Rookie managers in better position to succeed

There are eight new managers in baseball, four on the job at the highest level for the first time.

Stephen Vogt, who replaced Terry Francona as manager of the Guardians, described the feeling like being thrown into the deep end of a pool with his hands tied behind his back and attached to a cinder block.

“I’ve got one arm out so I’m able to get to the surface now,” Vogt said earlier this month.

There was a time when teams usually sought managers with experience in the majors or minors. But with larger coaching staffs and statistical analysts as adjunct members of the staff, experience matters less.

Managers still run the game, but many of their decisions are mapped out ahead of time. Fostering good chemistry and representing the team to the public are important parts of the job.

Vogt, 39, is a likable former catcher who retired after the 2022 season and was hired by Cleveland after one season as Seattle’s bullpen coach.

“I’m realizing how big and how many resources the Cleveland Guardians have in order to help me with this onboarding process,” he said. “The way that [team president Chris Antonetti]

and the group have really laid it out, it’s getting me on board enough every day to where I’m handling a lot.”

Joe Espada replaced Dusty Baker in Houston after six seasons as bench coach and seven years as a third base coach for the Marlins and Yankees. He was an obvious choice when Baker retired. The Astros bring back the core of a team that went to the AL Championship Series last season.

“Our team is dynamic. It’s an elite team,” Espada said. “I think my job is going to be just kind of making sure that these players are in a position to succeed, making sure I communicate with them their roles where we stand as an organization.

“Just taking the field and playing hard, that’s who we are. I think the players expect and know that’s what I’m going to ask from them.”

The Mets selected Carlos Mendoza after their top choice, Craig Counsell, chose the Cubs. Mendoza was the Yankees’ bench coach for four years.

Former Met John Gibbons, who managed Toronto from 2004-08 and again from 2013-18, was hired as bench coach.

“I think the biggest thing is keep being you,” Mendoza said. “You’ve gotten to this point for a reason; just keep being yourself, just keep being you and you’re going to be fine. That’s pretty much the consistent messaging that I got from a lot of the managers.”

The other rookie hire is Pat Murphy, who replaced Counsell in Milwaukee. He was the team’s bench coach for eight seasons and another obvious choice.

Murphy is the only new manager with extensive experience as a manager. He was 42-54 as interim manager of the Padres in 2015 after managing five years in their farm system and won 1,000 games as a college coach from 1983-2009.

Murphy coached Dustin Pedroia at Arizona State.

The Brewers made the playoffs five of the last six years under Counsell but are resetting with money-saving roster moves that could include trading ace Corbin Burnes.

“I’m going to worry about what’s in hand right in front of our face. We’re not going to predict or forecast anything right now,” Murphy said.