Does Mike Shildt's lack of playing experience matter?

A few weeks back, I wondered on an episode of the Section 1904 podcast if San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt (who I knew to be someone without professional baseball playing experience) was the only manager in MLB in such a situation.

Miraculously, someone from our Discord did some digging and found the answer:

Now, as much as I enjoy BroCones on our Discord, I am not yet at a place where I can trust him implicitly. So I did my own research to verify his findings and then went a little further to see if any of this even matters.

First things first...

Is Mike Shildt the only active manager in MLB that did not play baseball professionally before becoming a coach? I'm not going to pretend that my research is flawless, but I will say that appears to be the case after digging through the data from multiple angles.

Mike Shildt seems to be the 3% (or 1 out of 30) of current MLB managers that did not play in Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. Here's the full list:

• Stephen Vogt (Guardians) – Played 10 seasons in MLB as a catcher and utility player.
• Matt Quatraro (Royals) – Played seven seasons in the minors as a catcher and first baseman.
• A.J. Hinch (Tigers) – Played parts of seven seasons in MLB as a catcher.
• Rocco Baldelli (Twins) – Played parts of six seasons in MLB as an outfielder.
• Will Venable (White Sox) – Played nine MLB seasons as an outfielder.
• John Schneider (Blue Jays) – Played six seasons as a catcher in the Blue Jays' minor league system.
• Tony Mansolino (Orioles, interim) – Played six seasons in the minors as an infielder.
• Kevin Cash (Rays) – Played parts of eight seasons in MLB as a catcher.
• Alex Cora (Red Sox) – Played 14 seasons in MLB as an infielder.
• Aaron Boone (Yankees) – Played 13 seasons in MLB as a third baseman.
• Ron Washington (Angels) – Played in MLB as an infielder for parts of 10 seasons.
• Joe Espada (Astros) – Played 10 seasons in the minors as an infielder; never reached MLB.
• Mark Kotsay (Athletics) – Played 17 seasons in MLB as an outfielder.
• Dan Wilson (Mariners) – Played 12 seasons in MLB as a catcher.
• Bruce Bochy (Rangers) – Played nine seasons in MLB as a catcher.
• Pat Murphy (Brewers) – Played four seasons in the minors as a pitcher.
• Oliver Marmol (Cardinals) – Played four seasons in the Cardinals’ minor league system.
• Craig Counsell (Cubs) – Played 16 seasons in MLB as an infielder.
• Don Kelly (Pirates) – Played nine seasons in MLB as a utility player.
• Terry Francona (Reds) - Played 10 years in MLB as a first baseman and outfielder.
• Brian Snitker (Braves) – Played four seasons in the Braves’ minor league system.
• Carlos Mendoza (Mets) – Played 13 seasons in the minors; never reached MLB.
• Dave Martinez (Nationals) – Played 16 seasons in MLB as an outfielder.
• Rob Thomson (Phillies) – Played four seasons in the Tigers’ minor league system as a catcher/third baseman.
• Clayton McCullough (Marlins) – Played four seasons in the Cleveland minor league system as a catcher.
• Torey Lovullo (Diamondbacks) – Played parts of eight seasons in MLB as an infielder.
• Dave Roberts (Dodgers) – Played 10 seasons in MLB as an outfielder.
• Bob Melvin (Giants) – Played 10 seasons in MLB as a catcher.
• Mike Shildt (Padres) – Did not play professionally.
• Warren Schaeffer (Rockies) – Played six seasons in the Rockies’ minor league system as an infielder.

And?

Does it matter?

I suppose you can argue that it matters from an intangibles perspective, that players find it easier to relate to a manager that has been in their shoes before, but that's not something that I can prove.

I figured there was only on true way to figure this out: Find another one.

I didn't think it made a ton of sense to look back before 2000 for managers that had not played pro ball, the game has changed so much since then, so I made that my arbitrary cut line and went digging through 25 years of managers to try and find another like Mike Shildt.

And, you know what? I think I found one. Exactly one.

Meet Dave Trembley.

Similar to Mike, Dave worked his way up the coaching ranks by working hard and being patient. After some success coaching in the minors, he took over (as an interim manager) an Orioles team that had been struggling for years under Sam Perlozzo.

After taking over the 29-40 Orioles, Trembley led them on a 29-25 stretch and was heralded as the guy to lead the team long-term. Baltimore ownership removed his interim title and extended his contract through the following season.

The day the extension was announced, the Orioles lost a 30-3 (not a typo!) game at home. It kicked off a nine-game losing streak and the team later put up a 11-28 record to end the season.

I'm going to quote this next paragraph straight from Wikipedia, in case it sounds familiar:

With the Orioles still stuck in last place in the AL East with a major-league-worst 15–39 record and an eight-game losing streak, Trembley was fired on June 4, 2010 and replaced by third-base coach Juan Samuel. The ballclub's 2–16 start was the second worst in franchise history. They were also stricken by a rash of injuries and the lowest run production in the majors a third into the campaign. Trembley had become a target for increasing criticism from fans who felt his disciplinary approach was too soft and that he mishandled the bullpen. Details of the latter included overworking his relief pitchers and putting them in situations to fail.^[18] His tenure lasted just under three years with a 187–283 record.

Dave Trembley was (eventually) replaced by Buck Showalter and, two years later, the Orioles won 93 games with the 19th highest payroll in MLB. The 2012 Orioles also promoted future Hall of Famer Manny Machado that season, although he only appeared in 51 games.

Conclusions

None! I have no conclusions. I've learned nothing except that Mike Shildt, as someone who has found himself in the role of MLB manager without prior professional baseball player experience, is exceptionally rare.

And, with a .559 winning percentage (about 90 wins per season), there is plenty of reason to believe that he's actually pulling it off. It certainly makes it more difficult to compare him to Dave Trembley.

Maybe this will start a trend where other MLB teams will hire long-time coaches without playing experience to be managers and not worry about how it'll play in the clubhouse. Maybe it won't. That answer probably depends on postseason success rates more than anything else.

But, at least for now, I think it's okay to continue to point out that Mike Shildt made it here a different way than most everyone else that has ever been in that role. It makes it harder to compare him to other managers and makes him (and the Padres front office that hired him) a potential trendsetter.