Brian McTaggart ran with my idea of profiling the managerial candidates, so I'm letting him doing the heavy lifting before fisking the candidates a bit.
First up, Ned Yost, former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers:
Ned Yost
Age: 54
Hometown: Eureka, Calif.
College: None.
Most recent job: Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Previous Major League managing experience: Managed the Brewers for six years and guided them from also-ran to contender in the National League. Milwaukee finished sixth in the NL Central in his first two seasons, third in 2005, fourth in 2006 and second in 2007 and 2008. The Brewers clinched the NL Wild Card on the final day of the 2008 season, just days after Yost has been dismissed as manager.
Major League managing record: 457-402.
Minor League managing experience: None.
Minor League managing record: None.
Playing experience: Yost spent six years in the Majors as a backup catcher with Milwaukee (1980-83), Texas (1984) and Montreal (1985). He's a career .212 hitter with 16 homers and 64 RBIs in 605 games.
Did you know: Before becoming manager of the Brewers, Yost was the bullpen coach (1991-98) and third-base coach (1999-2002) under Bobby Cox in Atlanta?
What GM Ed Wade said: "I don't know Ned very well, but the guy served under Bobby Cox for 10 years and certainly has what it takes to be a successful big-league manager and he has experienced success in the Major Leagues. It didn't end well [in Milwaukee], but that's true of all the experienced guys we're interviewing."
Yost was quoted by Alyson Footer on Twitter as saying:
"...I think they're one starter away from having a really good staff."
Talk about saying all the right things to management. If by one starter, he means three, then yeah, the Astros could have a really good staff. But then again, doesn't it depend on who that starter is? Mike Hampton sure didn't make the staff better, but John Lackey might. C.C. Sabathia sure would make a staff look a lot better, as he did for the Brewers under Yost. Are the Astros getting that one starter? Not likely.
Yost did a good job with a smaller budget in Milwaukee, but Rickie Weeks never was able to transform his considerable talent into being a solid starter, but he got a breakout performance from J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun. I can't decide if this was a courtesy interview for Bud Selig or whether Yost has a legitimate shot at the job. It will be interesting to see his interview with the press later today.
As for Randy Ready, here is his bio:
Randy Ready
Age: 49
Hometown: Freemont, Calif.
College: Cal State Heyward.
Most recent job: Hitting coach for the San Diego Padres.
Previous Major League managing experience: None.
Major League managing record: None.
Minor League managing experience: Ready began his Minor League managerial career in 2002 with Oneonta of the New York-Penn League and was named Manger of the Year. He spent two years in Oneonta before returning the Padres and managing at Class-A Fort Wayne (2004-06) and San Antonio (2007). He led the Missions to the Teas League title in 2007. He took over as manager at Triple-A Portland prior to the 2008 season and held that position until being named the hitting coach of the Padres on July 31, 2009.
Minor League managing record: 489-466.
Playing experience: Ready was a fifth-round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1980 draft and played parts of 13 seasons in the major leagues with the Brewers (1983-86), Padres (1986-89), Philadelphia (1989-91; 1994-95), Oakland (1992) and Montreal (1993). For his major league career, Ready batted .259 with 107 doubles, 21 triples, 40 home runs, 239 RBIs and 312 runs scored over 777 games.
Did you know: Ready was teammates with Cecil Cooper and Ned Yost in Milwaukee in 1983.
What GM Ed Wade said: "I've known Randy since '89 when we traded for him in Philadelphia. He ha a great personality and mixes with players. I saw him manager in the Tigers' Minor League system and was impressed. He has equally as strong credentials managing in the Padres' system. When I scouted [for the Padres] for a couple of years, I could tell he relates very well with the players. They promoted him to big-league hitting coach midway through this season, and a lot of people feel the success they experienced in the second half of the season coincided with Randy arriving on the scene."
Rob Neyer had an interesting blog post today about whether Rudy Jaramillo really helped the Rangers hit better. The point is, we don't know really how much a hitting coach or a pitching coach can help players. Very few guys have gone to multiple teams and been successful with new players, whether is Leo Mazzone or Steve Peterson. The interesting thing to think about is whether his effect on the Padres could be classified as too small a sample size to be statistically relevant.
Ready still has, apparently, a good style and was popular with the guys in San Diego. That goes a long way to changing the culture around the Astros that built up under Coop. The old adage in football is you replace the taskmaster with a player-friendly guy and a nice guy with a drill seargeant. Whether it's Barry Switzer for Jimmy Johnson or Tom Coughlin for Jim Fassel, it happens all the time. Maybe that's what the Astros are planning on doing here.
One last note on Al Pedrique, post-interview. Here is his bio from McTaggart. Pedrique and Clark both said the same things in their media sessions; communication is very important. Think they were listening late in the season when everyone (i.e. Justice, JJO, Tags) were talking about how Coop didn't communicate with anyone and that's why the Astros suffered? Both these guys were around the team last season and probably know better than most what Drayton wants to hear. It'll be interesting how well that approach works.
1 recs | 16 comments
this is off the topic a bit...
but I wanted to comment about Rick Peterson and Leo Mazzone, and whether they can be shown to repeatedly benefit pitchers. Although the Astros are in the market for a pitching coach, I doubt either is in the Astros sights (though I wish they were). Peterson looks like he will become the Brewers’ pitching coach (partly due to his association with both Willy Randolph and Macha). Mazzone seems to have disappeared from the coaching rumor mill…for what reason, I don’t know.
A Hardball Times study a few years ago found a stastically significant number of wins added by Mazzone. So, while I agree it’s difficult to prove whether a coach really helps, some people claim to have done it with Mazzone.
Although Peterson was fired in NY (as part of the Randolph firing), I would argue that he was an exceptional pitching coach there, just as he was in Oakland (where he had a lot of pitching talent). Peterson took a “hit bottom” Oliver Perez off the trash pile (he was practically given away by the Pirates) and resurrected him into a good pitcher. He coaxed good seasons out of young pitchers, like Maine and Bannister. A lot of Mets’ fans attribute the crashing of the current pitching staff to the loss of Peterson. Peterson also was known for his efforts to protect pitchers from injuries—after he left NY, he joined Dr. Andrews’ sports clinic as a consultant. Kazmir has credited his ability to turn around his season this year to Peterson. After his horrible first half, Kazmir got permission from the Rays to use Peterson as his personal pitching consultant.
It’s true that Mazzone had only limited success when he went to the Orioles. Mazzone blames it on a bad environment which the front office tolerated and what he perceived as refusing to allow him to change the culture around the pitching staff. The Orioles’ front office, for their part, wondered if Mazzone is less effective on today’s young pitchers, because of his tough style. And, for all I know, that may be the reason that Mazzone hasn’t been re-hired as a pitching coach. That said, he would be an intriguing fit for guys like Oswalt and Norris, who probably could handle his style and might flourish under him, like Glavine, Maddux, Ortiz, Smotlz did.
Of course, Dave Duncan is another pitching coach who probably makes a difference.
clack - October 15, 2009
One of the reasons I mentioned Peterson is as a kind of antithesis to Mazzone, since he’s gone different places and still had success. I’m just not convinced there are many guys who can replicate that success elsewhere, especially when it comes to hitting coaches.
David Coleman - October 15, 2009
Peterson and Mazzone also are probably the antithesis of each other in style. Peterson is called New Age (like Phil Jackson) and also more scientific. Mazzone reportedly curses like a sailor and is more of a throwback to coaches of a previous era.
I think good hitting coaches can make a difference. But I think it may be hard to distinguish the noise from how much the coach’s effect might be. The personalities of individual players and how they respond to particular coaches is a factor. And, of course, the talent and abilities of the player affect how much the coach can do (you can’t make chicken salad out of chicken s**, as they say). We do see situations, though, where hitters seek out hitting coaches from other teams and get back on track, after their own team’s hitting coaches failed to do so. Maybe there is a placebo effect, but these are interesting examples. Francouer went to Jaramillo for help (which upset the Braves), and he said it got him on track. As I mentioned previously, a pitching example occurred with Kazmir and Peterson (the Rays were OK with it…which probably reflects well on Hickey’s lack of jealousy).
clack - October 15, 2009
Don't hit me, but I actually agree with Yost.
We are one starter (and a respectable performance from Norris and/or Paulino) away from having a good pitching staff. The key, of course, is that the one starter better be John Lackey, or an injury-prone guy like Harden or Sheets having a good and healthy year.
Of course, Yost could just be shoveling the cow feces, but if he’s done his homework, I think he has a point. Sure, at least 4 out of 5 starting pitchers would have to perform to their potential, but that’s not unthinkable—those are the kinds of things that many postseason runs are made of anyway.
The offense is the bigger problem, because there are more holes and the holes are larger… namely, every position in the infield that isn’t played by Lance Berkman.
OremLK - October 15, 2009
Yost may disagree with you on the offense:
"I don’t think it’s nine holes they have to fill," Yost said. "I think it’s a couple of key spots and they can definitely be a contender again."
clack - October 15, 2009
Couching his words. I mean, there’s some truth to it, but only if he’s assuming the Astros are going to sign back all the free agents and make acquisitions on the free agent market.
In reality I’m sure he knows that they’re not and is just telling Drayton what he wants to hear.
But hey, if we did have the 2009 team (Tejada at 3B, Valverde re-signed), a solid shortstop (Hardy, Scutaro?) and a good starting pitcher, then sure, he might be right. Unfortunately that would mean fielding a top 5 in MLB size payroll and McLane will never do that.
OremLK - October 15, 2009
I just don't see Yost happening
I don’t know if he’s a pal of Selig either.
ol Pete - October 15, 2009
Statistically
you have the same chance of finding a good hire through the interview process, as you would throwing all the candidates names into a hat and picking one out. .
Timothy De Block - October 15, 2009
Oh, I think the interview process can have some value. (For example, if Wade says he doesn’t know Yost very well, I would think he needs the interview process in order to gauge his personality.) But you definitely have to parse through the bullcrap that the candidates will shovel. But the interview process, as imperfect as it tends to be, is probably the best way to get an idea of how the candidates rank on the “know” and “win” qualities in DQ’s article. I’ve interviewed many people over the years, and I can usually get some sense of the interviewees’ intelligence and knowledge of the subject.
clack - October 15, 2009
I’d still rather pick with a hat. Of course that hat is filled with three Acta, four Bogar, two Mills and one Garner. Why Garner might you ask? Because if he’s that lucky why the hell not.
Timothy De Block - October 16, 2009
Didn’t know much about Randy Ready before, but he seems like a good managerial prospect. I wonder if he has a legitimate chance.
I agree with Yost as well, one more quality picher would give the Astros a solid starting rotation. I expect improvement from Paulino and Norris, and hopefully Oswalt will have a bounce back year. Look at the Yankees, best record in baseball and afraid to use a 4th or 5th starter in the playoffs. Dodgers starting Padilla today, etc. Most teams don’t have 5 studs in the rotation.
jmike - October 16, 2009
Randy Ready
He seems like an interesting candidate, and the fact that Wade has known him, and thinks highly of him, may give him a better chance than we may think. I also wonder if Wade may try to sign Ready to another position (like coach), if he isn’t selected as manager.
clack - October 16, 2009
I was wondering the same thing
If this interview process was also for other positions on the coaching staff. Some of these candidates might take another position other than head dog.
Timothy De Block - October 16, 2009
Doesn't it bother you
that Ready’s Padres had the worst batting average in the National League, with around100 fewer hits than the Astros and over 200 more strikeouts?
Joe in Birmingham - October 16, 2009
not necessarily...the Padres' hitting coach was fired in late July and replaced...
by Ready. Padres 1st half OPS (Lefebvre was batting coach) .681 Padres 2d half OPS (Ready was batting coach) .726 OPS. (BA .253 under Ready and .233 under Lefebvre.)
Astros’ OPS for the season was .719. And the Padres had a bunch of rookies and minor leaguers in their lineup to go along with one great hitter (Gonzales).
clack - October 16, 2009
Good, thorough article, David
Evan Hochschild - October 16, 2009
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