Major League Baseball, frequently abbreviated as MLB, is one of the most popular sports leagues in the US. MLB is the oldest sports league in the world and was established in 1876. There are 30 teams currently playing in this league: fifteen of these are in the National League, and the other fifteen are part of the American League.
Becoming an MLB manager is not an easy task! It requires practice and plenty of dedication. Today, most managers are retired players with stunning careers behind them. But while some managers are over 70, others are way younger.
That’s why we decided to write a list of the eight youngest MLB managers!
8. Andrew Hinch (May 15, 1974 – present)
Age: 48 years old
Team: Detroit Tigers
Birthplace: Waverly, Iowa
Winning %: 0.545
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
Andrew Hinch was born in May 1974 and is the manager of the Detroit Tigers.
He grew up in Nashua, Iowa, until the age of eight, when his parents moved to Oklahoma. Andrew was extremely good at sports when he was in high school, and he was awarded the National Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball.
He attended Stanford University, where he joined the Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. In these years, Andrew also won a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
After college, he started his professional career playing catcher for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Philippes.
After declaring his retirement as a player, Andrew managed several teams, and in October 2020, he was hired as a manager for the Detroit Tigers.
Did You Know?
Andrew is married to Herin Hinch and has two daughters.
7. Alex Cora (October 18, 1975 -present)
Age: 46 years
Team: Boston Red Sox
Birthplace: Caguas, Puerto Rico
Winning %: 0.581
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
Alex Cora is among the youngest MLB managers in the US and is currently forty-six years old.
Just like many other managers, Alex started his baseball career quite early. He was drafted in the 12th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins but refused to sign a contract. Instead, he decided to keep playing college baseball at the University of Miami.
After college, Alex began his professional career as a baseball player joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. He stayed on this team for seven years and participated in 684 games.
Later in his career, Alex played with the Cleveland Indians, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Mets, the Texas Rangers, and the Washington Nationals.
After 2011, Alex went back to Puerto Rico and kept playing baseball there for a while before announcing his retirement.
He became the Boston Red Sox’s manager in 2017 but was fired two years later because of a sign-stealing scandal. Alex was re-hired in 2020.
Did You Know?
Alex’s brother is also famous in the baseball scene. His name is Joey, and he’s a former MLB utility player and current third base coach for the New York Mets.
6. Mark Kotsay (December 2, 1975 – present)
Age: 46 years
Team: Oakland Athletics
Birthplace: Whittier, California
Winning %: 0.405
photo source: redacaoemcampo.com
Mark Kotsay is currently 46 years old, and he manages the Oakland Athletics.
He was born in Whittier but was raised in Santa Fe Springs, where he attended high school. In his youth, Mark loved sports and played both football and basketball.
He started to play baseball in college, where everyone soon noticed his talent. In fact, in 1995, he won the Golden Spikes Award, bestowed on the best amateur baseball player in the US.
Mark began to play professionally in 1996 with the Florida Marlins. After the Marlins, he changed six teams: San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sock, and Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2014, Mark worked as a coach for the Padres and started to train the Oakland Athletics a year later. He was promoted to the position of manager at the beginning of the 2022 season.
Did You Know?
In 2019, Mark was added to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame!
5. Chris Woodward (June 27, 1976 – present)
Age: 45 years
Team: Texas Rangers
Birthplace: Covina, California
Winning %: 0.414
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
Chris Woodward was born in June 1967 and is currently one of the youngest MLB managers at the age of 45. He grew up in Covina, California, where he attended Northview High School, and later Mt. San Antonio College.
Chris’ career started in 1994 when he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays for the 54th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft. He also received a lot of attention in 1999 when he hit a sacrifice fly in an 8-2 loss to the New York Mets. Three years later, in 2002, he also managed to hit three home runs in one game!
After the Toronto Blue Jays released him in 2004, Chris played for several teams. For instance, in 2005, he signed a contract with the New York Mets, and he then played for the Atlanta Braves, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, and many other teams.
In 2012, Chirs retired and started to coach first for the Seattle Mariners and then for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected as the Texas Rangers’ manager in 2018.
Did You Know?
Chris met his wife, Erin, while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. They now have three kids together.
4. David Ross (March 19, 1977 – present)
Age: 45 years
Team: Chicago Cubs
Birthplace: Bainbridge, Georgia
Winning %: 0.478
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
David Ross was born in 1977 and is the manager of the Chicago Cubs.
Despite being born in Georgia, he was raised in Tallahassee, Florida. David got his passion for sport from his parents. His dad used to be part of a men’s softball league, while his mom played basketball.
Ross was extremely good at sports and received an athletic scholarship to attend Auburn University. During these years, he played college baseball and participated in the College World Series.
After this, David started to play for several professional teams. He first joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and then moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates. But his career didn’t stop here. After his experience with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he kept playing for many teams. Some of these include the Boston Red Socks, the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Cubs, and the Kansas Stars.
After David announced his retirement in 2019, the Chicago Cubs hired him as their manager to replace Joe Maddon.
Did You Know?
David was the first professional baseball player to participate in the tv show Dancing with the Stars.
3. Kevin Cash (December 6, 1977 – present)
Age: 44 years
Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida
Winning %: 0.537
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
Kevin Cash is currently forty-four years old, and he is the Tampa Bay Rays’ manager.
He started his career as a second baseman for the Northside Little League in Tampa. In college, he joined the Florida State Seminoles baseball appearing in two College World Series.
In 1999, Kevin played for the Falmouth Commodores, but two months later he signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. From 2002 to 2004, he appeared in 101 games, playing mainly as a defensive replacement and backup catcher.
From there, his career got a boost. Kevin played for several teams ranging from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Boston Red Socks, the New York Yankees, and the Houston Astros.
In 2012, he announced his retirement as a player and started to coach. Two years later, the Tampa Bay Rays hired him as their manager.
Did You Know?
Kevin was the first manager to win the American Manager of the Year Award in two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021.
2. Rocco Baldelli (September 25, 1981 – present)
Age: 40 years
Team: Minnesota Twins
Birthplace: Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Winning %: 0.547
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
Rocco Baldelli is one of the youngest MLB managers in the US, and he’s currently 40 years old.
His passion for baseball started at a very young age but his career was unfortunately characterized by several injuries.
Rocco began to play this sport in middle school and continued during his senior years when he pulled his oblique muscle. Despite this, he continued to excel both in baseball and school. He earned all-state honors in this sport and considered applying to Princeton and Yale.
In 2003, Rocco made his big league debut playing for the Tampa Bay Devils Rays. Unfortunately, only two years later, his career was interrupted by a rare metabolic/muscular disease. It took years for doctors to properly diagnose and treat his condition. In 2010, Rocco returned to the major league, but he decided to end his career due to severe muscle cramping.
In the following years, he worked as a minor league instructor until the Tampa Bay Rays selected him as their first base coach in 2014. Rocco became the Minnesota Twins manager at the end of the 2018 season.
Did You Know?
In the first year of Rocco’s management, the Twins won 101 games. A big improvement compared to the 78 wins of the previous year.
1. Oliver Marmol (July 2, 1986 – present)
Age: 35 years
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida
Winning %: 0.571
photo source: www.live5news.com
Oliver Marmol is currently the youngest MLB manager as he’s only 35 years old.
Oliver was born in Orlando and attended Dr. Philippes High School. Before starting college, he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2004 MLB draft. However, he declined the offer and decided to focus on his studies instead.
Oliver attended the College of Charleston, where he kept his passion for baseball alive by playing college football. But his talent didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, Oliver was soon drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB draft.
From 2011 onwards, he worked as a manager for different teams. The turning point for him came in 2014. At the time, Oliver was managing the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League. The team won the league’s championship, boosting Oliver’s career.
A few years later, in 2017, he officially became the first base coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. But in 2019, he was shifted to bench coach. In October 2021, Oliver was finally chosen to manage the team.
Did You Know?
Before becoming the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Oliver worked with several teams. Some of these include the Gulf Coast Cardinals, the Johnson City Cardinals, and Palm Beach.
