Learn about current MLB manager Terry Francona who is making his return to the diamond after a two year hiatus.
Terry Francona was born April 22, 1959 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Son of John Patsy “Tito” Francona, who played nine years in the Major Leagues himself, Terry grew up around the sport and even adopted his father’s nickname. Terry would go on to play in the MLB himself for 10 years before eventually working his way into the upper echelon of managers in the history of the MLB.
In this article you will learn more about how Terry “Tito” Francona has forever left his mark on the game of baseball.
MLB Career
After winning the Golden Spikes Award, awarded to the best college baseball player in the nation each year, in his final year at the University of Arizona, Terry was drafted 22nd overall in the 1980 MLB amateur draft by the Montreal Expos.
Terry finally made his MLB debut August 19th, 1981 with a pinch-hit appearance in the 8th inning of a 9-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Tito would spend the next five years with the Expos before being released in 1985.
The final five years of his MLB career would consist of multiple 1-year contracts from four different teams: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers. Terry would re-sign with the Brewers in 1990, but would only appear in 3 games which would be his last in the MLB as a player. Over his 10 year career Francona put together a slash line of .274/.300/.351 while accumulating a -3.0 WAR. Luckily for Tito, his career as a manager was much more successful.
Philadelphia Phillies Manager (1997-2000)
Following his retirement as a player, Francona immediately began his coaching career. He would join the Chicago White Sox as a minor league manager from 1991-1995 working his way up to the Double-A affiliate, Birmingham Barons. Right after the 1996 season Terry would go on to be hired by the Philadelphia Phillies as the clubs new manager.
The Phillies had accrued three consecutive losing seasons and hoped Tito would be the difference. Unfortunately, it never amounted to much as over the next 4 seasons the Phillies failed to have a winning record with their best finish being 77-85 in 1999. The failure to put together a winning record led to Francona being fired following the year 2000 season.
Boston Red Sox Manager (2004-2011)
Coming into the 2004 season, Francona would be hired as the manager of the Boston Red Sox, and the situation could not even be compared to where he started with the Phillies. The Red Sox were coming off a 95-67 season which ended in a full 7-game series with the New York Yankees in the American League Championship. Topping a season like that in your 1st year as a manager seems impossible, but that didn’t stop Tito. With a lineup loaded with notable players such as David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, and Pedro Martinez, Terry led the Red Sox to a formidable 98-64 record.
The Red Sox would then get their revenge from the prior season by beating the Yankees in a 7-game series to claim the American League pennant before finally going on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in 4 games to claim the 2004 World Series Title.
Terry would go on to lead the Red Sox to another World Series in 2007 in which they would sweep the Colorado Rockies in 4 games. After capturing two titles in just 4 years as a manager the future seemed bright for Terry and the Red Sox, and during the regular season it did relatively stay that way. Over the total eight years Terry would spend as the Red Sox Manager he would accumulate an overall record of 744-552, which if you did not know, is pretty damn good. The problem lied in the lack of playoff success outside of those two World Series runs. Outside of 2004 and 2007, Terry had led the Red Sox to just a measly 6-11 playoff record and after the 2011 season the Red Sox decided it was time to part ways. Terry would finish, and still remains today, as the second winningest manager in Red Sox history behind Joe Cronin.
Cleveland Indians/Guardians Manager (2013-2023)
Cleveland decided to hire Francona leading up to the 2013 season. Francona had not managed for over two years since his departure from the Red Sox in 2011, but was hopeful to bring Cleveland its first World Series since 1948. Francona would lead Cleveland to their first AL pennant since 1997 in the 2016 season after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the AL Championship. Terry and the Indians, led by big names such as Corey Kluber, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Trevor Bauer, were set to face off with the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. In what would turn out to be a grueling 7-game World Series, it would end in heartbreak for Tito and his ballclub as the Cubs would win game 7, 8-7 in extra innings.
While Francona may have never fully achieved the goal of winning a World Series title during his time in Cleveland, his tenure was far from a failure. Over his 11 total years as the clubs manager he would accumulate an overall record of 921-757 along with the AL pennant in 2016. Terry was also awarded AL Manager of the year three times with Cleveland in 2013, 2016, and 2022.
It is very possible that Francona would still be the manager in Cleveland if not for the health issues that plagued him during his final years with the club. After having to miss games in both 2020 and 2021 Francona finally decided it was time to step away for his own health following the 2023 season. He finished his career with Cleveland as the all time winningest manager in the club’s history.
Cincinnati Reds Manager (2025-Present)
After his departure from Cleveland citing health issues, it seemed to many that Francona would probably end up retiring from the game of baseball. He had achieved 2 World Series Titles as a manager and been named Manager of the year 3 total times, what else could you ask for out of a career? Well apparently that was not enough to satisfy Tito.
Seemingly out of nowhere the former manager ended his two year hiatus by signing a 3-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds to become their new manager. Coming into the 2025 season Francona ranks 13th all time for manager wins in MLB history with 1,950 total wins and he looks to add to that number going forward. The Reds have been a struggling organization as of late, but they have shown promise with young star prospects such as starting pitcher Hunter Greene and shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Only time will tell what becomes of the Reds under Francona, but there’s not many out there better at the manager position than Tito.
All stats and records attributed to Baseball Reference.
