This isn’t an actual list where the managers are ranked from best to worst, but rather a look at the greatest managers.
1913-1917 St. Louis Cardinals
1918-1929 New York Yankees
Pennants: 6
Championships: 3
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 37-11
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 3-2
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 0-1
2. JOE MCCARTHY
1926-1930 Chicago Cubs
1931-1946 New York Yankees
1948-1950 Boston Red Sox
Pennants: 9
Championships: 7
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 38-36
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 6-1
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 1-1
1934-1936 Brooklyn Dodgers
1938-1943 Boston Braves
1949-1960 New York Yankees
1962-1965 New York Mets
Pennants: 10
Championships: 7
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 40-32
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 5-3
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 2-0
4. JOE TORRE
1977-1981 New York Mets
1982-1984 Atlanta Braves
1990-1995 St. Louis Cardinals
1996-2007 New York Yankees
2008-2010 Los Angeles Dodgers
Pennants: 6
Championships: 4
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 69-42
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 15-10
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 4-1
5. JOHN MCGRAW
1899 Baltimore Orioles
1901-1902 Baltimore Orioles
1902-1932 New York Giants
Pennants: 10
Championships: 3
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 45-66
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 3-6
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 0-0
1970-1978 Cincinnati Reds
1979-1995 Detroit Tigers
Pennants: 5
Championships: 3
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 48-28
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 7-3
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 1-1
1979-1986 Chicago White Sox
1986-1995 Oakland Athletics
1996-2011 St. Louis Cardinals
Pennants: 6
Championships: 3
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 57-39*
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 9-9
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 7-2
*He was fired by the Chicago White Sox early in the 1986 season, so I wasn’t sure which manager was responsible for the 3 losses below the expected record. I also didn’t know if he was responsible for the 2 losses below the expected record for Oakland that season for the same reason.
8. BOBBY COX
1978-1981 Atlanta Braves
1982-1985 Toronto Blue Jays
1990-2010 Atlanta Braves
Pennants: 5
Championships: 1
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 49-35
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 11-13
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 1-1
9. CONNIE MACK
1894-1896 Pittsburgh Pirates
1901-1950 Philadelphia Athletics
Pennants: 9
Championships: 5
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 94-85
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 5-2
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 0-1
10. EARL WEAVER
1968-1982 Baltimore Orioles
1985-1986 Baltimore Orioles
Pennants: 4
Championships: 1
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 46-27*
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 5-5
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 1-0
*I excluded the 3 extra games they were supposed to win in 1985 as Weaver was only one of 3 managers that season.
11. WALTER ALSTON
1954-1957 Brooklyn Dodgers
1958-1976 Los Angeles Dodgers
Pennants: 7
Championships: 4
Extra Pythagorean W-L: 59-33
Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 3-3
Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 2-0
Who is the greatest? My vote is for Joe Torre.
MLB & FANTASY BASEBALL ANALYZED 