Posted by sjpoker on 9/30/2016 6:29:00 PM (view original):
Posted by dahsdebater on 9/30/2016 5:08:00 PM (view original):
Is seriously driving me nuts. I think he does a great job of identifying and cultivating talent, and getting the best out of his players. But his execution of traditional managerial duties - lineup construction, handling of the pitching staff, etc. - has always baffled me. Yesterday he had Brad Brach pitch 2 1/3 innings in spite of the fact that he has looked tired in a number of outings in the 2nd half. He's been batting Adam Jones leadoff most of the season. He's started 100+ games as the leadoff guy. Not sure if he's currently first or second on the team in fewest pitches/PA (he's been back and forth with Schoop on that all year), but he certainly isn't forcing pitchers to work through their repertoire in that spot. And I think most baseball fans realize he doesn't get on base. And he doesn't run. How is he a leadoff guy? Also, by the way, Schoop has something like 30 starts in the 2-hole. In those games the lineup starts with Jones-Schoop-Machado. Machado has the 3rd fewest pitches/PA on the team, by the way. And Schoop's OBP is under .300.
And now, today, Gallardo is getting yet another start. Over the past month and a half he's 2-5 with an ERA over 6.5, miraculously even worse than he was before that. There's no more time for him to "get right" for the postseason. To be honest, I hated this signing since before he showed up to Spring Training. He gave up almost a .900 OPS to opposing batters in the 2nd half in 2015. Nobody getting hit that hard for that long should be getting a multi-year 7-figure contract. But at this point, the roster is what it is. There are at least 6 or 7 better starters on the roster than Gallardo right now. The team is using 6 starters this month, and that doesn't include Worley, who has been good in just about every role he's been thrown into this year but hasn't been given chances to start, which also makes absolutely no sense. Even Tyler Wilson would probably be better than Gallardo. I just don't get it. Tigers certainly could win out with 3 games against the Braves and a game against Cleveland that Cleveland isn't going to care about. Orioles have to win this series. Why start out with such an utterly unnecessary gamble?
*end rant*
In other words, he's baseball's Andy Reid. Fields a talented team, keeps them in contention, but calls the same plays over and over, uses certain player as crutches, and his in-game calls can be highly questionable.
To me, Buck's biggest problem is that he's stubborn as hell. A couple things that stand out: he is way too obsessed with pitching matchups (L/L or R/R), he absolutely refuses to bunt in even the clearest of bunting situations, and he sticks with players who are performing terribly for far too long out of loyalty.
He's also HORRIBLE at motivating his players. Early in his career he was noted as a hardass and players hated him. Now he's so much of a players manager that it seems there's no accountability for repeated mistakes or an awful approach. Davis would rather hit .220 and K 225 times than try to take some free singles. Buck should be telling him to attempt a bunt at least once a game.
He's got a great baseball mind as far as the rulebook and the nuances of the game, but his decision making, as dahs said, is baffling at times. Kim should've been leading off all season vs righties. And batting Davis second recently, against lefties, was the dumbest thing ever. That's not gonna jumpstart a guy like Davis, who has struggling to recognize pitches and has too much pressure on him as it is.