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| Thursday, June 20 'Instruction, communication' key for new managers By Sean McAdam Special to ESPN.com |
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Statistically speaking, this was the worst spring in recent history for a baseball manager. Beginning with Joe Kerrigan's dismissal in the first week in March, following through to the removal of Buck Martinez a few weeks ago, six managers -- or one fifth of the managerial fraternity -- were bounced from their positions. That rate of turnover is nearly unprecedented, particularly early in the season. It's not unusual for a rash of pink slips to be handed out at the end of the year, when a disappointing season can lead to wholesale changes. But most of the managers dismissed in the early going were fired almost before they finished unpacking from spring training.
As the season approaches the half-way mark, only the Red Sox have seen the kind of turnaround they anticipated. The stench of last fall's sorry collapse has been removed, and for that, Kerrigan's replacement, Grady Little, deserves much of the credit. The other managerial changes, however, haven't resulted in as much improvement. Of the five clubs who fired managers since the season began, only Colorado boasts a winning record since they switched. Then again, how realistic was it to hope that the Tigers, Royals, Brewers, or Blue Jays would suddenly blossom into contenders simply because there was a new sheriff in the dugout? Players play, and the fact is, these teams are in the mess they're in because of the personnel, not because of the man making out the lineup card. "A lot of these problems have been years in the making,'' said a GM from another team, "and they're not about to get cleaned up in a season, never mind a couple of months.'' More than a new manager, many of these clubs are in need of a new approach, and while they're at it, more help from revenue sharing in order to be competitive. Most are young teams intent on rebuilding with young players. "Instruction,'' and "communication,'' are the critical buzzwords. Here's a look at the teams, the progress, or the lack thereof:
Detroit Changes made: Brandon Inge has seen more playing time behind the plate, and the left side of the infield is new -- Chris Truby (third base) and Ramon Santiago (shortstop). Impact: Like most small-market teams, the Tigers are paying the price for poor drafts and development. They haven't had a winning record since before deposed GM Randy Smith arrived, and they're unlikely to experience one soon, even in a division that boasts another small-market team in similar rebuilding mode -- Kansas City -- and another downscaling its payroll -- Cleveland. Still, the Tigers like what they see from Pujols. "Any time you take over a team without benefit of spring training, it's tough,'' said team president and GM Dave Dombrowski, who took over for Smith when he fired him along with Garner. "You don't have a chance to put your own imprint on a team. But Luis has done a good job providing some leadership. We wanted a little more emphasis on the fundamentals, because we're a young club. "For me, I was looking for a change and Luis provides more direction in dealing with developing players at the major-league level.'' Don't underestimate the impact of sidekick Felipe Alou, Pujols' bench coach, who has helped the Latin players and brought a quiet authority to the dugout.
Kansas City Changes made: Young outfield prospects Brandon Berger and Donzell McDonald are getting more playing time as the Royals look for some spark at the top of the lineup. Impact: When GM Allard Baird reluctantly fired Muser, for whom he had great respect and admiration, he listed his qualifications for his replacement. Chief among them was experience, a positive attitude and a knowledge of pitching. Pena, who managed in winter ball and at the Triple-A level for the Astros and was a one-time great handler of pitchers in his playing days as a catcher, fufilled all the prerequisites. Many of the younger players on the Royals -- most notably Carlos Beltran -- had already tuned out Muser. Pena has attempted to be more positive, but has made it clear that there are expectations to be met and standards to reach. Pena will ultimately be judged on how well young arms like Chris George, Darrell May and Jeremy Affeldt develop on his watch. Injuries to Chuck Knoblauch and Mark Quinn have provided an opportunity to take a look at some prospects, which may speed the rebuilding some.
Toronto Changes made: More use of young reliever Corey Thurman; more playing time for second baseman Joe Lawrence; Shannon Stewart dropped to third in batting order. Impact: The Blue Jays are in a full-scale rebuilding mode. Any number of their veteran players -- Carlos Delgado, Shannon Stewart, Raul Mondesi -- can be had as the Jays dump payroll and start over. Tosca, who managed a lifetime in the minor leagues, is considered a better teacher than Martinez was. "We've had very good communication with the players and great energy from the coaching staff,'' said GM J.P. Ricciardi. "We're a young club and we need to teach at the major-league level. We need to take a kid aside and work with him. Carlos has shown great direction and leadership, and he's been telling players what their role is and doing things with a purpose. It's an upbeat, better atmosphere. "We've got 10-12 guys on the club who are young, and need direction and encouragement. You don't manage 1,700 minor-leaguer games without knowing how to communciate. I think we're more on the same page as an organization.''
Milwaukee Changes made: Few -- in terms of lineup or starting rotation. The big test will come now, in the aftermath of the gruesome ankle injury to Geoff Jenkins. Impact: Royster, who had been Lopes' bench coach, has tried to be more positive. Lopes was a throwback, a demanding taskmaster who may have turned off some players. Accountability is still emphasized, but it's being packaged differently. "One of Jerry's primary strengths is communication,'' said general manager Dean Taylor. "He's done a fine job in keeping a very positive attitude in the clubhouse and dugout in what has been, obviously, a very difficult season for us. People have commented that while we're going through a difficult season, we're still very upbeat and positive. Jerry is different than Davey; they're different kind of communicators. Players have responded to Jerry in terms of how he handles certain issues, whether privately or in front of other players. They respect him.'' The Brewers were too reliant on the home run last season, and in the process set a major-league record for most strikeouts (1,399) in a single season. Royster has made a conscious attempt to try to score runs in other ways. "We've been a much more aggressive club on the bases, sometimes a bit overly aggressive,'' Taylor said. "Jerry has tried to create situations offensively -- starting a runner, trying to take an extra base.''
Colorado Changes made: Nothing concrete. Hurdle hasn't made any significant lineup alterations. But he's been more upbeat in his approach. Impact: The Rockies have played better since the change, and done so in a tough division. As such, their progress is difficult to measure, since they're not about to leapfrog over Arizona, San Francisco and Los Angeles after a number of losing seasons. The Rockies are in a different situation that most of the other clubs making managerial changes in that they're not, by definition, a small-market team with budgetary constraints. That said, the Rockies' big-ticket players (pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle) have been expensive disappointments. The team's success has come from its younger pitchers -- Jason Jennings, Shawn Chacon and John Thomson. How they continue to progess under Hurdle, whose background is that of a hitting instructor, will be interesting to watch. Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com. |
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