Slump Busting Trivia.

[metirish]

Fact - Joe Torre recently became the first manager in history with 2,000 hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager.

Question - Will Torre be the last?

Fact - There are currently two active managers with 2,000 plus hits.

Question - Name the two active managers with a shot at joining Torre in the 2,000 - 2,000 club.



Disclaimer - I'm bored.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, Willie is certainly one. I don't think Pinella quite makes it.

[TransMonk]

Willie and Buddy Bell...although, Buddy would probably have to get out of KC to manage 2000 wins.

[metirish]

Fact - I suck.


Willie and Buddy is correct.

[Guest iramets]

Edgy DC wrote: I don't think Pinella quite makes it.

Sweet Lou falls surprisingly short: 1705 hits.

For a .291 lifetime hitter who debuted in 1964 and retired in 1984, and a starting outfielder on World's Championship teams at his peak, Piniella's career stats seem kinda weak. Once you've said .291 average and World Champion's regular, in fact, you've pretty much said it all.

[metirish]

It surprised me that so few active managers had 2,000 career hits.


Ned Yost had 1863 hits

Ozzie Guillen had 1764 hits

[Guest Edgy DC]

Greater success as a player leaves you with less and less financial and psychological need to start over again as a manager.

That's why guys like Alan Trammell and, to a lesser extent, Gary Carter, are the shit, putting excellent careers on the line by starting at zero in the eye of the same public, in a job where so much is outside your control.

Better (though certainly not braver) to take an accountability-free job like special assistant to the GM.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It also takes a hell of a long time to win 2000 games as a manager. I looked at guys like Davey Johnson and Frank Robinson and they didn't even come close.

Willie Randolph will probably have to manage into his 80's (or longer) to get 2,000 wins.

[Frayed Knot]

Piniella's problem (besides the one where most everyone leaves the second 'i' out of his name) was that his true rookie season didn't occur until the year he turned 26 w/the Royals. That 1964 debut is a bit misleding as he only got 6 ML ABs over the next 4 years.
Real hard to get 2K hits while starting that late. Plus, in all those year with the Yanx he only once got as many as 500 ABs.

Remember that he was mentioned a couple of times in the Spring Training portion of 'Ball Four'. The expansion Pilots had selected him in their draft but then dealt before the season ever started to the other expansion team because, at least in part, they thought he was a hot-head. Not untrue, but he then went on the win the ROY with KC.