Future Royals Manager?
by nkkc on Sep 13, 2007 2:24 PM EDT
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PrintFrom Jon Heyman of si.com:
Word going around is that Buck Martinez will probably be considered as a replacement for retiring Royals manager Buddy Bell. Martinez, the former Blue Jays and WBC manager and a longtime Royal, may be interested in a return home, though he's thriving as co-host with Mark Patrick on XM's Baseball This Morning.
Anybody think this would be a good fit. It's the first I've heard of Martinez in quite some time. I don't think I've heard him mentioned for a managing job at all since he left the Blue Jays. And I don't particularly remember how he did with the Blue Jays. All I know is that I used to like listening to him call games for ESPN. Time to do some research.
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Buck Martinez
2002 20-33 (finished 78-84)
He inherited a 83-79 team.
The 2001 Jays ran a lot. They finished third in the league with 156 steals. They were 11th in walks drawn.
Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said Martinez, who went to the Blue Jays bench before last season directly from the broadcast booth, was fired because of his lack of experience and leadership.
"I don't know if Buck even knows what his philosophy or style is because he hasn't had a lot of time to manage," Ricciardi said. "It's not so much the wins, the losses at this point - it's more the leadership."...
Ricciardi said the team quit halfway through last season, and if things went as they did last year, a change would be made.
-June 4, 2002
That 2001 team
They did have some young bench players like Felipe Lopez, Cesar Izturis and Vernon Wells.
Their pitching staff was decent, with again mostly guys between the ages of 26-30 including Chris Carpetner and Esteban Loaiza. They did have a young Roy Halladay and a young Kelvim Escobar.
It sounds like he had a lot of talent
Why?
by Scott McKinney on Sep 13, 2007 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
tired of being braves west
by FireBell on Sep 13, 2007 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Right now, I don't have many thoughts on who
What I would like to see is a manager who is professionally respected whether experienced or not. I'd like a guy with a track record of bringing young players along - we'll need that in the next 5 years - pitching and regulars. Finally, a guy who likes be aggressive. KC can't play the old "wait for a 3 run homer" style. Ballpark and talent dictate otherwise.
I agree...
I want someone who doesn't rule out anything in the game of baseball. Small ball, long ball, outside the box and much more, a free thinker who can surprise even the most experienced baseball guru.
by grudz69 on Sep 13, 2007 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Why not Frank White?
What are the stats? A manager's direct decisions make a tangible difference in about a dozen games a season? Something like that. And those strategic and tactical decisions come from being in the hot seat.
The Roylz will be better next season, but only a cockeyed optimist can expect for the team to be within 12 critical games of a World Series championship.
So give Frank White the chance he's worked for, the job he set his sights on, the goal he's obviously done everything within his power to achieve.
As a kid, Frank was a good athlete who, thanks to Ewing Kauffman's Baseball Academy, learned the game of baseball. He was an exceptional student of the game. Perhaps he can prove to be a great teacher.
White won't be a fan favorite
The man you just described
by RoyalsRetro on Sep 14, 2007 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions
That was my point.
I'm 34 and I associate Frank Robinson as much with lots of losing in Baltimore as I do with one of the great playing careers of all time.
It would be sad if one year from now, this message board is calling for the head of one of Kansas City's most beloved ballplayers.
I still want a former pitcher or pitching coach.
KC Star article on the topic
Like the name Brian Snitker as someone who might be a candidate. Ned Yost has done a good job with the Brewers with no managerial experience. The guys like Jim Fregosi don't do much for me.
Bob Dutton
Friends and former associates, however, suggest a likely profile:
An old-school baseball man with a proven ability to motivate young players. Previous managerial experience, particularly at the big-league level, is a strong preference but not an absolute requirement.
by RoyalsRetro on Sep 14, 2007 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
let me also add
Sure, it works, but you're going to be miles behind your competitors.
How many current MLB managers
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2007 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Who do you want to be the manager?
Whoa
I found fault with the assertion that getting an old-schook, traditional manager puts a team "miles behind your competitors." Unless I'm missing something, there are very, very few managers who aren't traditional, by-the-book managers. So, how would a manager like that put us miles behind our competitors. Now maybe I have missed the fresh thinking, innovative managers that are out there. So if anyone can think of a few of them, let me know.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2007 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I think perhaps that
If you're asking me who I consider to be more of the "unconventional" sort that I want managing my team, I'd like the team to have someone who's flexible with the pitching staff and spots his back-ups in where they'll be of use.
I like Mike Scioscia because he thinks outside the box with his relief pitchers, and he manages his speedsters well. I like Manny Acta because he's shown some knowledge of sabermetric ideas. I like Tito Francona because he'll use guys who are pitching well in high-leverage situations instead of getting caught up in a formulaic approach all the time. All three of these guys seem to get along with the players well, and I don't discount the positive effect that can have. Managers have different styles, and ideally you want one that focuses on your teams' strengths.
I wouldn't call either, "innovative," but I think Charlie Manuel's "AL-style" managing is good for the bat-heavy Phils, and Bud Black has done a good job piloting San Diego's host of bad hitters.
Innovators? Maybe that's a little strong, but I would not call Scioscia, Acta, or Francona "traditional." I don't really know what "traditional" or "innovative" is defined as, but I think these three are good examples of forward-thinking managers who can have a positive influence on their team's performance.
Three
So, I'd love to have a manager who is something of a free thinker and who is untraditional in some good ways. But, if we don't get a manager like that, then it appears that we will be at a competitive disadvantage -- with regard to managing -- against only three teams.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 16, 2007 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
The problem with managers
That said, I have no idea whether Fregosi, White, Pendleton, et al would be any good as a manager of the Royals. Priority number one to me would be that they have shown an ability to get the best out of young players. Are there any studies that show whether managerial experience in the minors translates to the majors? Does experience managing in the majors make that much more of a difference then in the minors? I do not envy GM Moore at all. This will be the biggest decision he makes, and it seems to me that hiring a new manager is damn near a crap shoot.
My Vote Goes To
Too many women would want to have sex
by grudz69 on Sep 15, 2007 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I will throw these two out...
The above being said I still think GMDM will hire someone from his past. Someone that he knows well and has a long history with.
by grudz69 on Sep 15, 2007 5:52 PM EDT reply actions
I've thrown this out there
He would be in my top ten....
by grudz69 on Sep 15, 2007 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Bill James
I discovered the "Baseball Abstracts" years ago and came to appreciate them not just for his statistical analyses but for his skill in approaching baseball questions.
Seems like the most difficult job of a baseball manager these days is dealing with second-guessing of the the press and fans. No one is better equipped to deal with snarkers than a guy who can tell you that 86% of the time, on artifical turf, in cities with relative humidity below 72%, a left-handed banjo hitter will hit for extra bases against a southpaw sinkerball pitcher who's had three-days' rest and last played two time-zones away.
Meanwhile, put the kids on the field and let them play and learn the game.
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