Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt makes the case for Davey Johnson‘s election to the Hall of Fame:

Now almost 81, Davey sits in a rocker on his porch, a unique baseball man who experienced more than maybe any ever. One thing he was not was a “yes” man. He had his differences with ownership in New York, Cincinnati and Baltimore, but nothing stopped him from winning. He was Manager of the Year in both leagues. He won in the majors, the minors, the Olympics, the WBC, collegiate leagues. Give him a team and it won.

He finished 301 games over .500 as a manager and is 10th all-time in winning percentage among those winning at least 1,000 games. The nine managers above him on that list are all in the Hall.

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It strikes me that a number of managers in the Hall of Fame for their field direction tended to have success with one team for a long time. Teams fired Johnson, and after the Mets, his tenures tended to be brief.

I agree with Schmidt, however. In my years watching the game, Johnson ranks with the best strategists I’ve seen. I hope the committee recognizes that trait.