Chicago Cubs: Dusty Baker has another shot at glory with the Astros

Dusty Baker will always be a contentious figure for Chicago Cubs fans to consider. Following his tenuous stint with the Cubs, it was hard to see him as anything more than a well-meaning yet ineffective manager who drove a great team into the ground with terrible missteps. Between what happened with Mark Prior and the mismanagement of the clubhouse in 2004, Baker managed one of the most frustrating tenures in Cubs history.

And yet, here we are. Baker is back in the World Series, looking to finally capture that elusive ring. His lifetime win percentage is up to .534, and he’s now fewer than 20 wins away from the 2,000 mark. He’s taken every team he’s ever managed to the postseason and has led representatives from both leagues to the World Series, becoming just the ninth manager ever to do so. It’s time to acknowledge Baker for what he is: a Hall of Fame skipper.

What Baker’s story really speaks to is the difficulties of winning a championship. Between pushing all the right buttons, having the right talent and hoping the baseball gods decide to smile upon you, there are no guarantees of victory. He made some awful choices with the Cubs and during the Giants’ 2002 World Series run, but it’s only one part of the equation.

Baker-managed teams have made the postseason 11 times and, outside of the Cubs, he ended his tenure with each team with an above .500 record. His win percentage stacks up with greats like Joe Torre, Whitey Herzog and Tony La Russa. It’s just the postseason that haunts him. Whether it be blown leads, collapses from unlikely pitchers, lapses in judgement in critical moments, or just plain bad luck, it hasn’t come together for Baker. Now, he might’ve found the perfect opportunity to put that all to bed.

Former Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker has a real shot at glory in Houston

With the Astros, Baker really found a perfect fit for his unique skill set. Following baseball’s most infamous cheating scandal outside of the Black Sox, Houston desperately needed his down-to-earth perspective to guide that clubhouse through the turmoil. He’s the human element to an otherwise hated, seemingly soulless organization that needed its players on board for what was going to be a rough few seasons from a morale perspective.

Going back to the Prior problem and his bullpen management, Baker seems to have taken that to heart. In 2020 and 2021, he only let Astros starters go for 110 pitches or more four times. Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia flourished under Baker despite lacking experience, a far cry from him frying Prior’s arm.

It’s hard to keep harping on Baker for his costly mistakes when his record on a whole paints a greater picture of the former Cubs manager. Winning championships is hard and it’s easy to hold a manager’s feet to the fire when he makes some wrong calls (see 2020 Kevin Cash!) Baker is an all-timer in both personality and management whose few massive mistakes collided with bad luck to keep him from a ring. He’s earned his hardware at this point.