Baltimore Orioles: Buck Showalter All-Time Team

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Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26) – Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

With Friday’s 2-1 victory over Tampa, Buck Showalter won his 400th game as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Before going further, how many people felt that Showalter would get to that point when hired? Granted he was a guy that brought some instant name recognition and credibility, I suspect that a lot of fans just assumed that he’d manage a couple of seasons before being let go at some point like his predecesors.

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Obviously that has not been the case. Showalter has arguably been the best manager since Earl Weaver in Baltimore. One could throw Davey Johnson in as well, but I digress. However Showalter of course has managed in three other places prior to coming to Baltimore, coaching players such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Mark Texeira, and others.

So when you have a manager like Buck, it’s always interesting to look back at some of those players. If he had to name a top “starting nine” of his players,” who would they be? It should in theory be easy to judge given the fact that one can look at players’ stats. However it goes beyond that in a certain sense. So who would I submit as Showalter’s “starting 9?” Scroll through and find out!

Pitcher: Randy Johnson

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Johnson pitched for Showalter in Arizona starting in 1999. Mind you that he wasn’t with Showalter for very long given the fact that Showalter was let go, however if you’re looking for the best pitcher Buck ever managed you can start and stop with the Big Unit. A hall of famer of his caliber speaks for himself.

Catcher: Matt Wieters

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Jorge Posada might run a close second, however Showalter only managed him when he was a September call-up in 1995. (Showalter resigned after the season.) However over the course of his career Showalter hasn’t always had top notch catchers. There are some who would argue that Wieters actually fits in nicely in that discussion. In other words, some feel that Wieters hasn’t materialized into what he could have been or was expected to be. However the fact is that Wieters is an all-star caliber catcher.

If you look over Buck Showalter’s teams from top to bottom over the years, Wieters is probably the catcher that he’s coached. Obviously he’s also had injury problems, so thus it remains to be seen if he continues to be that great catcher. But to this point I’d have to give him the nod.

First Base: Don Mattingly

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Orioles fans may not necessarily appreciate me throwing a Yankee into the discussion, but Mattingly was one heck of a first baseman. There can be no doubting that. Granted he was in the twilight of his career by the time he came Buck’s way. This was another tough decision because Showalter also famously managed Mark Texeira in Texas, and he would probably run a very close second. However I’ve always had a soft spot for “Donny baseball,” so he gets the nod. Incidentally while it’s probably that Mattingly got much of his coaching moxie from Joe Torre, it has to be a matter of pride for a manager like Buck Showalter to see a guy he coached turn into a manager of a franchise like the LA Dodgers.

Second Base: Craig Counsell

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This was a bit of a tough one because Buck Showalter didn’t seem to ever coach a “name” second baseman. That’s not to say that he hasn’t had decent guys come his way who played that position, but nobody with the name recognition of a Don Mattingly, et al. However according to SAFE (Spatial Aggregate Fielding Evaluation), he was the second highest rated second baseman in baseball from 2002-’08. Like Don Mattingly, Counsell is also now a fellow manager to Showalter, as he was named the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in the wake of a managerial change. For what it’s worth, Showalter managed Counsell in Arizona. It’s also worth mentioning that by the time Showalter leaves the Orioles, this and other names on the list just might be different if the likes of Jonathan Schoop and others have anything to say about it.

Next: Derek Jeter

Shortstop: Derek Jeter

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Is there really any discussion about this one? Granted Jeter was just a young player when Showalter managed him in New York, but his potential was obvious. In fairness, Jeter truly came of age and came to be what we know him to be under Joe Torre. But if you look hard you can see a lot of Buck Showalter’s touches on his game. The attention to detail, the preparedness, etc. One might hope that all coaches instill those qualities in players – let’s just say some more than others. But if you’re looking for the Buck Showalter all-time shortstop, look no further than “the Captain.”

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Third Base: Matt Williams

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You’d love to throw Manny Machado in here, however I would submit that we haven’t seen enough of him to say for sure. However Showalter managed Williams in Arizona, and he still holds the franchise record for the most RBI in a season at 142 in 1999. Obviously Williams is also another player-turned-manager as well, and I’ll throw in the fact that I was a huge Matt Williams fans as a kid when he played in San Francisco. For both franchises he was what today we call a “baller,” and he wan’t afraid to go all out in the field, at the plate, or on the base paths. Those are the types of qualities that Orioles fans have come to know and expect from Buck Showalter-coached teams, and that all comes from the top down. Again, by the time Showalter’s done coaching we might well say that Manny Machado is his best third baseman, however for now I would submit Matt Williams.

Next: Outfield

Outfield: Bernie Williams, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis

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Admittedly I’m lumping the outfield together. Nothing personal against any of those positions – especially given that I myself played right field in little league! The fact is that there are a lot of guys who came Showalter’s way that I could throw in there. However if I had to pick three, it would be Bernie Williams, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis. Bear in mind that the gold glove awards by themselves amongst the three probably back up the selections, however I digress. What those players meant to the teams on which they played also resonates in this discussion.

Next: Conclusion

A lot of folks are going to submit other names via comments, and tell me I’m crazy for choosing the players that I did. Maybe I am – who knows?! But the fact is that in order to win as many games as Showalter has (both with the Orioles and before coming to Baltimore), Buck Showalter’s had some pretty good players come his way. One glaring omission I suppose is the position of relief pitcher, so you might throw a young Mariano Rivera in there as well. And for what it’s worth, Showalter managed Deion Sanders in the minor leagues.

However many of these players were guys that Showalter managed in the past. Buck Showalter’s a guy that’s keenly aware of the fact that while it’s great to look back, life moves only forward. So if he were reading this, he’d probably say “this is great, but…I like our guys now.” That aside, congrats to Buck Showalter on his 400th win as the Orioles’ manager.

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