The Brewers' Next Manager; Latest -- Valentine may have inside track to the job; Cora, Melvin, Roenicke also finalists

[RockCoCougars]

I think that it would be hard to argue that this team plays solid fundamental baseball. Poor defense, baserunning miscues, failures to get a bunt down, situational hitting, etc. That falls to Macha. Going further, the team tends to play fairly uninspired, that reflects Macha as well. He needs to go.

 

Just say no to Bob Melvin, by the way. His managerial career has been mediocre at best. If this team wants to hire a currently unemployed retread manager, why not Phil Garner? I'm not joking- it would be interesting to see what he could do with a team that actually spends some money. He was saddled with limited payroll in Milwaukee and pretty much brutal teams in Detroit, but did OK in Houston.

 

At any rate, my preference would be either Sveum, Money or Randolph on a one year deal in that order. Add some pieces in the off-season on short term deals, and give it one last go next year with most of the core intact (with Fielder unless you can get a Cain/Garza type for him). If next year is as bad as this one, blow things up and rebuild around the young pitchers..... hopefully, if their arms are still intact.

[thebruce44]

At any rate, my preference would be either Sveum, Money or Randolph on a one year deal in that order. Add some pieces in the off-season on short term deals, and give it one last go next year with most of the core intact (with Fielder unless you can get a Cain/Garza type for him). If next year is as bad as this one, blow things up and rebuild around the young pitchers..... hopefully, if their arms are still intact.

Are any managers ever hired on 1 year deals? That seems like it would almost be a slap in the face. Even Macha's 2 year deal struck me as odd.

 

[ecjimg]

TooLiveBrew]It doesn't really matter who the Brewers hire. All managers are essentially equal in terms of skill & impact.

Please explain the Baltimore Orioles. 32-70 prior to Showalter, 30-20 after his hire.

 

 

[TooLiveBrew]

Buck Showalter, career .517 managerial record. 5 losing seasons, 6 winning seasons. There's really nothing to say aside from small sample.

 

Fwiw Baseball-Reference has Showalter's record at 28-17.

[And That]

Maybe regression to the mean? They aren't a good tea, but they probably weren't .314 winning % bad.

[owbc]

Clearly this is your opinion. To say the current team does not stress

playing fundamental defense is pretty ludicrous. How many times have

we read about how hard Weeks has worked with Randolph on his defense

and that is only one example.

Yes, it does occasionally show up that Weeks or Escobar is working with Randolph. But the coaches are also working with the infielders and outfielders on the other 29 teams. The difference is that any comments about the Brewers' defense from the coaching staff are few and far between. Improving defense starts the first day of spring training and can take years to show up. The Brewers' neglect of defense has gone on for several years, and has now come to fruition with the team becoming the worst defensive team in MLB at the exact time that pitching and defense became common areas of emphasis across MLB.

 

Sometimes it was simple decisions, like allowing Prince Fielder to play the field during Interleague play. Other times it is more involved--like which positions to upgrade to make up for Braun/Fielder's atrocious defense. I also have to question why Escobar did not become the star defender that he was supposed to be according to our scouting. Remember when Ned Yost would remove our poor defenders late in the game--how often do you see that from Macha?

 

I am confident that additional upgrades to the Brewers' pitching staff will not yield significant improvements unless the defense behind these pitchers is upgraded. A new manager is also needed that will come out on day 1 of spring training 2011 and announce to the team that improving defense is a high priority.

[logan82]

Just wait, after the season Doug Melvin will probably announce that Macha's option was picked up at last year's winter meetings.

[kilgore37]

I want Torre. If we keep Prince and take a shot, which I think we will do. He's the guy I want.

[CheezWizHed]

why not Phil Garner?

 

I always thought he did a very good job for the Brewers (considering the talent, especially).

 

Lets bring back ScrapIron from the ScrapHeap!

[dlk9s]

Good news - Bob Brenly withdrew his name from the Cubs job, so he's available.

[MNBrew]

The longer Garner managed the Brewers, the less he seemed to do well. No thanks.

 

Randolph, Sveum, Money, or someone from another organization... (Not that they haven't been debated a lot already. I just didn't want to talk down an idea without also making a suggestion.)

[razzzorsharp]

I think we should pick a fan as manager everyday, if the team wins, you get to manage another day.

[rluzinski]

What I think is more interesting to debate is when the new manager will be fired. My guess is T the end of the 2013, after 3 years of 75-80 wins.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Good news - Bob Brenly withdrew his name from the Cubs job, so he's available.

I wonder if Yount would be his bench coach again if he got hired somewhere.

[JohnBriggs12]

Speaking of Brenly, an interesting guy who I think will be out there is current Cub interim manager Mike Quade. Despite the success he's had since he took over, I still think the Cubs will opt for a bigger name.

 

Quade got a moribund team to finish the season well. He's got 16 years experience managing in the minors too. My guess is if the Cubs don't bring him back, he'll be on some lists of other teams.

[RockCoCougars]

I suspect that a week from now Ken will be joining the ranks of the unemployed. Once again, I hope the Brewers hire from within rather than reach on a retread (unless we are talking about Valentine) or someone from another organization with no experience (Steve Decker).

[BrewersSuperCollector]

I want Ozzie Guillen.

[joepepsi]

Ron Gardenhire. He seems to be real good taking at team of two offensive stars and a rotation of soft tossers to the playoffs every year.

[And That]

I'd bet Gardenhire is the manager in Minnesota until he decides to call it quits.

 

OTOH, there might be a chance that the Twins might let Rick Anderson interview for a manager's job - he's the pitching coach who gets good results out of that staff year after year.

[Invader3K]

I want Ozzie Guillen.

It sounds like he's officially going to be back with the White Sox next season; so I guess that shoots down that possibility.

[cadillacjosh]

What about Bobby Valentine? I think he would like pretty snazzy in a Brewers uni.

[brewmann04]

we need an impact type of manager

[Mays Hayes]

we need an impact type of manager

Is there such a thing at the MLB level? MLB managers that impact games usually get fired!

[Mays Hayes]

The more I hear about Don Money, the more I like him as a replacement for Macha. He has progressed all the way through the ranks of minor league managing, always seeming to do well and help players with their development. So I think he is my first choice. Give him the final bump from AAA to MLB.

If we promote a good coach and player developer from one of our minor league affiliates, are we helping or hurting our organization long term?

[dlk9s]

we need an impact type of manager

Please explain what this means.