Date of Award
12-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
Economics
Committee Chair/Advisor
Sauer, Raymond
Committee Member
Baier , Scott
Committee Member
Tollison , Robert
Abstract
Major League Baseball managers are often blamed for the poor performance of a baseball team. In the past two years alone, there have been eight midseason managerial firings and six postseason managerial firings. While this number may seem high, these numbers have actually been consistent with probabilities of managerial retention since 1930, when baseball was still in the early stages of its development as a professional sport. In the following study, I examine the factors that are taken into account during these managerial firing decisions and what conditions are present when changes do take place. Using Major League Baseball managerial data from 1988-2011, I find that poor team performance with respect to other teams in its division, consecutive seasons of losing records, high age of the manager, and the presence of an interim tag on the manager are all factors that decrease the likelihood that a manager will be retained. On the other hand, recent success at the highest level, in the form of a World Series championship, increases the likelihood of a manager being retained into the next season.
Recommended Citation
Ward, William, "An Analysis of Managerial Retention Decisions Using Major League Baseball" (2011). All Theses. 1282.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/1282