Phillies’ All-Time Winningest Manager Charlie Manuel Not Elected to Hall of Fame

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Phillies' all-time winningest manager Charlie Manuel — who led the team to five straight National League East titles from 2007-2011, back-to-back National League pennants, and a 2008 World Series championship — was not elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the 16-member Today’s Game Era Committee.

Announced Sunday evening at the annual Winter Meetings in Las Vegas on MLB Network, Manuel failed to be elected to the Hall of Fame through the Committee, which is separate from the regular Hall of Fame ballot.

Harold Baines and Lee Smith were the only to be elected, obtaining at least 75 percent (12) of the vote. The other Hall of Fame hopefuls, in addition to Manuel, were: Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Lou Piniella, and the late George Steinbrenner.

The Committee considered retired Major League Baseball players no longer eligible for election by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), along with managers, umpires and executives, "whose greatest contributions to the game were realized" from 1988 to present day.

Former Phillies general manager Pat Gillick — who oversaw Manuel during the 2008 championship season — and Andy MacPhail — the team’s current president — are both members of the Today’s Game Era Committee.

The Historical Overview Committee, which is appointed by the BBWAA, selected the 10 Hall of Fame hopefuls in early November. Its members include: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, Jim Henneman, formerly of the Baltimore Sun, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau, Bill Madden, formerly of the New York Daily News, Jack O'Connell of the BBWAA, Jim Reeves, formerly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Tracy Ringolsby of Baseball America, Glenn Schwarz, formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle, Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune and Mark Whicker of the Los Angeles News Group.

When Manuel heard this winter that he was being considered for the Hall of Fame, he told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury that he was "knocked out of his shoes."

“Missy (his wife) saw it on the Internet and I thought someone was kidding around," Manuel told Salisbury. "When you see those names, it’s quite an honor. It’s just nice to be recognized.”

Johnson and Piniella were the other two former managers included on the ballot. Gillick was also the overseeing general manager of both their postseason-clinching teams with the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, respectively.

Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig and former Atlanta Braves general manager John Schuerholz were the most recent to be elected to the Hall of Fame through the Today’s Game Era Committee in 2016, prior to Baines and Smith.

If Manuel were inducted this summer, it would have came just one year after that of his pupil and friend, Jim Thome. Salisbury writes:

Manuel was known for his human touch in connecting with players, unlocking their potential and building their confidence. And he has steadfastly credited them for the successes he enjoyed in his career.

Manuel told Salisbury that while people tell him about all the players he touched, a lot of players touched him, personally, including Thome. In addition to his success with the Phillies, Manuel also led Thome and the Cleveland Indians to an American League Central Division title in 2001. He was also the hitting coach on Indians teams that, like the Phillies, won five straight division titles and two American League pennants.

"From the moment I met Charlie Manuel, as a wide-eyed kid in the Gulf Coast League, I knew this was someone I could connect with instantly," Thome said at his Hall of Fame induction speech. "Charlie took a scrappy young kid, who was anxious to hit a million home runs, and actually encouraged those crazy dreams.

"He told me that I could hit as many home runs as I wanted to. From day one in that dugout in Kissimmee, he always believed in me."

While Manuel managed Thome for three seasons with the Indians in 2000-2002 — and part of two seasons with the Phillies in 2005 and 2012 — he mentored the slugger seemingly throughout the entirety of his career, starting in 1989.

Manuel currently serves as Phillies Senior Advisor to the General Manager. He was inducted onto the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2014. Manuel played professionally from 1963 to 1981, with the latter years spent oversees in Japan.

This year's National Baseball Hall of Fame induction date is set for Sunday, July 21. Many former Phillies are poised for inductions through the regular ballot, including the late Roy Halladay. Its results will be announced on Tuesday, January 22.

It would have been special for Phillies fans to see both Manuel and Halladay inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year.