It's a real art trying to figure out lineups. How long does a manager allow a player to pull himself out of a slump, or to find his control? Some of us have pulled our hair out here with CC's decisions about players like Wiemer, Winker, and Chafin', but in the end, he we are, in a great spot to make a run.
Then there's player evaluation, trades, the draft, the farm system, etc. CC appears to be pretty good at all this. It's not just about buying players, but it helps when the GM and manager have a good feel about who will be the right players. They didn't get it right every time, but enough to build a really good team.