and this is a bad thing?

What's the consensus on Acta as a manager?

And if Bowden is fired, how likely is it that Rizzo will take over?

Blaming Acta for this fiasco, given the horrid hand he's been dealt by management, is absurd. As for Bowden, even the "stay the course, Stan" sheep would shed no tears over his departure. Mike Rizzo would probably do a better job, although there's the fear the Nationals could end up as the dumping spot for Diamondbacks just as they're currently a refuge for ex-Reds.

No chance on the planet Acta gets fired. If he does, then this team is run by idiots top to bottom. Bowden doesn't deserve quite the terrible luck he's had this season, but I wouldn't weep at his departure.

"Blaming Acta for this fiasco, given the horrid hand he's been dealt by management, is absurd."

Yeah, I think that's pretty clear. My question is whether he's a good manager stuck with a bad roster (Leyland on the Pirates) or a bad manager stuck with a bad roster (Tracy on the Pirates). I don't follow the Nats closely enough to know, and I wondered what y'all thought.

He's too young a manager to know for sure, Vlad, but his moves so far have led me to believe he's more likely to be the former than the latter.

I like just about everything I've seen and heard from Acta. I feel bad for the guy.

Not that they were going to be a good team, but the Nats do have some young talent: Milledge, Zimmerman, Wily Mo, Flores, Dukes. Austin Kearns is 28 and should be in the prime of his career. But every single one of those players has disappointed.

What do you do when all of your players are worse than you thought they'd be? Can the manager really be blameless in that situation?

"Can the manager really be blameless in that situation?"

It's possible. Most of those guys (Zimmerman, Dukes, Pena) have been hurt this year, haven't they?

I've heard Acta is pretty stat-friendly.

And it isn't his fault his GM just decided to have open tryouts to decide who would be in the pitching staff. Its amazing they've fared as well as they have with the no-names they've put on the mound.

It's possible. Most of those guys (Zimmerman, Dukes, Pena) have been hurt this year, haven't they?

Yes, as well as Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young.

I've heard Acta is pretty stat-friendly.

Well, sure. For a lot of people, the stat-friendliness matters more than the results.

And it isn't his fault his GM just decided to have open tryouts to decide who would be in the pitching staff.

The offense is a lot worse than the pitching. The team ERA+ is 94, the team OPS+ is 83. And if the cause is injuries, then it can't be the result of "the horrid hand he's been dealt by management."

What exactly is it that Acta does well?

I've heard Acta is pretty stat-friendly.

Well, sure. For a lot of people, the stat-friendliness matters more than the results.

Well that wasn't really a statement as to whether he was a good manager or a bad manager. Just an observation.

And it isn't his fault his GM just decided to have open tryouts to decide who would be in the pitching staff.

The offense is a lot worse than the pitching. The team ERA+ is 94, the team OPS+ is 83. And if the cause is injuries, then it can't be the result of "the horrid hand he's been dealt by management."

No doubt the offense is a lot worse. Its a combination of (a) lots of guys getting hurt; and (b) lots of guys having career worst seasons. I can't blame the GM or the manager for that. I don't think anyone would have anticipated Kearns and Pena being as awful as they were, or Zimmerman and Dukes having injury problems. I brought up the pitching because I feel that is one area in which the GM and manager CAN be held accountable.

What exactly is it that Acta does well?

I have no idea, but I don't think there is anything he does poorly either. Can you illuminate us?

Manny is very good at maintaining an even keel in the eye of the storm, keeping the team's head in the game when there's nothing to play for. We tore the Mets limb from limb last year down the stretch, which we don't do if the team through in the towel.

He's been very good at defensive replacements and using his bench, but since the team has played 75 games short-handed this year, he's been unable to really do that.

And yes he's known as kind of a stathead, especially on steals and sacs. He mentions "Mind Game" as one of his favorite baseball books.

Manny has no power over the players on his roster and isn't allowed to pick his coaches. He's an absurd scapegoat.

Kasten should if anything give him a show of confidence by extending him and giving him authority to fire Lenny Harris, etc.

<quote>What exactly is it that Acta does well?</quote>

It's not an exhaustive list, but here are one fan's impressions:

1. I was really impressed how he leveraged his bullpen to support his (awful) starting pitching. Yes, he worked a few relievers hard, but I always thought he walked the fine line between leaving the starter in too long and going to the pen too fast.

2. He eschews the small-ball tactics favored by Frank Robinson, he doesn't engage in useless dust-ups with the umps, and basically keeps an even keel, even when things are as bad as they are now. Some fans want "more fire." Me, I'm impressed by the fact that Manny believes in his approach and doesn't feel the need to change just to make a show.

3. Off the field, it appears that he has a good rapport with his players. Just one example: I liked his handling of the Elijah Dukes incident (when Dukes gestured to an ump after a walk-off HR), deciding to keep his post-game comments to Dukes out of the media. Dukes was hot at the time, but 24 hours later, Dukes called a meeting to apologize to his teammates. Another manager might have inflamed the situation, but Manny seems to know when to discipline a player, and when to back off and give them room to figure it out themselves.

Other than that, yes, I admit to being someone that gives Manny a lot of leeway based on my impressions of him. I find him reasonable and thoughtful. I happen to think that he could manage a talented team to win much more than it loses. However, until we see a talented team in Washington, I can't give you any objective reasons to like him.

No doubt the offense is a lot worse. Its a combination of (a) lots of guys getting hurt; and (b) lots of guys having career worst seasons. I can't blame the GM or the manager for that. I don't think anyone would have anticipated Kearns and Pena being as awful as they were, or Zimmerman and Dukes having injury problems.

I think one of the critical functions of an organization is to take baseball-playing ability and turn it into good baseball players. This means coaching, this means putting players in situations where they can succeed, this means creating an atmosphere for players to get the most out of their talent. I don't think these things happen by accident.

I look at the Nationals organzation, and I see a lot of young, talented players, none of whom are meeting expectations, much less exceeding them. I don't follow the team closely enough to have any idea why exactly Milledge seems to have taken a step backward, or why Wily Mo has been so bad, but I suspect these players are capable of playing a lot better than they have been. The Nats were never going to contend this year, so I don't think any really cares how many games they win; what matters for the Nats this year is if Lastings Milledge shows signs of turning into the star he once seemed likely to be. If Ryan Zimmerman can get back on track and build on the promise he showed as a 21-year-old. If Austin Kearns can salvage his career. If Elijah Dukes can get his head on straight and become a valuable player.

None of that has happened. Now maybe none of that is Manny Acta's fault; maybe it's all injuries and things beyond Acta's control. But I go back to something Bill James wrote about Jim Frey a long time ago: You can't absolve the manager by saying he's been an innocent bystander; a manager deserves to be fired simply for being an innocent bystander.

I have no idea, but I don't think there is anything he does poorly either.

He has a poor record of developing talent. On a team like the Nats, that's really the only thing that matters. If I were running the team, I'd be looking for a manager who could do that.

"I look at the Nationals organzation, and I see a lot of young, talented players..."

Well, that's your problem, right there.

Milledge? Zimmerman? Flores? Dukes? Austin Kearns is only 28. Wily Mo is 26.

Let's unpack your goals for a second.

Milledge came into the season with a career 92 OPS+, and this year he put up... a 92 OPS+. He hasn't gotten better, but he hasn't really gotten worse, either. Pena played like crap because he was playing through a seriously torn rotator cuff. Dukes essentially HAS had his head on straight - he hasn't been arrested even once since he went to DC, which by his standards is tremendous progress.

Acta's a manager, not a ####### faith healer, where he can just lay his hands on Zimmerman's shoulder and cast the devils out.

Boots, how can anyone who's only been in the job for 1.75 seasons have enough of a track record to really have a "poor" one w/r/t developing talent? How can he be held accountable for the young players' failure to progress when every single one of them - Dukes, Milledge, Zimmerman, Kearns, Pena - has missed significant playing time with injuries? The one young guy who HASN'T gone down with injuries, and in fact was forced into a starting position earlier than expected, has actually put up a respectable growth season: Jesus Flores.

And I may be scapegoating a bit myself here, but I think that one of the biggest problems with the Nationals is hitting coach Lenny Harris. He is a plague upon the organization and Acta doesn't want him here, but he can't fire him (he's Bowden's man). Get Harris out, and put a sack of potatoes in his place - anyone, so long as he doesn't try to turn every player into an impatient slap-hitter - and I predict the offensive numbers will improve.

"Milledge? Zimmerman? Flores? Dukes? Austin Kearns is only 28. Wily Mo is 26."

OK, so that's four young-and-talented players, and two middle-aged players (yeah, 26 is on the border, but Wily Mo is in his seventh ML season). Flores is playing pretty well (though very streaky), Milledge is right at his career averages, Dukes is injured, and Zimmerman is playing badly because he was injured.

As a manager, Acta's primary job is to find a place in the lineup for the guys who should be playing, and give them an opportunity to succeed. He has done this. Flores is the main catcher, Milledge is the everyday CF, Zimmerman is the everyday 3B, and the other guys were getting regular PT before they got hurt. He can't go up there and swing the bat for them.

Acta doesn't want [Lenny Harris] here

Source?

Boots, how can anyone who's only been in the job for 1.75 seasons have enough of a track record to really have a "poor" one w/r/t developing talent?

Because there hasn't been a single position player that has thrived under Acta, and plenty who have regressed. Well, Cristian Guzman has done well, but I'm more interested in young players.

Let's look at Felipe Lopez:

Age 24: 86 OPS+
Age 25: 118 OPS+
Age 26: 91 OPS+
Age 27 (Acta becomes his manager): 75 OPS+
Age 28 (under Acta): 64 OPS+

Then, reasonably, the Nationals gave up on him. Whereupon he went to play for St. Louis, and immediately improved (in a very small sample so far).

Where is the counterexample? Where is the guy who busted out playing for Manny Acta? Is his big success story Lastings Milledge, who hasn't gotten any worse under Acta?

I have no doubt there are things Acta does well, and I thank sbiel and Natty Fan for pointing them out. Maybe 1.75 seasons isn't enough to judge him on. Maybe he'll have a lot more success in the future. If I were a Nationals fan, I wouldn't have a whole lot of confidence in that, though.

Your point isn't really a fair one unless you can provide a reason. What, in your opinion, is Acta doing to make players get hurt and perform worse?

And if you can't come up with anything, then why should he get the blame anyway?

Everything Boots blames Manny Acta for could just as easily be blamed on Lenny Harris, which a lot of people have done. Except for spring training and April of 2007, Acta has never managed without Lenny Harris around to (as many claim) screw up the hitters. Harris became the hitting coach very shortly after Acta became the manager. So we just don't know.

Acta was always been a base coach and fielding coach before being a manager, I think. So it may be that the minutiae of hitting is largely Lenny Harris's responsibility.

Your point isn't really a fair one unless you can provide a reason. What, in your opinion, is Acta doing to make players get hurt and perform worse?

I don't have any idea what he's doing. If it's unfair for me to point out the pattern, then so be it.

Everything Boots blames Manny Acta for could just as easily be blamed on Lenny Harris, which a lot of people have done. Acta has never managed without Lenny Harris around to (as many claim) screw up the hitters.

Could be.

Where is the counterexample? Where is the guy who busted out playing for Manny Acta?

These guys all had significant improvement in performance or took the step to the bigs under Manny:
Jesus Flores
John Lannan
Dmitri Young (won a little prize called comeback player of the year)
Jason Bergmann
Collin Balester
Joel Hanrahan
Shawn Hill
Odalis Perez
Tim Redding
Elijah Dukes
Willie Harris
Cristian Guzman

Now, none of these guys are superstars, but like someone else said Manny's not a faith healer, he's just a manager. But these guys all enjoyed success under Manny that exceeds what they were doing before.

"If it's unfair for me to point out the pattern, then so be it."

It's not unfair for you to point out the pattern. It's unfair for you to point out the pattern and then attribute the cause of that pattern to Acta, if you have no reason to believe that he is, in fact, causing it.

Two words: Fire Bowden.

These guys all had significant improvement in performance or took the step to the bigs under Manny:
Jesus Flores
John Lannan
Dmitri Young (won a little prize called comeback player of the year)
Jason Bergmann
Collin Balester
Joel Hanrahan
Shawn Hill
Odalis Perez
Tim Redding
Elijah Dukes
Willie Harris
Cristian Guzman

Notice that seven of those are pitchers. I am a Manny Acta supporter, but pitching coach Randy St. Clair hasn't been mentioned in this thread at all. The last two years, pre-season pundits have been trashing the Nats' pitching staff and they've managed to look respectable.