FG Grades NLDS Managers

[Enscheff]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/manageri...sion-series-2/

No surprise here...Snit got a D for managing the lineup and a B+ for managing the pitchers. I have to agree with both grades, and we all saw the moronic lineup choices play out in real time. Some snippets in case anyone forgot why were were so livid with the dinosaur:

"Ozuna was the worst Atlanta batter when it came to hitting high-velocity fastballs, while Contreras was one of the best. Ozuna is also just a worse hitter than Contreras, whether you’re looking at projections or 2022 statistics."

"Snitker left him (Rosario) in to face Brad Hand in Game 4, with a two-run deficit and a runner on base."

"waffling between Orlando Arcia and Grissom at second base. I’m not quite sure what the thinking was here, and it was extra strange when Arcia pinch hit for Grissom with the opposing starting pitcher (Nola, if you’re keeping track at home) still in the game."

Why in the WORLD was Grissom good enough to start vs Nola, but not hit against him multiple times?

There is no logic being applied here. No rational thought going into these lineups.

The Braves had to play against the Phillies, an oblique injury to Strider, a flu bug with Fried, and a liner off the elbow of Morton. In addition, they had to play against a manager with no clue how to properly deploy a deeply talented roster. One of those adversaries can easily be beaten.

The Braves can't have a manager doing D level work in the playoffs. They must upgrade the tactical decision making process somehow, and it needs to happen now.

[CyYoung31]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/manageri...sion-series-2/

No surprise here...Snit got a D for managing the lineup and a B+ for managing the pitchers. I have to agree with both grades, and we all saw the moronic lineup choices play out in real time. Some snippets in case anyone forgot why were were so livid with the dinosaur:

"Ozuna was the worst Atlanta batter when it came to hitting high-velocity fastballs, while Contreras was one of the best. Ozuna is also just a worse hitter than Contreras, whether you’re looking at projections or 2022 statistics."

"Snitker left him (Rosario) in to face Brad Hand in Game 4, with a two-run deficit and a runner on base."

"waffling between Orlando Arcia and Grissom at second base. I’m not quite sure what the thinking was here, and it was extra strange when Arcia pinch hit for Grissom with the opposing starting pitcher (Nola, if you’re keeping track at home) still in the game."

Why in the WORLD was Grissom good enough to start vs Nola, but not hit against him multiple times?

There is no logic being applied here. No rational thought going into these lineups.

The Braves had to play against the Phillies, an oblique injury to Strider, a flu bug with Fried, and a liner off the elbow of Morton. In addition, they had to play against a manager with no clue how to properly deploy a deeply talented roster. One of those adversaries can easily be beaten.

The Braves can't have a manager doing D level work in the playoffs. They must upgrade the tactical decision making process somehow, and it needs to happen now.

And we called out every single one of those moves as it happened. This **** isn’t rocket science. Almost any fumbling limp dick would be capable of making the correct decisions. I’m dumbfounded that someone as intelligent as AA continued to let Snit take the wheel.

[Tapate50]

I never understood walking Schwarber to get to Hoskins. Saw that dinger coming a mile away

[Heyward]

Snit was bad but we just got outplayed by Philly. Couldnt hit, couldnt pitch but not sure even if Snit pushes every button it makes a difference.

[UNCBlue012]

I never understood walking Schwarber to get to Hoskins. Saw that dinger coming a mile away

Yeah, I was flabergasted. Schwarber is a good hitter but he was in a like 0-17 funk at that point and striking out left and right.

[jpack1]

Snit is an awful tactical manager. AA needs to get control of the in game decisions.

[bravesfanMatt]

Yeah, I was flabergasted. Schwarber is a good hitter but he was in a like 0-17 funk at that point and striking out left and right.

to be fair so was Hoskins.. but the real travisity was seeing Strider throwing 95 - 96 and still letting him face hitters. Twitner is going to cost us more titles than this talent will win. although, I don't blame twit for this one too much.. We had a slew of injuries to deal with along with lay off and MLB scheduling every f'ing game in the day.

[DirkPiggler]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/manageri...sion-series-2/

No surprise here...Snit got a D for managing the lineup and a B+ for managing the pitchers. I have to agree with both grades, and we all saw the moronic lineup choices play out in real time. Some snippets in case anyone forgot why were were so livid with the dinosaur:

"Ozuna was the worst Atlanta batter when it came to hitting high-velocity fastballs, while Contreras was one of the best. Ozuna is also just a worse hitter than Contreras, whether you’re looking at projections or 2022 statistics."

"Snitker left him (Rosario) in to face Brad Hand in Game 4, with a two-run deficit and a runner on base."

"waffling between Orlando Arcia and Grissom at second base. I’m not quite sure what the thinking was here, and it was extra strange when Arcia pinch hit for Grissom with the opposing starting pitcher (Nola, if you’re keeping track at home) still in the game."

Why in the WORLD was Grissom good enough to start vs Nola, but not hit against him multiple times?

There is no logic being applied here. No rational thought going into these lineups.

The Braves had to play against the Phillies, an oblique injury to Strider, a flu bug with Fried, and a liner off the elbow of Morton. In addition, they had to play against a manager with no clue how to properly deploy a deeply talented roster. One of those adversaries can easily be beaten.

The Braves can't have a manager doing D level work in the playoffs. They must upgrade the tactical decision making process somehow, and it needs to happen now.

Snitker puts AA in a tough spot. The most difficult part of the job...managing the egos, personalities, etc of a bunch of alphas, many of whom are making a lot more money than the manager...is an area in which Snit seems to excel. But he struggles mightily with the in-game decisions, something you could train an 18 year old high school grad with limited baseball experience to handle within a few days. Does he risk easing Snitker into retirement and replacing him with the likes of Gabe Kapler and risk messing up the chemistry? Or is it best to leave him in place with the understanding that he will use more modern analysis for tactical decision making?

We had this same situation for 20 or so years, and ended up winning one World Series when we should've had 4-5 at a minimum. I'm afraid we're about to repeat that for some if not all of the core group's competitive window.

[chop2chip]

The tactical stuff is an obvious flaw that deserves all the criticism it receives.

I’m still upset with how seemingly everyone of our star players led the league in games played, and for the most part each of them struggled mightily in September.

[50PoundHead]

The tactical stuff is an obvious flaw that deserves all the criticism it receives.

I’m still upset with how seemingly everyone of our star players led the league in games played, and for the most part each of them struggled mightily in September.

Part of it was chasing the Mets and part of it can be attributed to injuries and the subpar bench. Arcia is a major league player who can back up at 2B, SS, and 3B, but we had Ozuna, Rosario, and Grossman taking turns in LF with the other two on the bench (or one DHing). There really wasn't a true back-up 1B on the team to give Olson a day off here or there when he was in the midst of his slump. Again, the injuries and Acuna working back into playing field shape left the team without a ton of bench options. It's not a top priority, but having a stronger bench should be on the to-do list.

[chop2chip]

Part of it was chasing the Mets and part of it can be attributed to injuries and the subpar bench. Arcia is a major league player who can back up at 2B, SS, and 3B, but we had Ozuna, Rosario, and Grossman taking turns in LF with the other two on the bench (or one DHing). There really wasn't a true back-up 1B on the team to give Olson a day off here or there when he was in the midst of his slump. Again, the injuries and Acuna working back into playing field shape left the team without a ton of bench options. It's not a top priority, but having a stronger bench should be on the to-do list.

I don’t agree. It’s not much to ask anyone to cover 1B for a game every few weeks. Arcia could easily cover 3B or SS. Is it suboptimal? Yes. But so is fatigue and injury.

The bench needs to improve this off-season. Grissom is a potential super utility option. I’d still like to bring in a capable CF that can hit LHP to give Harris a breather against some of the tougher lefties.

[bravesfanMatt]

It is going to be hard to upgrade our bench with Ozuna and Rossario on the roster. That is 2 spots sort of wasted on our 26 man roster. I don't see them just releasing them either.

[Enscheff]

The tactical stuff is an obvious flaw that deserves all the criticism it receives.

I’m still upset with how seemingly everyone of our star players led the league in games played, and for the most part each of them struggled mightily in September.

This is also a very big problem. Only 2 players in MLB played all 162 games...Olson and Swanson. And then it was played up like it was a good thing.

[Enscheff]

Part of it was chasing the Mets and part of it can be attributed to injuries and the subpar bench. Arcia is a major league player who can back up at 2B, SS, and 3B, but we had Ozuna, Rosario, and Grossman taking turns in LF with the other two on the bench (or one DHing). There really wasn't a true back-up 1B on the team to give Olson a day off here or there when he was in the midst of his slump. Again, the injuries and Acuna working back into playing field shape left the team without a ton of bench options. It's not a top priority, but having a stronger bench should be on the to-do list.

Umm, Riley can play 1B just fine with Arcia covering 3B.

The only reason guys weren't rested was due to dinosaur thinking by a dinosaur manager. The Braves need better tactical direction.

[The Chosen One]

This is also a very big problem. Only 2 players in MLB played all 162 games...Olson and Swanson. And then it was played up like it was a good thing.

gotta show the other teams in MLB who has the most testosterone.

[50PoundHead]

I don’t agree. It’s not much to ask anyone to cover 1B for a game every few weeks. Arcia could easily cover 3B or SS. Is it suboptimal? Yes. But so is fatigue and injury.

The bench needs to improve this off-season. Grissom is a potential super utility option. I’d still like to bring in a capable CF that can hit LHP to give Harris a breather against some of the tougher lefties.

Riley made two errors in one game over at first. It's not as easy as it looks. My primary point is that we had three guys playing LF and all they could do is play LF. That took up space on the bench. I think they need to look for a RHH who can play some in LF/RF and back-up at 1B, but at the very least, they don't need three LFs. Don't know how many RHH 1B/OFs are around, but they should look for one. I'm guessing Duvall will be back and be part of a LF platoon and serve as the back-up CF.

[Enscheff]

Yes, let's base roster decisions on Riley making 2 errors in a few innings at 1B.

Riley can play 1B just fine. It is very easy for a competent MLB 3B to transition over to 1B to cover a few games per season. Roster construction was not the reason Olson played 162 games despite very clearly wearing down late in the season.

Olson should be sitting 1-2 games a month vs LHP with Riley getting those game at 1B. It is painfully simple, and no additional plans need to be made.

[50PoundHead]

Yes, let's base roster decisions on Riley making 2 errors in a few innings at 1B.

Riley can play 1B just fine. It is very easy for a competent MLB 3B to transition over to 1B to cover a few games per season. Roster construction was not the reason Olson played 162 games despite very clearly wearing down late in the season.

Olson should be sitting 1-2 games a month vs LHP with Riley getting those game at 1B. It is painfully simple, and no additional plans need to be made.

No. He can't. He's played a grand total of 115 innings at the position during his career with a .963 FP. Sure, it's a small sample size, but I think his experience there leaves it open to question as to whether this is just the Andy Marte Experience all over again when so many fans were insistent that moving from third to first could be done seamlessly. It can't. There are nuances to the position. I really respect your ability to see things at the margin that others miss, but I just disagree with you here. If anything, I think they should toss Grissom the claw and see if he could handle the position effectively. Malloy could be another candidate.

Further, there isn't a single quality first base prospect in the entire system right now top-to-bottom. If Olson were to go down for an extended period, you'd be stuck playing someone with questionable ability at the position.

[chop2chip]

No. He can't. He's played a grand total of 115 innings at the position during his career with a .963 FP. Sure, it's a small sample size, but I think his experience there leaves it open to question as to whether this is just the Andy Marte Experience all over again when so many fans were insistent that moving from third to first could be done seamlessly. It can't. There are nuances to the position. I really respect your ability to see things at the margin that others miss, but I just disagree with you here. If anything, I think they should toss Grissom the claw and see if he could handle the position effectively. Malloy could be another candidate.

Further, there isn't a single quality first base prospect in the entire system right now top-to-bottom. If Olson were to go down for an extended period, you'd be stuck playing someone with questionable ability at the position.

First base defense difficulty is understated but it’s teachable. We have seen for years some truly deplorable miscreants play the position respectfully. If Snit or AA don’t have someone in mind on the roster that can play it for 18 innings a month then they are fools. It’s not an excuse for not managing workload better.

Olson aside, there is simply no excuse for Dansby to play 162 games when we have two extremely capable backups in Grissom and Arcia on the roster.

[Enscheff]

No. He can't. He's played a grand total of 115 innings at the position during his career with a .963 FP. Sure, it's a small sample size, but I think his experience there leaves it open to question as to whether this is just the Andy Marte Experience all over again when so many fans were insistent that moving from third to first could be done seamlessly. It can't. There are nuances to the position. I really respect your ability to see things at the margin that others miss, but I just disagree with you here. If anything, I think they should toss Grissom the claw and see if he could handle the position effectively. Malloy could be another candidate.

Further, there isn't a single quality first base prospect in the entire system right now top-to-bottom. If Olson were to go down for an extended period, you'd be stuck playing someone with questionable ability at the position.

To be clear...

Your position is that a perfectly competent MLB 3B would not be able to handle 1B? And that lack of a 1B defensive specialist is why Olson played all 162 games? Further, if AA targets one of those rare 1B defensive specialists for the bench, Snit will finally be able to rest the weary Matt Olson?

Did I summarize your position correctly?