Baseball Betting: How Many Managers Will Be Fired Before the End of the Regular Season?

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July 13th, 2011

By Richard Gardner, Bodog Sportsbook Manager

At Bodog, we pride ourselves on making some of the most unique and innovative prop bets in the industry. As Major League Baseball hits its halfway point, we’ve come up with another one – pertaining to managerial job security. Yes, how many baseball bench bosses will be let go between now and the end of the season?

Line = 0.5
Over -250
Under +170

There have already been three managerial changes this season, all of which came in June. The first was Oakland relieving Bob Geren of his duties in favor of Bob Melvin; the second was Florida’s Edwin Rodriguez stepping down and 80-year-old Jack McKeon taking the helm and the final move was Washington’s Jim Riggleman going out in a blaze of glory, paving the way for Davey Johnson to return to the majors.

So, three changes already. That’s roughly halfway to the seven we saw last year – three of which, it has to be noted, occurred after July 15th. Baltimore turfed Juan Samuel on August 3, Seattle cut loose Don Wakamatsu on August 9 and Chicago was forced to replace Lou Pinella (who stepped down) on August 22.

Which candidates are likely for termination this year?

Houston: Brad Mills

Mills was at the helm of last year’s Astros team – a 76-86 outfit that finished 4th in the NL Central – that has actually gotten worse this season, posting a 30-62 mark. The Astros are currently 19 games out in the division and have a run differential of minus-106, the worst in the majors. They’re the worst team in baseball. A change could certainly be coming.

Chicago: Mike Quade

Quade took over from Pinella at the end of last season and seemingly did well enough to remove the “interim” label from his nametag. But all that goodwill might’ve been forgotten as the Cubs have stumbled to a 37-55 mark and are pretty much out of the running in the NL Central. The Cubs can’t score any runs and have an awful time getting runners on base, something that shouldn’t be a problem with the likes of Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Pena in the lineup. As they slump, more people point to a change on the bench to shake things up.

Baltimore: Buck Showalter

The Orioles are struggling once again (36-52) and Showalter is starting to lose it. (From the Baltimore Sun):
After the Orioles’ 13-5 loss to the Texas Rangers, which completed a three-game series sweep and was the team’s 11th defeat in 14 games, Showalter closed the clubhouse and challenged his players to increase their effort and execution.
“That’s probably as angry as I’ve seen him, but it’s deserved,” catcher Matt Wieters said. “We have been playing very poorly and very inconsistently for quite a while now. It’s time to go out there and make it happen.”
Showalter downplayed the meeting, saying he talks to his players regularly. He also wouldn’t comment on what prompted his latest speech.
“I said some things, and we had a little talk about them,” Showalter said. “I’m not going to tell you what was said.”

Sure sounds like a manager on the hot seat, huh?

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