Dalyn (02-19-2014)
I find it very hard to believe the negative feelings about Gonzalez. His record as our manager these last three years is 279-207, a .574 winning percentage, which equates to an average record of 93-69 per season. Those are very good results. He has finished 4th and 3rd in manager of the year voting the last two years. And it is really easy after the fact to second guess the decision not to bring Craig in with one out in the 8th inning of that playoff game. Do you realize that Fredi never brought Craig in to get the last 5 outs of any game in the three years he has been manager or Craig's been our closer. Not once. Not to mention Carpenter had been excellent in that role all year. It has been a strategy that has been extremely successful the whole time he's been here. It just so happens that one time it didn't work out but it doesn't make it all of a sudden a bad strategy because one time out of hundreds it doesn't work.
Last edited by skillet; 02-19-2014 at 01:43 PM.
ChapelHillMatt (02-19-2014), CrimsonCowboy (02-20-2014), Heyward (02-19-2014)
Managers of playoff teams get the boot on occasion. See Baker, Dusty for a recent example.
I do think the expectations for this team are a bit higher than just making the playoffs.
Was Fredi responsible for our entire pitching staff, that had the best ERA (3.18) in all of baseball the entire year, fall completely on their collective faces in the playoffs (5.82)? Was he responsible for Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Brian McCann hitting a pathetic 5 for 41, a .122 batting average in the playoffs?
Last edited by skillet; 02-19-2014 at 01:52 PM.
Heyward (02-19-2014)
And that's not even what I'm referring too, that team still had a good season. The collapse was bad but nothing to get fired over. People can think he's a terrible manager if they want but obviously the Braves don't feel that way, neither do a lot of people in the game of baseball. He's well respected and his teams win a lot of games.
Dalyn (02-19-2014)
A lot of us first-guessed it, so I don't really think this logic applies.
Do you realize that some regard that to be a flaw in his strategic abilities, and don't think season's precedent should guide decisions in every emergent, do-or-die case?
"For all his tattooings he was on the whole a clean, comely looking cannibal."
Dalyn (02-19-2014), yeezus (02-19-2014), zitothebrave (02-19-2014)
With the talent on this team, anyone should be able to win 90-95 wins without lifting a finger. Seriously, the team is loaded. Him winning games just by filling out the lineup card is not indicative of his abilities as a tactician during games.
He finished 4th and 3rd in manager of the year because of our record, not because of over achievement.
He never used Craig in a 5 out save before? So? Was the win-or-go-home game we played in April?
Lastly, I'd say 75% of this board was screaming for Kimbrel. And even if he was unable to pitch two innings, we wanted him pitching the 8th to get the heart of the order out.
When is the last time the Braves did something like that? We aren't like everyone else. Also just because someone else does it that doesn't mean it was the right decision. What you do over the long haul should count for more than what you do in a short series. Expectations are high but I guarantee you this team won't even be picked to win the division, Washington will be by most people. Also expectations are also high for St. Louis and LA. So it's not like we don't have competition.
Weren't the Angels loaded as well? Why didn't they win 95 games if talent is all it takes? Why is Bobby so highly revered if division titles aren't anything to write home about? Afterall anyone can do it, right?
Also your post is inaccurate, he did more than fill out a lineup card. With the injuries we had and under performances we had from two key players he had to find a way to get production from others.
Last edited by ChapelHillMatt; 02-19-2014 at 02:13 PM.
AUTiger7222 (02-19-2014), Heyward (02-19-2014)