It’s time for our annual preseason managerial rankings. I sought the opinions of 20 major league personnel — executives, coaches, managers, scouts, and players — but these rankings are my own. They are based not only on last season, but also the manager’s career. As usual, the less-experienced managers are at the bottom of the list.

Most of our panel agreed on a top 10. Beyond that it gets fuzzy. You won’t see much in the way of criticism here as I respect the job of the manager and what it entails, having been a full-time baseball writer since 1984.

As one of the scouts said when asked for his top managers, “The ones with the best players.’’

Here we go:

1. Terry Francona, Indians — There was a strong consensus for Francona being the best right now. He took the small-market Indians to within one game of a World Series title, while manipulating his pitching staff after losing front-end starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to injuries.

2. Joe Maddon, Cubs — Another potential No. 1 after leading the Cubs to their first championship since 1908. However, there was concern about his use of Aroldis Chapman in the World Series, and that kept him from the first spot on this list. Otherwise, he remains the epitome of the modern-day manager, with outstanding clubhouse management.

3. Bruce Bochy, Giants — Consistently the best. Bochy has three World Series titles and is heading to the Hall of Fame someday, likely with team executive Brian Sabean. Bochy has a style and approach that gets the most out of his players. “It’s a presence, an aura, great leadership, great teacher. It’s all natural,’’ said one panelist.

4. Terry Collins, Mets — Collins did a terrific job last season given the injuries on his pitching staff. The fact Collins got the Mets back to the playoffs showed his incredible managerial prowess. He’s been around a long time and taken his lumps, but now he has it all together.

5. Buck Showalter, Orioles — Showalter drops a tad in this year’s rankings mainly because of his decision not to pitch Zach Britton in the AL wild-card game against the Blue Jays. But Showalter is consistent in how he uses his closer; he rarely puts him into a tie game. That aside, Showalter’s overall managing style is impeccable, from in-game decisions to the ways he motivates his players. Most of our panel had Showalter among their top five.

6. Ned Yost, Royals — Yost was in the middle of these rankings for many years, but Kansas City’s recent success has been in large part thanks to Yost’s managing. Some of his core group is heading into free agency, but Yost could lead another run.

7. Clint Hurdle, Pirates — Hurdle is one of those managers who sticks to his methods and continues to get the job done. His nature is positive but stern, and he gets the most out of his players while working in a small-market environment.

8. John Farrell, Red Sox — Some Red Sox fans wouldn’t agree with his placement on this list, but he’s won a championship and those around baseball view him with respect. Every one of our panelists had Farrell in their top 10. His game preparation is second to none, and his in-game moves, whether you agree with them or not, are based on analytics.

9. Dave Roberts, Dodgers — Roberts had a phenomenal rookie season with the Dodgers, as many predicted. His fatherly handling of players really paid off. He had tough decisions to make, including the one to remove Rich Hill during a no-hit bid. The way he handled it for the good of the team and his pitcher garnered him a lot of respect around baseball.

10. Jeff Banister, Rangers — He uses positive reinforcement. He’s done a creative job managing his bullpen (changing closers twice in two years) and seeks out alternatives when things aren’t going well. “He finds solutions,’’ said an American League coach.

11. Mike Scioscia, Angels — Scioscia has fallen on tough times in Anaheim as he’s watched his pitching staff disintegrate, but when given a balanced roster (which includes players who can run) his teams are fun to watch because of their aggressive style. Scioscia didn’t get any negative marks from our panel.

12. Joe Girardi, Yankees — I wanted to rank him higher because he runs a steady ship and doesn’t get the credit he deserves for running a big-market team. The Yankees underwent many changes last season, and that youth movement will continue this season. Girardi’s in-game preparation is excellent.

13. Bob Melvin, Athletics — A two-time Manager of the Year (once in each league), Melvin has one of the toughest jobs in baseball. His roster is constantly changing. Melvin’s skills have always been appreciated in this corner, and our panel’s consensus was that Melvin could handle managing in any market.

14. A.J. Hinch, Astros — Another great example of a guy who has really grown into the job. Hinch was one of the first managers to go heavy on analytics when he ran the Diamondbacks. It didn’t work then, but he’s incorporated good old-fashioned people skills with analytics, and it has been a successful transformation.

15. Dusty Baker, Nationals — One of the master motivators in the game. He’s been very successful for a long time. He managed Barry Bonds and that whole circus. The rap that he misused bullpens has gone away.

16. Mike Matheny, Cardinals — Matheny has been solid in his approach and definitely adheres to the Cardinal Way. He had to deal with a few injuries last season and he came out of it better than expected even though the Cards fell out of the playoff race. Our panel thought he should be ranked between 10-15.

17. John Gibbons, Blue Jays — He’s a solid manager who knows how to handle egos. He shows toughness and deals with problems in a stern but fair way. Players enjoy playing for him. He doesn’t stand in anyone’s way. Showing faith in younger players and allowing them to grow is a strong suit.

18. Don Mattingly, Marlins — He’s had some ups and down in his managerial career in LA and Miami, but he makes solid decisions. His star player — Giancarlo Stanton — can’t stay healthy, and now he has to deal with the aftermath of the Jose Fernandez tragedy.

19. Bud Black, Rockies — He’s back on the job after a season away, but when he managed in San Diego you could see the progression he made from pitching coach to manager. He was doing a nice job for the Padres when they let him go 65 games into the 2015 season.

20. Brad Ausmus, Tigers — Ausmus is one of the smartest managers around. He’s worked under different regimes — Dave Dombrowski and now Al Avila — and he enters this season with a nucleus that management wants to break up. Ausmus will eventually break the top 10 on this list.

21. Pete Mackanin, Phillies — He’s going to be the guy who transitions the Phillies from rebuild to contender. His bosses appear very happy with his work.

22. Scott Servais, Mariners — Servais earned some respect in keeping the Mariners in the playoff hunt most of last season as a rookie skipper. He uses analytics well in his daily approach.

23. Paul Molitor, Twins — Molitor had a rough year with an underperforming team, though he shouldn’t be blamed for some of the younger players not developing fast enough. The Hall of Famer obviously knows the game and his players should respond with more experience.

24. Kevin Cash, Rays — He manages in a tough, small-market environment. Cash knows pitching and that’s the bread and butter of this organization. He’s also good at following analytics and mixing and matching his lineups. He relates well to players.

25. Craig Counsell, Brewers — A Milwaukee kid managing the Brewers. How good is that? The franchise is committed to developing young players at this stage, so his record isn’t going to reflect great success. Counsell has the personality and temperament to be a teaching manager to whom young players can relate.

26. Bryan Price, Reds — Hate to have him this far down, but Price manages a team that has been torn down, particularly the pitching staff. He can be fiery and opinionated, but players always know where they stand with him.

27. Rick Renteria, White Sox — Renteria got booted by the Cubs after one season when they had the chance to get Maddon. Renteria is well respected. “He’s going to be considered one of the best in the game,’’ said one panelist.

28. Brian Snitker, Braves — We love when guys get promoted after years managing within an organization. Snitker had the interim tag removed in Atlanta because president of baseball operations John Hart was really impressed with how he handled a young team. Snitker went 59-65 after taking over last season.

29. Andy Green, Padres — He got very good reviews following his first season in San Diego, after being considered a controversial hire for his lack of experience. His team lost 94 games, but the roster was in constant flux.

30. Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks — He has his Red Sox experience to draw from (going 22-27 as manager after taking over for Farrell in 2015), but this will be his first time running the show from spring training on. All signs point to Lovullo being terrific. He’s very thorough in his game preparation and has a great understanding of his players.

Apropos of nothing

1. Daniel Bard enters his second season in the Cardinals organization. He’s excited about his change to a sidearm delivery. “I’m comfortable with it,’’ Bard said. “I’m just learning all of my pitches from that angle. My velocity has been very good. Very little, if any, drop-off from when I was over the top the last couple of years.’’ Bard was one of the best setup men in baseball before experiencing control issues that sabotaged his career. He underwent surgery on his pitching shoulder for thoracic outlet syndrome two years ago, and it has taken him a while to rebuild his arm strength. Bard appeared in only eight games last season, all in the high-Single A Florida State League, and walked 13, hit five batters, and threw six wild pitches in three innings. But he had some scoreless appearances after switching to a sidearm delivery.

2. MLB has discussed the idea of putting a runner at second base to start every extra inning. My response: No! Please stop this constant tinkering with the game.

3. ’Tis the season of charity. David Price donated $2 million to Vanderbilt University and Terry Francona recently donated $1 million to the University of Arizona for stadium improvements. “I always wanted to make enough money where I could do something for other people,’’ Francona said. “It took me a while, I didn’t do it as a player. Maybe now as a manager, maybe I can, so it feels good to give back because I was given a lot when I was [at Arizona], when I was given my future.’’

4. Rich Hill said the toughest batter he faces in the National League is Washington second baseman Daniel Murphy. “He has no weaknesses,’’ Hill said. “There’s no place you can attack him and feel like he can’t hit it.’’ Since 2012, Murphy leads the majors with 200 doubles.

5. Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA ratings project win totals. They project the Red Sox to win the AL East with 90 victories. That’s reasonable. But Tampa Bay at 84 wins and second place seems a tad high. The Orioles were projected last in the division with 73 wins, which seems low. The Yankees were projected at 82 wins (about right) and the Blue Jays 81 (I’d say low). Other questionable win projections: Twins with 80 (too high), Royals with 71 (too low), Astros with 94 (too high), Cubs with 91 (too low), and Dodgers at an MLB-high 99 (too high).

6. John Farrell’s son will be in Royals training camp. Luke Farrell, a 6-foot-6-inch, 210-pound righthander, went 6-3 with a 3.76 ERA last season at Triple A Omaha, starting 14 of his 19 appearances. A sixth-round pick out of Northwestern in 2013, the 25-year-old could reach the majors in 2017. John Farrell said he watches a lot of video of his son on the mound, but doesn’t want to interfere with the Royals’ pitching coaches so he stays clear of tutoring. But the Farrells do talk about pitching.

7. It was surprising when the Twins traded former Red Sox farmhand and first-round pick Pat Light to the Pirates last week for cash considerations. Minnesota acquired Light from Boston at the trade deadline last summer for lefty Fernando Abad. Light’s success in the minors didn’t translate to the Twins bullpen. In 14 innings he had a 9.00 ERA, allowing 15 hits, 15 walks, and 14 earned runs. The Pirates liked his arm and feel they can get better results. Twins president Derek Falvey said, “There’s nothing more behind it other than [Light] was occupying the 40th [roster] spot for us, so once we designated him we had two teams reach out to make a deal ahead of the waiver deadline.’’

8. Pawtucket could have an interesting lineup with Rusney Castillo, Allen Craig, Junior Lake, and possibly Carlos Quentin.

9. Brian Cashman signing slugger Chris Carter to a one-year, $3.5 million deal was nothing short of brilliant. The Yankees needed righthanded power after the retirements of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Carter hit 41 homers last season and is a terrific teammate who should fit well in the Yankee clubhouse. But can they find him enough playing time? The Yankees believe having Carter will allow them to be patient with young sluggers Greg Bird, Tyler Austin, and Aaron Judge. The Yankees want to reset their luxury tax threshold, but it won’t be this season.

10. There’s some talk about flopping batting practice protocol, where the home team would hit last and the road team first. That would give fans a better chance to watch the home team take BP.

Extra innings

From the Bill Chuck files — “James Shields allowed 114 hits in innings 1-3, the most in the majors; his former Rays teammate, David Price, was next with 113.’’ . . . Also, “Since 2006, Adrian Gonzalez is baseball’s only player with at least 550 ABs each season; Robinson Cano is next with 10 seasons.’’ . . . Happy birthday, Adam Stern (37), Ruben Amaro Jr. (52), and Brian Denman (61).

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.