Pivotal in-season decisions for embattled Phillies manager
By Tal Venada
Beginning with Opening Day, the Phillies skipper will answer critical questions regardless of any additional acquisitions by general manager Matt Klentak in February and/or March.
Bat, glove and ball:
Some Philadelphia Phillies fans are restating their dissenting conclusions regarding management’s modern approach. Basically, when the campaign opens at March’s end, these critics already have their scapegoat, but the skipper knows he must win games, not popularity contests.
"IN OTHER WORDS: “I am an unpopular electric eel set in a pond of goldfish.” – Edith Sitwell"
When your youthful memories of old-fashioned baseball intersect with today’s game, the results are predictable. Your squawks go unheard by the decision-makers because they are following victory-based trends. Translation: They want to keep the job you want them fired from. Imagine that!
Regarding 2018’s batting order, the red pinstripes used 138 different lineups. And if you cherry-pick that stat, it only proves you detest analytics. But the Phils were 15th in the majors between the Los Angeles Dodgers with 155 at the top and the Atlanta Braves with 105 at the bottom.
Meanwhile, bullpen roles are changing because some franchises are using ninth-inning matchups. And while the closer stopped being a multi-frame position long ago, the three-out “hammer” now has less relevance. Yes, the necessity to win leads to new methods.
What’s next? The six-man rotation in the second half was successful for Atlanta last year. And because the Braves old-school manager had better results with it, he reluctantly continued the successful plan despite his misgivings. Ergo, the “extra day’s rest” strategy could be more widespread after 2019’s All-Star break.
When clubs heavily relying on analytics go to or win the World Series like the Dodgers or the Boston Red Sox, the number crunching is here to stay. Unlike the starter’s W to measure a hurler’s ability, new ways compensate for stadium size and situations out of a pitcher’s control: his defense.
And a new financial structure is forming to prevent monetary commitments from escalating into the stratosphere or deferred past a star’s retirement. Yes, the days of limitless spending are coming to a screeching halt.