Terry Frankona won the historic 2,000th win. Which active MLB manager is ahead?

“The one thing you just die for is a chance to win … and to be expected to win is what you play for, what you coach for.” 

That’s what current Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona, who at that point had not won much of anything, said when hired by the Boston Red Sox in December 2003. Since then, Francona has gone on to have a very successful MLB career, and he added another milestone to his impressive résumé.

On Sunday, he became the 13th manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins with the Reds’ 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Francona joins Texas’ Bruce Bochy as the only active managers with at least 2,000 wins. 

Ten of the 12 other managers who have accumulated at least 2,000 wins are in the Hall of Fame. Bochy and Dusty Baker (2,183), who isn’t yet eligible, are the only exceptions. What’s more, the 66-year-old Francona is the fourth manager to record his 2,000th win for one of the teams from his playing career. Francona played for the Reds in 1987, batting .227 in 102 games.

With Sunday’s win, Francona’s regular-season record is now 2,000-1,719 in 24 seasons. He led Boston to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, and Cleveland to the Fall Classic in 2016. His teams have reached the postseason 11 times.

Francona is 50-47 in his first season with Cincinnati after signing a three-year deal with a club option for 2028.

To put Francona’s 2,000th win into perspective, it’s important to know that the first and second managers to achieve this feat — John McGraw and Connie Mack, respectively — began their careers in the dugout in 1899 and 1894 — before modern baseball existed. 

That got us thinking about who could be the next name added to this prestigious list.

Francona is second among active managers in wins behind Bochy’s 2,219. San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin, 63, is 21st on the all-time list with 1,649 wins. Envisioning him as the 14th manager to reach 2,000 wins isn’t a stretch, unless he decides to retire in the next few years. After that, however, it’s all guesswork.

Former Rockies skipper Bud Black is the closest manager behind Melvin among those who’ve managed a game in 2025, but he’s already 68 years old and at just 1,193 wins. He also serves as the end of the line for his generation of managers. So, if there’s another 2,000-win manager waiting in the wings beyond Melvin, they’re not yet in their 60s.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, 51, is at 830 wins and in his 12th year of managing. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dave Roberts, 53, is in his 12th year at the helm and has 908 wins entering Sunday. Tampa Bay Rays skipper Kevin Cash, 47, is also in his 11th year and has amassed 869 victories. Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, 54, is next up at 847 through 11 seasons. 

Anyone active beyond that has either not been around long enough to know if they’ll pick up enough wins, like Aaron Boone, or is already approaching 60, which means they might not have the longevity they need, such as Torey Lovullo.

Hinch, though, has youth on his side and nothing but success to point to since returning to the dugout in 2015 to manage the Houston Astros. He led the 2017 World Series-winning club — the first of his three consecutive 100-win seasons — then the 2019 American League pennant squad. While let go as part of the league’s investigation into sign-stealing, Hinch ended up with the Tigers in 2021 after serving his suspension and has turned them around. Detroit made the postseason in 2024 for the first time since 2014 and has the best record in the majors in 2025.

Roberts can be two years older than hunch and have a low win at this point, but it is difficult to argue that he is not in a better position. Dozers have the longest phase of continuous success in MLB, a one who is historically reaching notable levels, and there is little reason to think that they will not be able to keep it in the future. There is no easy mode to reach 2,000 wins, and certainly there is no guarantee, but, with the strength of the resources and organizational structure of the Dojers on and behind, Roberts is probably the most viable candidates for their generation.

At the age of 47, the cash is the smallest in this bunch, and despite the age gaps, Roberts has more than 60 win. The rays are not doors in many ways, but they are stable, and if they are succeeding then the managers are not prone to removing the dugout. In fact, before the 2015 season, Joe Madan took over the cash after being out of his contract. He has won 82 wins per season from 2015-2024, and has 50 wins of rays in 2025. For example, with hunch and raoberts, he is still a long way, but you can see a path here, and his age means that he can take that path a little more slowly.

Then there is a counsel, like cash, started in 2015, but when he took the job of Millvoky Breves, he was much bigger than that. At 54 – and he will be 55 years old in August – COUNSELL is the oldest in this group, and also lives in victory. His teams also have a season. There was a season under 500 as his first winning campaign in 2017 was, so he is capable of creating for the latter beginning. He is still in a hurry during his cub’s tenure, and he does not have much stability of doors or rays, but he still has a shot on 2,000, even though it is not good as three active managers in front of him in the list. For counsel, more than that trio, how long he finally decides to manage, he is going to play an important role in his last clan.

Dosters’ manager Dave Roberts is one of the possible realistic candidates, who can win 2,000 wins among active managers. (Photo by Patrick McDermot/Getty Image)

For Frankona, now that he has reached 2,000 wins, he has other milestones to receive. He is 66 years old and is in his 24th season as a manager, but there are people who have been in dugout until they were not enough, and for a very long time. He can jump from 13th place to 12th, Leo Durochar can be mounted with another nine wins, and 41 will lead him to Walter Alston and 11th. Frankona for the 10th All-Time which is 125 wins behind Macarthi, which is going to take a while, and he can pass Baki Harris with more than 159 WS. Before retiring after the 2023 season, Dusty Baker moved to eighth place, but Frankona could move beyond 184 and ahead, and another 11 returned Sparki Anderson at one place, as well as placed her in seventh position.

Everything then depends on how long Frankona wants to manage, how long it is allowed to continue management and how well the Reds perform under it. He is in the first year of the three -year contract, and the Reds currently moves at 83 wins. If they maintain that speed, he will need 76 wins in the next two sessions to pass Anderson. Also, however? Bruce Bocch is a moving target, and who win 326 from Frankona, in Tore, fifth in MLB history.

But hey, Frankona has crossed a major lead against Tore which he was not before. What is one more?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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