Washington Nationals Dave Martinez Is A Good Manager

The Washington Nationals signed Asdrubal Cabrera to be the last man off their bench. It’s not a flashy move, but it’s a smart one – which might be the hallmark of a Dave Martinez team.

The Washington Nationals do not use their bench very often – or all that well. For a National League manager from the Joe Maddon coaching tree, Dave Martinez is remarkably static in how he runs his ballclub. He bunts more than most. He rarely double switches, pinch runs, or installs defensive replacements. He more-or-less runs the same lineup out there regardless of the circumstances.

He doesn’t have much use for his bench outside of spotting his starters. While, yes, that is, in part, the purpose of bench players, teams like the Cubs and Dodgers find ways to utilize all 25 men on the roster. Martinez uses his roster in basically just the one way.

What most fans see, therefore, is a guy who’s not all that captivating of a speaker, who can’t seem to push the right buttons in his bullpen, and who doesn’t see the writing on the wall when his lineup needs a change.

But given the lack of depth he’s had with this roster, I think it’s fair to wonder if Dave Martinez might be – bear with me – a good manager. Some of the choices Davey has made regarding his pitching staff have boggled the mind. It’s been bad. People have lost their jobs over it. When the Dave Martinez era is over, his tactical acumen with the bullpen will be one of the touchstones.

Still, I’ve been wondering for quite some time now if Martinez might actually be a sneaky good manager. There’s an x-factor at work here and it all starts with his relationships with the players. Watch how they greet him after a home run. Sometimes it’s a hug, sometimes it’s a ribbing, sometimes it’s a quick conversation. Point being, Martinez has a report with every offensive player on this team.

Communication is always a factor, one of the first things called out in success and failure, nebulous and omnipresent and abstruse: it matters. Davey appears to excel in this regard. It’s fair to wonder if part of the good vibes in Martinez’s clubhouse is possible because of the clarity he offers his players in their roles. Clarity is great, but he also gives them something even rarer in sports: security.