The catcher is always the smartest person on the field. As evidence, consider this. Ten managers made the playoffs this year. Eight of them were catchers:
- Mike Matheny of the St Louis Cardinals
- Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs
- A. J. Hinch of the Houston Astros
- Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals
- Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers
- John Gibbons of the Toronto Blue Jays
- Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees
- Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Hurdle was primarily an outfielder, but he played catcher occasionally, which means he had the tools (including the intelligence) to do so. The only two managers in the playoffs who were not catchers are Terry Collins of the New York Mets (shortstop) and Don Mattingly of the Los Angeles Dodgers (first base). By the way, all 10 playoff managers are white.
