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manager's duties (setting a lineup) are statistically insignificant, while others (maintaining team attitude,
harmony and discipline) are unmeasurable. The Tactician Rating is an effort to quantify a few of the skills
for which measurements can be taken. The rating's three components are the sacrifice bunt, the stolen base,
and the hit and run. Because it is used approximately twice as often as the other two, the rating for the stolen
base is used twice in calculating the composite tactician rating.
2006
American League
Manager Team Sac Steal H&R Score
Perlozzo Bal .476 .559 .567 .540
Scioscia LAA .573 .511 .563 .540
Gardenhire Min .479 .499 .633 .528
Wedge Cle .545 .499 .563 .527
Torre NYY .509 .565 .459 .525
Macha Oak .578 .533 .452 .524
Hargrove Sea .534 .524 .462 .511
Madden TB .482 .509 .452 .488
Francona Bos .439 .487 .512 .481
Leyland Det .516 .424 .541 .476
Showalter Tex .517 .487 .398 .472
Guillen CWS .463 .467 .482 .472
Bell KC .461 .465 .452 .461
Gibbons Tor .424 .469 .467 .457
National League
Mgr. Team Sac Steal H&R Avg
Manuel Phi .453 .555 .596 .540
Baker ChC .528 .503 .591 .531
Alou SF .514 .494 .608 .528
Bochy SD .502 .564 .439 .517
Robinson Was .532 .470 .581 .413
Randolph NYM .513 .570 .381 .519
Tracy Pit .508 .535 .449 .507
Garner Hou .479 .485 .531 .502
Little LA .518 .511 .459 .500
Yost Mil .453 .464 .571 .488
Girardi Fla .496 .453 .518 .485
Hurdle Col .493 .445 .521 .476
LaRussa Stl .512 .458 .463 .474
Cox Atl .502 .422 .516 .466
Narron Cin .491 .558 .232 .460
For the second consecutive season, Charlie Manuel failed to get
his Phillies into the National League post-season. But also for the
second consecutive season, Manuel proved to be the most adept
tactician among National league managers.
In 2006, Manual's .540 rating was achieved despite a modest
.453 score in his handling of the sacrifice. But Manuel ranked
high in the rating's other two components, the steal and the hit
and run. At .555, he stood fourth in his use of the stolen base,
behind only New York's Willie Randolph (.570), Cincinnati's Jerry
Narron (.558) and San Diego's Bruce Bochy (.555). He also stood
second in his use of the hit and run (.596), trailing only San
Francisco's Felipe Alou (.608). Chicago's Dusty Baker (.531) and
Alou (.528) finished behind Manuel overall.
It was a bad year for some of the National League's stalwart
managerial names. Tony LaRussa, a frequent finisher in the
rating's top three or four, placed 14th in 2006 (.473), and that was
one notch ahead of Atlanta's Bobby Cox (.466).
A veteran and a rookie tied atop the American League tactician
ratings. Mike Scioscia (Los Angeles-Anaheim) and Sam Perlozzo
(Baltimore) both rated .540.
Scioscia was the only manager int he American League (and,
along with Dusty Baker, one of only two in the majors), to rate
above average in all three tactical areas in 2006. He was second
(.573) in his use of the sacrifice, trailing only Oakland's Ken
Macha (.578). In his use of the hit and run, Scioscia rated .563,
placing him in a tie for third with Cleveland' Eric Wedge behind
Ron Gardenhire (.633) and Perlozzo (.567). Perlozzo also rated
second (.559) in his use of the stolen base, trailing only New
York's Joe Torre (.565)
The complete 2006 ratings are at right. The formula for
calculating the Tactician rating is presented in Bill Felber's book,
"The Book on the Book," published by St. Martin's Press.