The Best Boston Red Sox Managers of All Time

Updated July 29, 2019 2.5k votes 345 voters 4.7k views48 items

Boston Red Sox managers have included some of the best in MLB history, but who is the best Boston Red Sox manager of all time? This list ranks every Boston Red Sox manager from best to worst according to the votes of baseball fans. Whether or not you're a Red Sox die-hard, you can vote up your top Boston Red Sox coaches and downvote any managers who keep the team from glory for the better part of a century.

Jimmy Collins was the Red Sox first manager, starting the job in 1901. He won a World Series in 1903 and was selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Terry Francona ended "The Curse of the Bambino" when he won the World Series in 2004. Francona would then win another World Series in 2007, but was that enough to put him on the list of the greatest MLB coaches ever?

Fans have been trying to determine the best Boston Red Sox skipper of all time for years. Now you can help figure out the answer. Just vote up the best and winningest Boston Red Sox managers, or even just the coaches you like the most. Feel free to rerank the whole list create your own version of Beantown's finest skippers.

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Terry Francona
Age: 61
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Aberdeen, South Dakota
2
97
31
Alex Cora
Age: 47
Birthplace: Caguas, Puerto Rico
3
73
15
Dick Williams
Dec. at 82 (1929-2011)
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Dodgers, Kansas City Athletics
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4
52
18
Joe Cronin
Dec. at 78 (1906-1984)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: California
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators
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#33 of 146 The Best Boston Red Sox Of All Time#5 of 132 The Greatest Shortstops of All Time
5
50
22
Johnny Pesky
Dec. at 93 (1919-2012)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators
6
49
24
Cy Young
Dec. at 88 (1867-1955)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Gilmore, Ohio
Teams: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos, Cleveland Naps
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#14 of 25 Longest Pitching Streaks in Baseball #375 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time
7
50
25
Kevin Kennedy
Age: 66
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
8
32
12
Hugh Duffy
Dec. at 88 (1866-1954)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Cranston, Rhode Island
Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Reds, Boston Beaneaters, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Pirates
9
31
11
Bucky Harris
Dec. at 81 (1896-1977)
Birthplace: Port Jervis, New York
Teams: Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators
10
33
13
Jake Stahl
Dec. at 43 (1879-1922)
Birthplace: Elkhart, Illinois
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, New York Highlanders
11
31
12
Ed Barrow
Dec. at 85 (1868-1953)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Springfield, Illinois
12
77
65
John Farrell
Age: 58
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Monmouth Beach, New Jersey
Teams: Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, California Angels
13
29
11
Frank Chance
Dec. at 48 (1876-1924)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Salida, California
Teams: New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Orphans, Chicago Orphans
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14
29
12
Billy Herman
Dec. at 83 (1909-1992)
Birthplace: New Albany, Indiana
Teams: Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves
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15
25
8
Heinie Wagner
Dec. at 63 (1880-1943)
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Teams: Boston Red Sox, New York Giants
16
47
35
Don Zimmer
Dec. at 83 (1931-2014)
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
Teams: New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers
17
26
13
Joe McCarthy
Dec. at 56 (1881-1937)
Birthplace: Syracuse, New York
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, New York Highlanders
18
24
10
Patsy Donovan
Dec. at 88 (1865-1953)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Cobh, Republic of Ireland
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators, Washington Senators, Louisville Colonels
19
37
26
Jimy Williams
Age: 77
Birthplace: Santa Maria, California
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals
20
24
12
Rudy York
Dec. at 57 (1913-1970)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Ragland, Alabama
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics
21
23
11
Fred Lake
Dec. at 65 (1866-1931)
Nationality: Canada
Birthplace: Cornwallis Park, Canada
Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Louisville Colonels, Boston Doves, Boston Beaneaters
22
21
9
Marty McManus
Dec. at 66 (1900-1966)
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Boston Braves, St. Louis Browns
23
24
13
Pete Runnels
Dec. at 63 (1928-1991)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Lufkin, Texas
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Houston colt .45s

24
30
22
Jimmy Collins
Dec. at 73 (1870-1943)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Beaneaters
25
19
9
Steve O'Neill
Dec. at 71 (1891-1962)
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Teams: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Naps, St. Louis Browns