skipper but just one World Series title.
Johnson is every bit a peer of La Russa, Cox and Torre. He just needs success in what is probably his final stop in Washington to validate his reputation.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
