Fredi fired

[VirginiaBrave]

If this were a movie it would be like taking John Wayne's guns and telling him to beat the black hat bad guys with rocks

 

[Dalyn]

If this were a movie it would be like taking John Wayne's guns and telling him to beat the black hat bad guys with rocks

Yeah...if he spent the first 18 hours of the movie shooting at them and missing badly.

 

[yeezus]

I just hope the new manager plays Mallex on the reg.

 

[Krovahn]

Still think he should have been fired on October 14th, 2010.

 

[CJ9]

I just hope the new manager plays Mallex on the reg.

This was my first thought, too. Snitker is certainly familiar with Mallex from Gwinnett.

 

[nsacpi]

We have two more lefty starting pitchers to face in this series. Will be interesting to see who plays second and short in those games.

 

[dak]

Will be fascinating to see the lineup tonight . . . and whether there are any roster moves. Over / under on Castro at SS has to be set at 75% or so. I'm crossing my fingers that we'll see an Adonis for Mallex roster move.

 

[57Brave]

My curiosity is why / how they played through spring training and the second half of 2015 without realizing their clean up hitter had no position

That speaks volumes to me on the state of the management from field managerial team to scouts to GM

 

[Five]

Bout GD time.

 

[bravesfanMatt]

Will be fascinating to see the lineup tonight . . . and whether there are any roster moves. Over / under on Castro at SS has to be set at 75% or so. I'm crossing my fingers that we'll see an Adonis for Mallex roster move.

I say under.. I have a feeling a directive from the top is making them play Aybar...

I am not expecting to much to change. there will be guys platooning still.. I think the most glaring change will be Neck out of leadoff.

 

[Garmel]

Damn, was hoping Fredi would be here all season to make sure the Braves got the 1st pick this year.

I'm sure we still will. Not a lot of talent on this club.

 

[JohnAdcox]

The Braves also fired bench coach Carlos Tosca. TP becomes the bench coach. Eddie Perez the 1B coach and Marty Reed the bullpen coach

Personally, I'm really glad to see Marty get a shot as bullpen coach. That said, anyone have any idea who he is?

 

[bravesfanforlife88]

Personally, I'm really glad to see Marty get a shot as bullpen coach. That said, anyone have any idea who he is?

I worked for Gwinnett in he clubhouse when he came up. Great guy. Smart with his pitchers. I'm excited to see him up and am expecting our pitchers to progress with his help

 

[Enscheff]

If that happens, it is unfortunate. I think Eddie Perez deserves a shot.

I definitely don't want a manager who makes decisions based off what he sees on a spread sheet.

Before I call you an idiot, I want to be clear...

Are you saying you do NOT want the manager of the Atlanta Braves to make decisions about lineup construction, bullpen usage and in game tactics based upon actual statistical data?

 

[mfree80]

Before I call you an idiot, I want to be clear...

Are you saying you do NOT want the manager of the Atlanta Braves to make decisions about lineup construction, bullpen usage and in game tactics based upon actual statistical data?

I think he is saying that decisions should not be made ONLY on the basis of spreadsheet data. Of course that is part of the equation, but not the only thing.

 

[Enscheff]

I think he is saying that decisions should not be made ONLY on the basis of spreadsheet data. Of course that is part of the equation, but not the only thing.

So what is the other thing? Who has an angel on their back that night?

Does anyone think recent usage and injury status isn't listed in a spreadsheet or database somewhere? I wonder, do people that say things like this ever use spreadsheets? Or are they the devil to the "know nothing" faction of fans?

 

[KB21]

I think the problem with Fredi was aesthetic as much as anything else. I don't know what his ACT score was (not that it should matter), but he always came across as less than sharp. Anyone who has played Strat-o-matic knows the basic outlines of baseball strategy, so I think anyone who has been around the game at the professional level can push the buttons. It's the other stuff that matters more and while Bobby and Fredi would probably struggle to use more than a three-letter word in a game of Scrabble making whatever difference they had in the dugout not very considerable, Bobby never lost the team. The biggest difference in how they ran their teams is Fredi's use of the bullpen. I always thought he played match-ups way too heavily and as a result wore down his guys. Bobby platooned very aggressively, especially in Toronto, so I didn't see a huge difference between them there (although Fredi's gone way overboard a couple of times this season).

The thing about Bobby is how he handled the club house. He was a player's coach, but he also knew how to discipline his players. His players also knew that he had their backs. IMO, I don't think the players ever really felt like Fredi had their backs. Too often, Fredi seemed to be oblivious to what was going on. IMO, he never really had a finger on the pulse of the team.

Bobby also won with different types of team. He won with older players. He won with younger players. He won with teams that were aggressive on the base paths with hit and run type situations, and he has won with teams that sit back and wait on the three run homer. We really were spoiled to have a guy who I feel may be the best baseball manager of all time for so many years.

 

[mfree80]

So what is the other thing? Who has an angel on their back that night?

Does anyone think recent usage and injury status isn't listed in a spreadsheet or database somewhere? I wonder, do people that say things like this ever use spreadsheets? Or are they the devil to the "know nothing" faction of fans?

You really don't think a guy who is with them every day, works with them on their development, side issues, and life issues, knows some things about them that might not be on a spreadsheet? He also probably knows more about them as people and about the game of Baseball than you and I.

There are two extremes here. Neither are appropriate all of the time.

 

[smootness]

You really don't think a guy who is with them every day, works with them on their development, side issues, and life issues, knows some things about them that might not be on a spreadsheet? He also probably knows more about them as people and about the game of Baseball than you and I.

There are two extremes here. Neither are appropriate all of the time.

What I can't understand is this thought that Fredi manages from a spreadsheet. He may be the least information-driven manager I've ever seen.

 

[Enscheff]

You really don't think a guy who is with them every day, works with them on their development, side issues, and life issues, knows some things about them that might not be on a spreadsheet? He also probably knows more about them as people and about the game of Baseball than you and I.

There are two extremes here. Neither are appropriate all of the time.

I can agree with that when we talk about things like Maddon putting Longoria in the leadoff spot in an attempt to snap him out of a slump, or getting bench players some semi-regular playing time to keep them fresh. Those types of things are absolutely not calculated anywhere, and are something Cox did well.

However, some players hit LHers better than other. Some are good defenders and need to be brought in to replace Aybar. BPs can be managed based on platoon advantages and leverage. Lineups can be constructed without punting the #2 spot and sticking Daniel Castro there.

Those type of things absolutely can, and should be, determined by the evil spreadsheet (even though no data analyst worth a **** uses a spreadsheet anymore).

And no, I don't think most managers have more knowledge about the tactical aspects of the game than a hardcore fan or competent writer. Knowledge about how to manage people and the rigors of the MLB life? Absolutely they do.