Jeff Torborg

Full Name: Jeffrey Allen Torborg
Height: 6'0.5" Weight: 195 lbs.
Born: November 26, 1941 in Plainfiled, NJ
Died:
Major League Career: 1964 to 1973
Managerial Debut: 1977, 2001



Year TM/L G W L PCT M/Y W-EXP A-E Standing
1977 CLE-A 104 45 59 0.433 2-2 47.9 -2.9 5 East
1978 CLE-A 159 69 90 0.434   73.8 -4.8 6 East
1979 CLE-A 95 43 52 0.453 1-2 44.9 -1.9 6 East
1989 CHI-A 161 69 92 0.429   74.8 -5.8 7 West
1990 CHI-A 162 94 68 0.580   86.2 7.8 2 West
1991 CHI-A 162 87 75 0.537   88.8 -1.8 2 West
1992 NY-N 162 72 90 0.444   72.2 -0.2 5 East
1993 NY-N 38 13 25 0.342 1-2 17.3 -4.3 7 East
2001 MON-N 162 68 94 0.420   73.2 -5.2 5 East
2002 FLA-N 162 79 83 0.488   77.5 1.5 4 East
2003 FLA-N 38 16 22 0.421 1-2 17.7 -1.7 Fired
Totals 11 1405 655 750 0.466   579.1 75.9  
 


Despite Jeff Torborg's involvement in three major league no-hitters, he became better known as a manager. His first appointment as skipper came in June 1977, when he replaced Frank Robinson as the Cleveland Indians manager, and lasted through July 1979. A month later he became a Yankee coach and stayed in the Bronx for ten years.

The Chicago White Sox hire Torborg in 1989 to pilot the young, floundering squad. Taking the South Side's last place team, the hard working puritanical skipper guided them to a second-place finish in 1990, garnering the Manager of the Year Award. [See MGR AWARDS]. Torborg left chicago in 1992 to take the helm of the New York Mets, who had recently fired the ineffective Bud Harrelson.

At Shea, Torborg's results were less than miraculous. Amidst turmoil in the clubhouse and on the field, the new manager's disciplinarian methods were met with friction from the ballplayers. Unable to turn the Mets' sinking ship around, he was fired in May 1993 and replaced by Dallas Green.

When Torborg's close friend Jeffrey Loria bought the Montreal Expos, he invited Torborg to spring training in 2000 as a special instructor for Montreal's catchers. A year later Torborg was signed to a three-year contract to pilot the team after manager Felipe Alou was fired on May 31, 2001.

Following the sale of the Marlin's to the Expos owner, Jeff Torborg went with the whole Montreal management to Florida in 2002. Jeff was fired 38 games into the 2003 season after a 16-22 start.

 

 

MANAGERIAL CAREER: Torborg is the tenth different manager in Expos' history...Has a record of 560-645 (.465) in 1,205 games at the helm of four teams...His first job as manager was with Cleveland when he succeeded Frank Robinson on June 19, 1977...Compiled a 157-201 record in his tenure as the leader of the Indians...Was discharged on July 23, 1979...Joined the Yankee coaching staff on August 1, 1979...Stayed with New York for 10 seasons...Served as a coach with Cleveland from 1975 until he became a manager.

Torborg managed the Chicago White Sox from 1989 to 1991...Compiled a 250-235 record in Chicago...In his second year with the White Sox, he guided the youngest team in the major leagues to a 94-68 record...His club improved by 25 games over the 1989 mark of 69-72...Chicago's winning percentage of .580 was the third best in the major leagues...For those accomplishment, was named the Manager of the Year by the Associated Press, United Press International, The Sporting News and the Baseball Writers Association of America...In 1991, the White Sox were 87-75 and finished second in the AL West Division...Returned to New York to manage the Mets in 1992 and held that position until May 1993...His record with the Mets was 85-115.

PLAYING CAREER: Torborg played 10 years in the major leagues, seven with the Dodgers and three with the California Angels...Signed as a free agent with the Dodgers at the urging of television star Ozzie Nelson, who, like Jeff, was an alumnus at Rutgers University...Was a member of the Dodgers' World Championship team in 1965 and the pennant winning club in 1966...Caught three no-hitters in his career, Sandy Koufax in 1965, Bill Singer in 1970 and Nolan Ryan with the Angels in 1973...Was also behind the plate in 1968 when Don Drysdale pitched his fifth consecutive shutout...Also caught Koufax and Ryan when they set single-season strikeout records...Sent by the Dodgers to the Angels for cash considerations on March 13, 1971...Traded by California to the Cardinals on December 6, 1973...Retired in Spring, 1974.

BROADCAST CAREER: Torborg became a baseball analyst for CBS Radio and Television in 1994...Covered the League Championships Series and World Series for CBS Radio in 1995, 1996 and 1997 with Vin Scully...Switched to Fox Network in 1996 until his appointment with the Expos.

PERSONAL: Jeff and wife Suzy have three sons: Doug (36), Greg (33) and Dale (29)...Earned a B.S. degree in education from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, and holds a master's degree in athletic administration from Montclair State...His thesis was on the effects of platooning in baseball.


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W-EXP

A-E

Standing
Team and League
Games managed (including ties)
Wins
Losses
Percentage of games won
Manager/Year (The latter number indicates how many managers the team employed that year, while the former indicates the chronological position of the manager [i.e. 1-2 would mean this manager was the first of two managers during that year]).
Expected Wins. Calculated for the team based on its actual runs scored and allowed. A team that allows exactly as many runs as it scores is predicted to play .500 ball.
Actual Wins Minus Expected Wins (A measure of the extent to which a team outperformed (or underperformed) its talent. (Over time this reflects good/bad managing).
Team's final standing for the season or, in the case of multiple managers, the standings at the time the manager departed.