TheDetroit Wolverines were a 19th-centuryMajor League Baseball team that played inDetroit,Michigan. They played in theNational League from 1882 through 1888.[1] During their history, the Detroit Wolverines employed fivemanagers.[2] The duties of the team manager include team strategy and leadership on and off the field.[3][4]
The Wolverines' first manager wasFrank Bancroft, who managed the team in 1882 and 1883.[2] Bancroft managed 170 games for the Wolverines, with 83 wins and 84 losses.[5] Bancroft was replaced byFrank Chapman, who managed the team in 1884 and 1885.[2] Chapman managed 215 games for the Wolverines, with 68 wins and 142 losses.[6] Both Bancroft and Chapman would manage teams to theWorld Series after leaving the Wolverines: Bancroft with the 1884Providence Grays and Chapman with the 1890Louisville Colonels.[5][6] The 19th century World Series was considered an exhibition contest between the champion of theNational League and the champion of theAmerican Association.[7]
Charlie Morton began the 1885 season as the Wolverines' manager. Morton managed the Wolverines for 38 games in 1885 before being replaced byBill Watkins.[2] Morton won just 7 games against 31 losses for awinning percentage of .184, the lowest of any Wolverines' manager.[2][8] Watkins managed the team from the middle of the 1885 season through the middle of the 1888 season.[2] Watkins managed the Wolverines for 417 games, the most in Wolverines' history.[2] Watkins won 249 games and lost 161, both the most in Wolverines' history.[2] Watkins' .607 winning percentage is the highest of any Wolverines' manager.[2] In 1887, Watkins managed the Wolverines' the National League championship with a record of 79 wins and 45 losses, with 3 ties.[1] Watkins also led the Wolverines to the1887 World Series championship.[9] The Wolverines defeated the American Association championSt. Louis Browns in the 1887 World Series winning 10 games and losing 5.[9] That was the only World Series championship in Wolverines' history.[1]
Robert Leadley was the last Wolverines' manager.[2] Leadley replaced Watkins midway through the 1888 season, managing 40 games with 19 wins and 19 losses.[2] The Wolverines folded after the 1888 season.
# | A running total of the number of Wolverines' managers. Any manager who has two or more separate terms is only counted once. |
G | Number of regular season games managed; may not equal sum of wins and losses due to tie games |
W | Number of regular season wins in games managed |
L | Number of regular season losses in games managed |
WPct | Winning percentage: number of wins divided by number of games managed |
PA | Playoff appearances: number of years this manager has led the franchise to theplayoffs |
PW | Playoff wins: number of wins this manager has accrued in the playoffs |
PL | Playoff losses: number of losses this manager has accrued in the playoffs |
LC | League Championships: number of League Championships, or pennants, achieved by the manager |
WS | World Series: number of World Series victories achieved by the manager |
† | Elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame |
| # | Images | Manager | Seasons | G | W | L | WPct | PA | PW | PL | LC | WS | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Frank Bancroft | 1881–1882 | 170 | 83 | 84 | .497 | — | — | — | — | — | [5] |
| 2 | Jack Chapman | 1883–1884 | 215 | 68 | 142 | .324 | — | — | — | — | — | [6] | |
| 3 | .jpg) | Charlie Morton | 1885 | 38 | 7 | 31 | .184 | — | — | — | — | — | [8] |
| 4 | .jpg) | Bill Watkins | 1885–1888 | 417 | 249 | 161 | .607 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1[a] | [9][10] |
| 5 |  | Robert Leadley | 1888 | 40 | 19 | 19 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | [11] |