I put the Sunday loss to the Cardinals on the coaches.
With only one out, sending Rizzo to the plate on a short hit to RF where Heyward came up throwing a strike to Molina at the plate, killed the Cub rally. The Cardinals pitching was on the ropes with control issues. But Maddon said he thought it was the right send because it would have taken a couple more hits to score.
The Cubs have had enough plate discipline to take walks and move the batting order deep into innings. The comeback was quashed with the play at the plate. (Molina was hurt and will have an MRI on his thumb. This may be a blessing for the Cardinals, because some fans think Cruz is now a better catcher-hitter than Molina.)
Still, winning 2 out of 3 in a bean ball, hotly contested series with the divisional leader was a good one for the Cubs. Maddon said afterward that his team now believes that it is as good as St. Louis. This had the feel of playoff baseball.
Ironically, the Cubs and Cardinals have never played against each other in a post season game.
This year seems to heading toward a possible show down if the Cubs can beat the Pirates in the wild card game.
It seemed that 99% of the world believes that Arrieta will start the Pittsburgh game. I thought that too, even after Lester got pushed around early in yesterday's contest. But if Arrieta wins the wild card game, he is lost until Game 3 of the Cardinal NLDS.
If the Cubs paid Lester $155 million for his post-season experience, Lester should be the one to throw the wild card game (on a short leash). That means Arrieta could start in three NLDS games, if necessary (as this year's Giant ace Bumgartner did last year).
The playoff pitching assignments will be the most telling thing Maddon will do all year. And the ramification of the decision will be discussed for decades.
Showing posts with label coaches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coaches. Show all posts
September 21, 2015
June 26, 2015
WHEN A CATCHER EARNS A SAVE
Many believe the Cubs should not have the luxury of starting every five games a .180 hitting, old catcher.
But the value comes in other forms.
David Ross may have saved two careers yesterday.
Ross is Jon Lester's personal catcher. They were teammates in Boston. The Cubs front office put in their banked savings on signing Lester to a $155 million contract to be the staff ace. Well, so far, the results have been underwhelming as Lester is (4-6) is now 0-4 with a 4.43 ERA since beating Pittsburgh on May 16.
In the Dodger series finale, Lester was again bad in the opening innings. He allowed four runs, four hits and four walks, while striking out five. His frustration showed in the second inning after he walked A.J. Ellis. Lester said he turned around with his head down and yelled something to himself, but apparently home plate umpire Andy Fletcher thought it was aimed at him. So, in a rare and unprofessional move, Fletcher started to go to the mound to confront Lester. However, quick thinking Ross blocked Fletcher from getting closer to his pitcher. In fact, Fletcher began to bump Ross out of the way, who had to raise his arms up by his sides like during a police stop.
That gave Joe Maddon enough time to come out to interject himself between Fletcher and Ross.
"Rossie did a great job of going out there and got between him, and I was able to talk to Andy and I think it settled down after that," Maddon said.
If Fletcher had gotten to the mound and contact with Lester happened, it would have been ugly. Fletcher, as instigator, could have been fired for cause since umpires are supposed to maintain their composure, objectivity and cool since they are the policemen on the diamond. Lester has shown this season to be very moody, surly and angry on the mound. If he would have retaliated or hit Fletcher, he would have been suspended for a long time. This was the classic bar fight preamble that Ross defused very quickly.
Ross' role on the Cubs is that of back up catcher and on-field coach. Considering how volatile his battery mate can be, Ross has his hands full. Ross has to keep runners close to first because Lester has a phobia about throwing to the bases. So Ross has to fire pick offs to Rizzo to keep runners honest. Ross has to call a different game to try to throw out runners stealing second; more fastballs away to get a lane to throw. Ross has to be the buffer between a hot-headed pitcher and umpires who hate being shown up. Yesterday, Ross earned his paycheck.
But the value comes in other forms.
David Ross may have saved two careers yesterday.
Ross is Jon Lester's personal catcher. They were teammates in Boston. The Cubs front office put in their banked savings on signing Lester to a $155 million contract to be the staff ace. Well, so far, the results have been underwhelming as Lester is (4-6) is now 0-4 with a 4.43 ERA since beating Pittsburgh on May 16.
In the Dodger series finale, Lester was again bad in the opening innings. He allowed four runs, four hits and four walks, while striking out five. His frustration showed in the second inning after he walked A.J. Ellis. Lester said he turned around with his head down and yelled something to himself, but apparently home plate umpire Andy Fletcher thought it was aimed at him. So, in a rare and unprofessional move, Fletcher started to go to the mound to confront Lester. However, quick thinking Ross blocked Fletcher from getting closer to his pitcher. In fact, Fletcher began to bump Ross out of the way, who had to raise his arms up by his sides like during a police stop.
That gave Joe Maddon enough time to come out to interject himself between Fletcher and Ross.
"Rossie did a great job of going out there and got between him, and I was able to talk to Andy and I think it settled down after that," Maddon said.
If Fletcher had gotten to the mound and contact with Lester happened, it would have been ugly. Fletcher, as instigator, could have been fired for cause since umpires are supposed to maintain their composure, objectivity and cool since they are the policemen on the diamond. Lester has shown this season to be very moody, surly and angry on the mound. If he would have retaliated or hit Fletcher, he would have been suspended for a long time. This was the classic bar fight preamble that Ross defused very quickly.
Ross' role on the Cubs is that of back up catcher and on-field coach. Considering how volatile his battery mate can be, Ross has his hands full. Ross has to keep runners close to first because Lester has a phobia about throwing to the bases. So Ross has to fire pick offs to Rizzo to keep runners honest. Ross has to call a different game to try to throw out runners stealing second; more fastballs away to get a lane to throw. Ross has to be the buffer between a hot-headed pitcher and umpires who hate being shown up. Yesterday, Ross earned his paycheck.
November 14, 2013
THE BIG HIRES
Rick Renteria gets his first major league manager gig with the Cubs.
Just as any manager's duty is to put his players in the best position to succeed, it is the general manager's duty to put the best coaching staff together to help the manager put the players in the best position to succeed.
The most important hire for any major league coaching staff is the pitching coach. The wear and tear of a season will affect every pitcher's mechanics. A good pitching coach will know what works and does not work for each pitcher. He will be able to quickly correct flaws. He is able to get the most out of each pitcher from game to game with proper preparation and scouting of the opponent.
Chris Bosio was been flying under the media radar. The Cubs pitching staff has had such a great turnover it is hard to tell whether he would be a good fit for a crop of young arms if the Cubs system ever develops such talent. There is no question that Chicago does have a great pitching coach: White Sox's Don Cooper. Cooper has consistently brought along several young pitchers (Sale, Quintana, Danks, Santiago, Reed). The Cubs need to hire a Cooper clone.
The next most important coach on the team is the hitting coach. However, many people debate whether the hitting coach can actually help an individual batter because there are too many variables when a hitter is at the plate. Some complain that some coaches over analyze their pupils to the point of mentally screwing them up (like in the case of Starlin Castro, who was to change his natural hitting style to be more selective and create more power). Then there are some hitting coaches who allow their players to work things out for themselves; they are merely present in case the batter is looking for advice. Then there is the hitting guru, a person who has studied and loves the art of hitting and all of its components. The last great hitting mentor was Charley Lau, whose program helped hitters like Frank Thomas have long, productive careers. However, the best hitting coaches on a team may be other players. For example, when Daryl Ward was a Cub player, he would counsel his teammates on how to hit in situations and how to work a pitcher to a proper count. In some ways, the team needs a hitting coach that players can relate to and trust with their livelihood.
And established manager would have enough clout to bring his own people with him, like Tony LaRussa did with his pitching coach Dave Duncan. But Renteria has no such track record to demand hiring his own guys. In some ways, it diminishes the manager's staff loyalty because the coaches are more tied to the front office than to the actual bench skipper.
Baseball management likes that dynamic because the new executives want to micromanage all aspects of the operation. The baseball game is like a factory assembly line. Management just wants to plug in workers along the line, then fiddle with the product during the season. Executives want loyal staff members so they can monitor what is going on in the locker room. The Cubs have already stated that some of the current staff would be retained, but there would be some new hires.
Just as any manager's duty is to put his players in the best position to succeed, it is the general manager's duty to put the best coaching staff together to help the manager put the players in the best position to succeed.
The most important hire for any major league coaching staff is the pitching coach. The wear and tear of a season will affect every pitcher's mechanics. A good pitching coach will know what works and does not work for each pitcher. He will be able to quickly correct flaws. He is able to get the most out of each pitcher from game to game with proper preparation and scouting of the opponent.
Chris Bosio was been flying under the media radar. The Cubs pitching staff has had such a great turnover it is hard to tell whether he would be a good fit for a crop of young arms if the Cubs system ever develops such talent. There is no question that Chicago does have a great pitching coach: White Sox's Don Cooper. Cooper has consistently brought along several young pitchers (Sale, Quintana, Danks, Santiago, Reed). The Cubs need to hire a Cooper clone.
The next most important coach on the team is the hitting coach. However, many people debate whether the hitting coach can actually help an individual batter because there are too many variables when a hitter is at the plate. Some complain that some coaches over analyze their pupils to the point of mentally screwing them up (like in the case of Starlin Castro, who was to change his natural hitting style to be more selective and create more power). Then there are some hitting coaches who allow their players to work things out for themselves; they are merely present in case the batter is looking for advice. Then there is the hitting guru, a person who has studied and loves the art of hitting and all of its components. The last great hitting mentor was Charley Lau, whose program helped hitters like Frank Thomas have long, productive careers. However, the best hitting coaches on a team may be other players. For example, when Daryl Ward was a Cub player, he would counsel his teammates on how to hit in situations and how to work a pitcher to a proper count. In some ways, the team needs a hitting coach that players can relate to and trust with their livelihood.
And established manager would have enough clout to bring his own people with him, like Tony LaRussa did with his pitching coach Dave Duncan. But Renteria has no such track record to demand hiring his own guys. In some ways, it diminishes the manager's staff loyalty because the coaches are more tied to the front office than to the actual bench skipper.
Baseball management likes that dynamic because the new executives want to micromanage all aspects of the operation. The baseball game is like a factory assembly line. Management just wants to plug in workers along the line, then fiddle with the product during the season. Executives want loyal staff members so they can monitor what is going on in the locker room. The Cubs have already stated that some of the current staff would be retained, but there would be some new hires.
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