After last night's collapse to the Kansas City Royals -- that's right, the Royals, not the Red Sox or Yankees, the Royals -- I believe that Eric Wedge has to go.
You can say the bullpen is a mess, you can say the hitters aren't hitting, and you can say Wedge can only play the players he has. You can say that all you want, but the bottom line is, he cannot manage his pitching.
Cliff Lee was at 97 or 98 pitches last night going into the 9th and Wedge made the decision to put in his closer. Sounds like a good idea, but this is last year's Cy Young award winner who could have used the confidence of putting a complete game win under his belt.
Now, back to Kerry Wood. Wouldn't a manager see the first home run and say, "Gee, maybe he doesn't have it tonight, I should get someone else in there." That's what Joe Torre, Ron Gardenhire, Jim Leyland, Tony LaRussa, etc. would have done -- even if there bullpen was a mess.
Eric Wedge, Carl Willis, and Jeff Datz have to go. I know the Dolans love them because they are cheap, but the bottom line is, the fans will not go to watch this team.
Will another manager fix all this? Probably not, but it couldn't hurt right now.
Can the season be saved? Believe it or not, I think so.
But how? Easy -- trade, release, and send down/bring up. Things have already changed -- Peralta has moved to 3rd, where he should stay. Cabrera is at short, where he belongs. Place Josh Barfield or Jamey Carroll there for now, until Luis Valbuena gets his bat back in the minors.
Trade who? Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta, Josh Barfield, and Ben Francisco for nothing but pitching.
But that will leave some openings? Nope, Mark DeRosa plays 3rd, Victor Martinez/Matt LaPorta platoons 1st, and Matt LaPorta plays left.
OK, who to release and send down/bring up? Release David Dellucci. Send down Luis Valbuena to play every day and bring up anyone right now. They have already released Masa Kobyashi, which is the right move and sent down Rafael Perez.
The AL Central is the weakest division in the majors. All is not lost. It comes down to Mark Shapiro and his braintrust on whether or not they want to make these moves. Not if, but want. Shaprio has an unhealthy relationship with Eric Wedge -- he thinks that Wedge is the second coming of Lou Boudreau.
Eric Wedge is a AAA manager who is not ready for the bigs. Will Shapiro ever see that? Let's wait and see.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Time for a change...
I heard Eric Wedge last night about changes are coming, whether inside or outside the organization. To me, this means he is in agreement with GM Mark Shapiro. It means that this is serious. It means that promotion and/or trades are in the works.
However, what does this mean to the players who are struggling? It means that Wedge and his staff lack the capacity to motivate and even help the players.
Yes, the season has been a "win one" then "lose one" ride, but Wedge has found his out. Instead of trying to motivate these players or talk to them, he will just get rid of them.
Now, I do agree with the possibility of changes. I like change, especially in this season. I agree that some players are taking up space, such as David Dellucci, Masa Kobayashi, Jhonny Peralta, Ryan Garko, and Rafael Betancourt.
The thing that gets me going is that Wedge is talking about the changes with the players. What about his staff? Carl Willis should have the capacity to motivate and help a pitcher. That is his job. If he is not doing his job, he should be replaced. Derek Shelton was under fire last year for hitting and should be raked over the coals again. If he is not doing his job, he should be replaced. Oh yes, one more thing, what exactly does Jeff Datz contribute to the staff?
I see the bullpen as the #1 issue right now with the Indians. What about the bullpen coach? Oh, right, Wedge fired the last coach, Luis Isaac, and brought in his man, Chuck Hernandez. I am not a baseball analyst, but in my opinion, I think that Chuck Hernandez is not doing his job and should be replaced.
I think the one thing you should take away from this is that Eric Wedge and his staff determine who makes the team, who is sent to the minors, and who is let go. That says a lot about his ability to put the best team on the field.
The finger pointing has begun and that means the coaching staff does not have his players vote of confidence and he has lost the team. Threatening with changes should be last on the list of motivation techniques. But since it is Eric Wedge, that seems to be his first.
However, what does this mean to the players who are struggling? It means that Wedge and his staff lack the capacity to motivate and even help the players.
Yes, the season has been a "win one" then "lose one" ride, but Wedge has found his out. Instead of trying to motivate these players or talk to them, he will just get rid of them.
Now, I do agree with the possibility of changes. I like change, especially in this season. I agree that some players are taking up space, such as David Dellucci, Masa Kobayashi, Jhonny Peralta, Ryan Garko, and Rafael Betancourt.
The thing that gets me going is that Wedge is talking about the changes with the players. What about his staff? Carl Willis should have the capacity to motivate and help a pitcher. That is his job. If he is not doing his job, he should be replaced. Derek Shelton was under fire last year for hitting and should be raked over the coals again. If he is not doing his job, he should be replaced. Oh yes, one more thing, what exactly does Jeff Datz contribute to the staff?
I see the bullpen as the #1 issue right now with the Indians. What about the bullpen coach? Oh, right, Wedge fired the last coach, Luis Isaac, and brought in his man, Chuck Hernandez. I am not a baseball analyst, but in my opinion, I think that Chuck Hernandez is not doing his job and should be replaced.
I think the one thing you should take away from this is that Eric Wedge and his staff determine who makes the team, who is sent to the minors, and who is let go. That says a lot about his ability to put the best team on the field.
The finger pointing has begun and that means the coaching staff does not have his players vote of confidence and he has lost the team. Threatening with changes should be last on the list of motivation techniques. But since it is Eric Wedge, that seems to be his first.
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