Why Joe Maddon is NOT the best manager in baseball!

[JimyMarlboroBallgame]

And it's not even close!
The ONLY manager I have EVER seen walk Cabrera with the bases loaded before and with players on 1st and 2nd. HE GETS IT. Just don't pitch to him = best chance to win games
So why do they pitch to him?
For the fans? Like Bonds, Sosa, and McGuire on steroids breaking home-run records was to get fans involved again?
If they want to beat the Tigers, they would walk Cabrera. Otherwise, they are just playing for fun and don't want to disappoint the fans. Or you tell me...tell me....why they do (pitch to him)!

[JimyMarlboroBallgame]

Every single time there is a guy on base....Miggy Cabrera burns them; why are these managers not figuring this out? I've seen it ALL year. OMG. I give up on baseball. I can not understand why they don't change their strategy against Cabrera.

[Money]

Sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[rockitsauce]

except when it counts

Sweeep

Miggy strikes out.jpg (64.93 KiB) Viewed 8021 times

[DOUGHBOYS]

There was a certain NFBC Milwaukee fan(s) that could not believe and were incredulous that Braun went from a number one overall pick to a number three, due to reports about possible steroid use.
Taking only on field stats into account as of now, the Cabrera and Trout owners and even those taking Cano before Braun, may be better off in passing on Braun.

Just sayin'

[JohnP]

There was a certain NFBC Milwaukee fan(s) that could not believe and were incredulous that Braun went from a number one overall pick to a number three, due to reports about possible steroid use.
Taking only on field stats into account as of now, the Cabrera and Trout owners and even those taking Cano before Braun, may be better off in passing on Braun.

Just sayin'

Add 30 ABs to Braun and he would have better numbers than Cano and be right there will Trout. Miggy....he is in a class by himself after last week. If you anticipated Braun missing the games that he has....kudos to you.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Braun has only missed four games and had at least three plate appearances in every other game.
Why 30 extra at bats?

[JohnP]

Good point Dan - I just thought he missed more games than that. I was just looking at the ABs and should have looked deeper. I should know better than to test your baseball knowledge!! For the record, I only have Braun in one league (KJ contract league) but would have likely taken him at 1 if given the chance. Still early. Somehow we got from Maddon to Braun. I do love Maddon as a manager!

[DOUGHBOYS]

I do too, John.
What I like most about him is that he is not afraid to fail. He will try things other Managers wouldn't try to win a game. His outside of the box thinking as a Manager reminds me most of how a fantasy Manager would manage a game. Most of his players are moving parts. Able to play more than one position and being positioned at the optimal spot on the field, Tampa pitchers constantly pitch at an advantage that most other teams do not enjoy.
The Cabrera thing comes under the heading of not afraid to fail too. If we were picking fantasy managers, Maddon, if not being THE number one pick, would certainly be in the top tier.

[JimyMarlboroBallgame]

Here you go:

Tie game bottom 8th. Tigers have runner on second with two outs. Maddon intentionally walks Miggy (okay lots of managers might do that). The next move is why he "gets it" as he brought in a RIGHT-HANDER to face Fielder (the lefty). Why? Because Fielder is batting over .400 against lefties but just .2"" against righties. So much for the lefty/lefty righty/righty matchups that every manager uses year after year game after game in clutch situations like that.

I think this will be the only manager all year to bring in a righty to face Fielder (he could have brought in McGee too). Good for you Joe! That's why I still watch baseball!

[JohnP]

Here you go:

Tie game bottom 8th. Tigers have runner on second with two outs. Maddon intentionally walks Miggy (okay lots of managers might do that). The next move is why he "gets it" as he brought in a RIGHT-HANDER to face Fielder (the lefty). Why? Because Fielder is batting over .400 against lefties but just .2"" against righties. So much for the lefty/lefty righty/righty matchups that every manager uses year after year game after game in clutch situations like that.

I think this will be the only manager all year to bring in a righty to face Fielder (he could have brought in McGee too). Good for you Joe! That's why I still watch baseball!

Exactly! Good call - by you and Joe!

[Money]

Here you go:

Tie game bottom 8th. Tigers have runner on second with two outs. Maddon intentionally walks Miggy (okay lots of managers might do that). The next move is why he "gets it" as he brought in a RIGHT-HANDER to face Fielder (the lefty). Why? Because Fielder is batting over .400 against lefties but just .2"" against righties. So much for the lefty/lefty righty/righty matchups that every manager uses year after year game after game in clutch situations like that.

I think this will be the only manager all year to bring in a righty to face Fielder (he could have brought in McGee too). Good for you Joe! That's why I still watch baseball!

I think he brought McGee in because he was his best pitcher in the bullpen. The right/left splits on Fielder this year are way out of line with his career splits. We have a small sample size of 60 some at bats this season against left handers. I watch every tigers game and if all things were equal I'd rather see him hitting against a right hander. But all things aren't equal, Madden went with his best pitcher, period. I don't think it had anything to do with the righty/lefty matchup.

Fielder this season is hitting home runs off leftys that, when trying to jam him inside, don't get it in far enough, when this happens, it's adios. He should be pitched away at all times by left handers.

One last comment, I agree with you that Joe Madden is absolutely one of the best managers in baseball. There is no telling how many games he could win with the Tigers!!

[JimyMarlboroBallgame]

Here you go:

Tie game bottom 8th. Tigers have runner on second with two outs. Maddon intentionally walks Miggy (okay lots of managers might do that). The next move is why he "gets it" as he brought in a RIGHT-HANDER to face Fielder (the lefty). Why? Because Fielder is batting over .400 against lefties but just .2"" against righties. So much for the lefty/lefty righty/righty matchups that every manager uses year after year game after game in clutch situations like that.

I think this will be the only manager all year to bring in a righty to face Fielder (he could have brought in McGee too). Good for you Joe! That's why I still watch baseball!

I think he brought McGee in because he was his best pitcher in the bullpen. The right/left splits on Fielder this year are way out of line with his career splits. We have a small sample size of 60 some at bats this season against left handers. I watch every tigers game and if all things were equal I'd rather see him hitting against a right hander. But all things aren't equal, Madden went with his best pitcher, period. I don't think it had anything to do with the righty/lefty matchup.

Fielder this season is hitting home runs off leftys that, when trying to jam him inside, don't get it in far enough, when this happens, it's adios. He should be pitched away at all times by left handers.

One last comment, I agree with you that Joe Madden is absolutely one of the best managers in baseball. There is no telling how many games he could win with the Tigers!!

I think you meant Peralta. That's who Maddon brought in! I was trying to say he could have brought in McGee the lefty to face Fielder but instead brought in Peralta. McGee was warming up in the ninth with Rodney so I don't think it was a case of "best" pitcher outside of Rodney, but you could be right. I think he was playing the "current" percentages with Fielder. This year Fielder happens to be hitting those lefties, and I think Maddon played to this. Again, I could be wrong though too and you are right that Peralta is probably their best bullpen guy this year too. Too bad we can't see a similar situation today or the game before to know the underlying decision by Maddon.

[Money]

Yes, I meant Peralta. Thanks.

[JimyMarlboroBallgame]

I guess I was wrong after all. He pitched to Cabrera all night, and then brought in that good ol' lefty to face a lefty for Fielder. Even though, as the stats show clearly, Fielder is destroying lefty pitching all year this year. I was surprised to see him fall for this lefty/lefty hoax I see again, and again, and again in clutch situations fail. I guess you are NOT the best manager in baseball.

[JimyMarlboroBallgame]

David Ortiz leads the AL and I think the MLB in intentional walks. Really? Why doesn't Cabrera lead? Hunter has been on base a lot this year and Jackson, so it can't be the open base with runner(s) on 2nd or 3rd excuse; that it has happened more for Ortiz. Cabrera is much more dangerous than Ortiz period. Not that Ortiz is not dangerous.

[BK METS]

Am I the only one that's confused? Must be me