The Top 10 MLB Coaches of the 1980s

The 1980s were a revolutionary decade in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, combining emerging talent, strategic breakthroughs, and legendary managers. This time, managers helped mold the game, its approach, and its strategies, which would help define baseball for generations. 

This is how the criteria used to figure out who its "Top 10" coaches of the '80s were.

• Win-Loss Records: This is how well the coach can get their team to win, obviously one of the many things you need as a good MLB skipper.
• Won Championships: You can see how effective a coach was by whether or not they won the World Series or pennants.
• Player development: Coaches were judged on how well they fostered natural gifts and maximized potential.
• Innovation: Those that implemented a new strategy or approach that had an extensive impact on the game.
• Impact on the Game: How coaches changed their teams and the football game.

In light of these attributes, we investigate the top 10 MLB coaches during the '80s in terms of their accomplishments and what they brought to this game from a coaching standpoint.

Coach #1: Tony La Russa

Biography and Career

La Russa led the White Sox to a West Division title in 1983 and also managed them from 1979.

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Champion: La Russa guided the Athletics to a 1989 World Series.
• Postseasons: Three straight pennants from 1988 to '90.

Coaching Style and Impact

La Russa was an intense micro-manager and skillful at controlling his pitching staff. He was also one of the first managers to specialize in relief pitchers, a move that would change the way bullpens worked forever.

Coach #2: Earl Weaver

Biography and Career

Earl Weaver managed the Baltimore Orioles from 1968 to 1982, with a return engagement in the mid-1980s. His directive in the 1980s was "pitching, power hitting, and good defense all around."

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Champion: He won a championship in '70 as the Orioles' field manager and kept Baltimore competitive throughout much of the late decade and early 80s.
• Playoff Appearances: His teams had a few playoff series, proving he could hold a strong winning tradition.

Coaching Style and Impact

Weaver also had a reputation for his fiery demeanor and love of three-run homers. The importance of on-base percentage and slugging has become the blueprint for all modern baseball offenses.

Coach #3: Bobby Cox

Biography and Career

He would go on to manage the Atlanta Braves from 1978-1981 and then again in two stints between 1986-2010. When he returned in the 1988 season, it was followed by a long period of Braves domination

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Title: Cox guided the Braves to a title in 1995.
• Won Division Titles Many division titles in the late 1980s through early mid-1990s.

Coaching Style and Impact

He was even soft-spoken and quite capable of relating to his players. He preached the basics above all else, and he knew how to handle developing young players, which unified his core of future Hall of Famers in Atlanta. He became a Hall of Famer due in part to his abilities managing the game.

Coach #4: Whitey Herzog

Biography and Career

From 1980 through 1990, he managed the St. Louis Cardinals, turning them into a perennial contender. He pioneered an outfield style of play centered on velocity and the ability to defend.

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Champion: Guided the Cardinals to a crown in 1982.

Coaching Style and Impact

Herzog is considered an innovator and had his team baserunning at its most prolific, along with defense. His emphasis on speed and athleticism reminds him of how the game was played during his generation, but more than that, it changed managerial philosophy for future generations.

Coach #5: Jim Leyland

Biography and Career

Upon taking over as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986, Jim Leyland rapidly developed a reputation for being one. Under his leadership, the Pirates attained competitive status in the National League.

Key Accomplishments

• Division Titles: Leyland took the Pirates to titles in three straight years from 1990-92.

Coaching Style and Impact

Leyland was a renowned motivator and builder of winning organizations. The staples of his philosophy and preparation built the foundation for his teams' success. Leyland's influence in the game lasted well past that time, as he later helped lead the Florida Marlins to a World Series title in 1997.

Coach #6: Tom Lasorda

Biography and Career

Tom Lasorda managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 to '96 during a heyday in the middle of that stretch, mostly in the 1980s. Loved throughout the game and by his players, he brought a passion for baseball to everyone who knew him.

Key Accomplishments

• A World Series Winner: Lasorda won the world in 1981 and again in 1988 with his Dodgers.
• Developing Players: He developed young players like potential future star Fernando Valenzuela.

Coaching Style and Impact

Lasorda was also known for his fiery personality and motivational skills. He stressed the importance of working together and never giving up, helping build a strong bond within his team. Everything he did to help the Dodgers win in the 1980s truly stamps his place among baseball managers all-time great.

Coach #7: Joe Torre

Biography and Career

Joe Torre had spells with New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves. This time in the 1980s would be crucial for setting him up to succeed later.

Key Accomplishments

• Torre guided the Yankees to four World Series titles.
• Player Development: He played a key role in developing young players and prepared them for what came next.

Coaching Style and Impact

Torre was lauded for his relaxed approach and success in tense situations. That attitude of keeping relationships with players open and flowing helped foster a positive team environment. Torre guided the Yankees to four World Series titles over a nine-season span in the late 1990s and early 2000s, solidifying his position even more.

Coach #8: Dick Williams

Biography and Career

During the decade of the 1980s, Dick Williams was a manager in Major League Baseball with both Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres. 

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Champion: Williams managed the Athletics to a title in 1972 and consistently led competitive clubs into the early to mid-80s.

Coaching Style and Impact

Williams was a tactical mastermind, and his bold decisions paid off in abundance. He was able to control egos and create a servicing team, which pretty much helped him win. One aspect of Williams' legacy that is mentioned infinitely more is his reputation as one of the game's all-time great strategists.

Coach #9: Sparky Anderson

Biography and Career

In the 1980s, Sparky Anderson managed both the Cincinnati Reds and then, later in that decade, moved on to manage the Detroit Tigers. But his forward thinking and way with players made him a baseball resource of the ages.

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Champion: Anderson managed the Reds to the World Championships in 1975 and '76, then had winning seasons every year he was with Detroit.
• Player Development: He aided in the development of young players, some who went on to become future Hall of Famers

Coaching Style and Impact

Anderson was widely regarded as a player's coach who instilled winning ways within his program. He highlighted carrying out everything in a suitable manner, insulated by his emphasis on teamwork and fundamentals, which would be the foundation of just about every one of the teams he directed. Anderson's impact on the game reached well beyond 1980; however, as he managed for years more, he became one of any generation's most respected managers.

Coach #10: Cito Gaston

Biography and Career

Cito Gaston Toronto Blue Jays broke the record from 1989 to 1997. His leadership turned the Blue Jays into an American League powerhouse.

Key Accomplishments

• World Series Champ: Gaston won back-to-back World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992-93.
• Player Development: He had taken a hands-on approach to developing young talents such as Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.

Coaching Style and Impact

Gaston was known for his cool, laid-back personality and lived up to the image. His emphasis on team development enabled his players to build bonds. Gaston's coaching in the early 1990s helped lead to Toronto's success and left him as a member of baseball immortality.

The top 10 coaches of the 1980s changed how Major League Baseball was played, taught, and viewed. Their groundbreaking tactics and connectivity with the players did not only result in championships but also molded generations of managers to come. The legacy of those coaches still matters in the present game, though, and their impact has shaped a significant portion of how today's baseball is played.