Two Months In: MLB’s Hot Seat Is Burning

It"s Always Hot in Philly

Phillies manager Joe Girardi finds himself occupying the top spot of our rankings for the second month in a row. Last time, we remarked that a slow start dropped the Phillies five games back of the Mets. Now, the sit over ten games back behind their division rival.

Perhaps most concerning, it seems the team is no longer having fun playing under Girardi"s strict leadership. On Memorial Day, the team finds itself 10.5 back of the Phillies and six games under .500. With Bryce Harper banged up and the team making a plethora of errors, it is looking like a long summer awaits the Phillies.

Finally, you know things are bad when your manager has to speak publicly on his job safety.

An Upcoming Makeover in Miami?

Amazingly, Don Mattingly has survived six completed seasons in Miami despite only finishing above .500 once (in the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign). With another slow start on South Beach, Mattingly might soon find himself on MLB"s Hot Seat.

Typically, when a new ownership group or general manager takes over, the team looks to bring in their own people to help run the organization. However, when Bruce Sherman bought the team in 2017, Mattingly survived the ownership change thanks in part to his relationship with oncoming team president and minority owner Derek Jeter.

Now, after Jeter"s surprising resignation earlier this year, Mattingly might have lost his safety blanket.

A Sinking Ship in Seattle?

Perhaps the most surprising name on this edition of MLB"s Hot Seat is Scott Servais of the Seattle Mariners. Last year, Servais led the club on a surprising run and the Mariners found themselves in contention up until the final week of the season. They accomplished this by offsetting a negative run differential with the highest “fun differential" in baseball.

Looking to build on that success, the Mariners invested heavily this offseason bringing in reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, analytical darling Jessie Winker and promoting top prospect Julio Rodriguez to the majors.

Instead, the Mariners find themselves battling with Oakland for the cellar of the AL West and Servais finds himself on MLB"s Hot Seat.

Dark Horses

While the three managers above might be on MLB"s Hot Seat, they are far from the only ones who could find themselves in hot water this season. Despite low expectations, can bad seasons in Baltimore, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Colorado and Washington force a change from ownership? Can A.J. Hinch survive Detroit"s collapse? Could Tony La Russa find himself in trouble if the White Sox fail to reach the playoffs?

Let us know your thoughts below and tell us who you think will be the first manager to go!

Main image credit Embed from Getty Images