Is it fair that good coaches lose their jobs because of players who don’t perform as they should? The answer is no, but it happens every year, regardless. Coming into the 2013 season there is a select few coaches who are on the “hot seat”. Some of the names are coaches who have proved they know what they are doing. While others are looking desperate to keep their jobs.
Don Mattingly is one of the first names that comes to mind when thinking about coaches who could lose their jobs by the all star break. His contract is up at the end of the season and the way the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing right now makes you think he could get the boot. He wanted to extend his contract before the season started but the Dodgers front office turned that down. The Dodgers are currently .500 but look much worse than their record shows. Losing Zack Greinke does not help their cause either. If this team is 10 to 15 games under the .500 mark at the All-Star break, you could see Mattingly get the boot. If he is not fired by then and they fail to make the playoffs, he will undoubtedly lose his job.
Next is Charlie Manuel, the coach of the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed a two-year extension in 2010 which ends this year. The Phillies have not looked like the great team that they were in the past. Some of this is to blame on injuries, while other blame goes to lack of production. Roy Halladay doesn’t have the same stuff he did in 2010, which is another huge blow for this team. Manuel will also be 70 years old when the 2014 season starts, this could play a role in the signing of a new manager.
The next name to join this list is Ron Gardenhire. It is hard to believe only three years ago he was named the AL Coach of the Year. Now he is looking at losing his job if the Twins cannot perform to the expectations that the front office has of them. Honestly, it seems like this team should perform better than they do every single year. But, Joe Mauer is not the Mauer of 2010 and Justin Morneau is not impressing anyone. I believe that Ron G will be the first manager fired of all thirty ball clubs.
Finally, we have Mike Scioscia. He received a lot of heat in the 2012 off-season because his squad did not make the playoffs, in large part to their slow start. They still finished 16 games over .500 but failed to make the playoffs. This can not happen again in 2013, with all the money they have spent, they need to make the playoffs. If they don’t, then you can almost guarantee that Scioscia will be losing his job come summer. The funny thing about this Angels' situation is that Scioscia could get a hefty paycheck and extension if this team wins the World Series. After looking at their roster you can agree that, this is not out of the realm of possibilities.
In the end, it all comes down to who plays best and who stays healthy. There is a lot of season left and nothing is out of reach.