Job Security: 5 MLB Managers in Danger of Unemployment

This is a guest post submitted by Chris Ludwig. Chris played a wide variety of sports growing up and now passionately follows everything sports, especially Detroit sports. He works with Phoenix Bats, a company that creates world-class wood bats for amateur and professional ball players around the world. Chris enjoys writing on different sports topics and is very grateful to be able to contribute here.

The average life span of an MLB player’s career is somewhere between five and six years. For an MLB manager, it’s not quite as robust.

Managers are generally the one left holding the bag and the first ones out the door when a team fails to achieve its goals. Since 25 players can’t be fired, it’s the manager who feels the pain.

As the 2012 MLB season rolls along, who are the managers most likely to find pine on a park bench?
Let’s take a look.

1. Ned Yost: Kansas City Royals

Ned Yost is in his third season as skipper of the Kansas City Royals, having taken over from the fired Trey Hillman just 25 games into the 2010 season.

Yost has been charged with developing a bevy of youngsters on the Royals’ roster. However, with a
record of 39-53 and fighting for last place in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins as of July 20, Yost may end up with a similar fate as his predecessor.

2. Eric Wedge: Seattle Mariners

Eric Wedge is in his second season with the Seattle Mariners, and has been saddled with a team that
continues to struggle scoring runs.

The Mariners were dead last in the American League in plating runs in 2011 and find themselves in
second-to-last in that department this year as well.

Has it been Wedge’s fault? Absolutely not, but he’ll end up taking the fall anyway.

3. Ozzie Guillen: Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins went to great lengths to get the man they wanted to skipper their team last season,
hiring away manager Ozzie Guillen from the Chicago White Sox and giving up players in return.

Guillen didn’t start out in very smooth fashion, getting in trouble with the Cuban-American community in South Florida with comments that praised Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

In addition, Guillen has largely failed to motivate his charges, with the Marlins five games under .500 as of July 20.

It could be a short stay in South Florida for Guillen.

4. Brad Mills: Houston Astros

When the Houston Astros changed ownership early in the 2012, new owner Jim Crane and general
manager Jeff Luhnow stuck by current manager Brad Mills, giving him an opportunity to show them
what he could do with a young core group of players in Houston.

Has Mills done enough to keep his job? The Astros sit in last place in the NL Central Division with a 34-59 record as of July 20. With a pending move to the AL West Division next season, Astros’ management may decide to go in a new direction.

5. Jim Tracy: Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd gave manager Jim Tracy an “indefinite” contract
extension prior to the 2012 season. Considering how the season has gone thus far, O’Dowd may put a
definite end to that deal.

The Rockies are 35-56 as of July 20, the second-worst record in all of baseball. Much more was expected of this team after a disappointing 73-89 finish last year.