Why Baker, Maddon, Bochy and Piniella Belong in Cooperstown

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Outspoken With Dan Sileo

Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon, Lou Piniella and Bruce Bochy Earn Hall of Fame Support

The contemporary committee’s Hall of Fame list included Dusty Baker, Lou Piniella, Bruce Bochy and Joe Maddon. Having worked with all four managers, I am pulling for them to receive an opportunity to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I worked with Maddon while hosting the Rays pregame and postgame shows in Tampa. It was a privilege to watch how he connected with his players and won with the organization built by Andrew Friedman. Eric Neander and Kevin Cash have since followed a similar blueprint.

Maddon joined our program every week. When I asked how he connected with his players, he explained that a manager must have a personal relationship with every one of them. Those relationships created the least resistance and produced the best results.

I loved being around Maddon. He taught me a great deal about managing, constructing lineup cards and leading a team with a payroll that was around $90 million at the time. He accomplished marvelous things with that team before going to Chicago and winning the World Series with the Cubs.

Dusty Baker is also one of my favorite people. I worked with him while hosting the San Francisco Giants pregame and postgame shows in the Bay Area on KNBR 680. Baker joined every postgame show to discuss a loaded Giants team featuring Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent.

Baker was a great communicator. Whenever we entered the dugout, he introduced us to the players and gave us opportunities to begin building relationships. Dusty helped me get into the locker room, where I started developing a strong relationship with Bonds.

I also got to know Piniella while living in Tampa, his home area. He was a great manager and communicator. I had another opportunity to work with Bochy while hosting the San Diego Padres pregame and postgame shows.

The quality shared by Baker, Maddon, Piniella and Bochy was their ability to communicate. They knew how to manage their rosters and handle the players in their dugouts. I look forward to seeing which of these men gets an opportunity to enter the Hall of Fame.