Early career Hartsfield was a successful manager at top levels of minor league baseball, with the
Spokane Indians, then the top farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the
Hawaii Islanders, the
San Diego Padres' top affiliate, where he won
Pacific Coast League championships in 1975 and 1976. He also
coached in the Majors with the Dodgers (1969–72) and
Atlanta Braves (briefly in 1973).
Toronto Blue Jays In 1977,
Peter Bavasi,
general manager of the expansion
Toronto Blue Jays, hired Hartsfield, whom he had worked with in the Dodgers and Padres organizations, as the Blue Jays' first-ever manager. Hartsfield was quoted two decades later as saying that "the guys I managed the year before in Hawaii (in the triple-A
Pacific Coast League) were probably a better team." Having lost over 100 games in each of his three years as manager, and having been very publicly criticized by the Toronto sports media for apparently having lost control of the team, Hartsfield was let go at the conclusion of the 1979 season and replaced by
Bobby Mattick. "This year, we should win 10 more games on attitude alone", enthused pitcher
Mark Lemongello about the managerial change. In fact, the team improved by 14 games that year. This would be Hartsfield's only managerial job in Major League Baseball. His teams finished last in the
American League East Division in each of his three seasons.
Later career Hartsfield managed in the Chicago Cubs organization in 1981, starting the season with the Triple-A
Iowa Oaks and finishing with the Double-A
Midland Cubs. Both teams ended up with losing records, as did the Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians in 1983, which was Hartsfield's final management job.
Managerial record ==Death==