When Bob Walk saw the news Thursday that Jim Leyland would appear on the latest National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, the longtime Pirates broadcaster was hardly surprised.
"I’ve always just assumed he would be in the Hall of Fame," Walk told the Post-Gazette. "I’m one of those guys who, when you think of a name, you just know. ’Is he a Hall of Famer or not?’
“When I think of Jim Leyland, I think Hall of Famer."
Leyland managed in Pittsburgh from 1986-96, the final eight of those seasons with Walk on his pitching staff. The stories Walk can tell about Leyland are legendary.
Ditto for another Pirates broadcaster, John Wehner, who played for Leyland in Pittsburgh and with Marlins, the two winning a World Series together in 1997.
Wehner, who jokingly calls Leyland his "sponsor" for how the manager helped sustain his career, had a similar reaction when the Hall of Fame stuff broke.
"I wasn't surprised," Wehner said. "He’s going to be in the Hall of Fame. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
“Guys loved playing for him. He was around a long time. He got the best out of his teams and won a World Series, an Olympic gold medal and got a couple other teams to the World Series.
“He was old school and commanded respect. … He was just a legit dude who was around a long time and certainly deserves to be inducted."
The others in this year's eight-person class, announced by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Thursday for the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for Managers/Executives/Umpires:
• Fellow managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson and Lou Piniella
• Executives Hank Peters and Bill White
• Umpires Joe West and Ed Montague
The results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee vote will be announced live on MLB Network at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 3.
Voting will be handled by a 10-person panel of historians, along with six more who will be appointed at a later date, to review the candidates. To be elected, candidates need 75% of votes.
Leyland managed the Pirates, Rockies, Marlins and Tigers for 22 seasons, amassing 1,769 wins, six first-place finishes, and the 1997 World Series title with the Marlins. His win total ranks 18th all-time.
Leyland’s teams qualified for the postseason eight times, and he won three pennants. The Perrysburg, Ohio, native won Manager of the Year Awards in 1990, 12992 and 2006 while also finishing second on three other occasions. In 2017, Leyland managed Team USA to the 2017 World Baseball Classic title.
That last one was a separator for Walk. Prior to the start of the tournament, Walk thought many viewed it as cakewalk for the Americans. International competition has obviously been much more difficult, but the United States winning showcased Leyland's abilities, Walk argued.
"That was another feather in his cap that showed off his leadership skills,” Walk said. "It didn’t matter what walk of life he chose, he was always going to be successful because that’s the kind of person he is.
"Whether he would have been a CEO or started his own business, he just has that kind of personality, that kind of character. He was always gonna be on top of whatever he chose. Thankfully he chose to be a baseball manager."
And a fun, eccentric one at that.
Leyland’s tirades, whether they involve players or teams, are nothing short of legendary. But as gruff and intimidating as Leyland might’ve been to younger players, those like Wehner who spent a long time around Leyland grew to appreciate his genius and the psychology behind it all.
"He was so competitive that all he cared about was winning," Wehner said. "That's who you wanna play for. You want to play for a guy who’s so invested in the game. You wanted to go to battle with him. You knew he had your back. You knew he was going to put you in a position to succeed and do everything he could to win."
Similar to Walk, Wehner can tell some incredible stories, recounting the words used during Leyland's clubhouse rants, ripping the team or players unhappy with roles, reliving how Leyland chased after Dodgers pitcher Kevin Gross or wrapped a spat with an umpire around “God Bless America.”
“He was a friggin’ maniac,” Wehner said. “But he commanded respect and had a good heart.”
The duality of Leyland could ultimately be what gets him elected. His managerial tenure came before the analytics boom, yet Leyland was among the best ever in obtaining advantageous matchups, whether those were predicated on history with specific pitchers or hitters, gut feel or knowing his players really well.
“Nobody used their bullpen better than Leyland,” Wehner said.
Leyland was also a master motivator and among the most unique personalities in the game's history, the willingness to stand up to star players while simultaneously winning a bunch of games and garnering universal respect from those around him.
Few have done it as well or as colorfully as Leyland.
"When you get to know him and you’re playing for him, him flipping out was for you and to get the team going,” said Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, who played for Leyland in Detroit and considers him a close personal friend. "It was always deserved. Everything he did, there was a reason for it."
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: October 19, 2023, 4:51 p.m.
Updated: October 19, 2023, 5:04 p.m.
