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1. Win one for Agrippa (haplo53) Posted: June 19, 2008 at 05:10 PM (#2825978)Can you imagine Willie managing a Jim Hendry team? They'd have 2B in the bullpen...
did Castillo run over your puppy or something?
His EQA is .270 (league average .260)
30 2Bs have 150+ PAs YTD
The average 2b has a GPA of .253, Castillo's is .252 (not park adjusted)
Of all the things wrong with the Mets this year, Castillo's offense and batting position is far down on the list
Here's a general rule - your players with OPS+ marks above 110 or so - lots of plate appearances. Players with OPS+ of 100 or less, *fewer* plate appearances.
That's not complicated, and I'm not sure how that's debatable.
I heard him on another radio show a few weeks ago and he was practically ranting and raving that the Mets had to can him.
That's quite likely true, just like Ralph Houk believed that 2Bs had to bat #1.
Personally with this roster, I'd bat Castillo 1st and Reyes 2nd...
Seems right to me...
I have to admit, Willie's mismanagement, especially of the bullpen, was much less egregious this year than in past years...
This lineup is not the lineup of a contender:
Reyes-SS Castillo-2B Wright-DH Beltran-CF Delgado-1B Anderson-LF Tatis-3B Schneider-C Chavez-RF
For those not counting at home, thats' 3 above average players, 1 average player and 5 below average players...
The Mets have used this specific lineup 4 times:
1. Reyes
2. Castillo
3. Wright
4. Beltran
5. Delgado
6. Anderson
7. Schneider
8. Chavez
9. Pitcher
spots 5 through 9 are almost dead weight.
This lineup has been used 3 times:
1. Reyes
2. Castillo
3. Wright
4. Beltran
5. Delgado
6. Tatis
7. Chavez
8. Schneider
9. Pitcher
This lineup has been used 3 times:
1. Reyes
2. Castillo
3. Wright
4. Beltran
5. Church
6. Alou
7. Delgado
8. Schneider
9. Pitcher
The above lineup is actually reasonably decent- it's not Wilie's fault it's only seen the light of day 3 times...
Did he just happen upon this philosophy in the last year and a half? Didn't Willie regularly bat his catcher in the 2 hole for the first couple of years of his tenure?
2008 Met #2 hitters: .284/.364/.414
League # 2 hitters:.268/.330/.400
2007 Met #2 Hitters: .297/.364/.428
League #2 Hitters: .277/.339/.422
2006 Met #2 hitters: .295/.338/.399
League #2 Hitters: .282/.345/.427
2005 Met #2 hitters: .245/.296/.362
League #2 Hitters:.269/.331/.401
So Met #2 hitters have improved from 2005 to 2006 to 2007 to 2008....
Skimmed is more like it.
But the point is, since Willie seems to be willing to use non second basemen in the No. 2 hole, it seems disingenuous to say he's there strictly because he's a second baseman. Obviously, it's not an absolute for him.
Considering the offensive levels, they might be. Probably it's about even though.
But I think more to the point is that he doesn't always hit his second basemen second.
Gotay in the 2-hole: 0.997
DWright in the 2-hole: .956
Relative to the league, according to OBP and SLG, they are.
But I think more to the point is that he doesn't always hit his second basemen second.
I never said he did. He hits them second LOTS and much more than he should.
No, but you said that THE reason he hits LUIS CASTILLO second is because he's a 2nd baseman. What's your evidence for this?
Given that he's gotten well above average production from his #2 hitters in each of the last two years, it seems strange to criticize his #2 choices. I'd say he's done a better job selecting a #2 hitter than most managers in the league. He may have made the right decision for the wrong reason, but it seems pretty obvious to me that the problem is in the bottom part of the order, not the top.
Sounds like your trying to read the man's mind and then slag him for what you deduce.
Willie could have been fired after last season but was given another shot. He needed the Mets to start of well and they didn't. It's not all his fault but it doesn't matter. Sometimes, a change needs to be made simply for change's sake.
2. Castillo
3. Wright
4. Beltran
5. Delgado
6. Anderson
7. Schneider
8. Chavez
9. Pitcher
spots 5 through 9 are almost dead weight.
Or "dreck," if you will.
I bet Piazza is there more often than all of these guys.
Because that's never been Willie's pattern of usage. I don't think Willie picked Slappy to hit 2nd because he's a 2Bman or his OBP. I think he picked Slappy - the same reason he picked LoDuca - because they brought "little things" and "can handle a bat" intangibles to the spot. Now what those mythical qualities are, I've never understood, but Willie is certainly not in the minority to fall in love with the light-hitting #2 hitter.
Whatever reason Randolph had for batting Castillo second, it is absolutely clear it is not because he was a second baseman. Unless I am reading baseballreference.com wrong, which I don't think I am.
You said he hit Castillo second because he was the second basemen. It was easy to make the connection.
I think this might be wrong. (I have catchers with around 670 PA in the 2 hole, 2B around 640 but maybe I missed someone) But it's close enough for your point, I imagine.
He also hit Cameron second a bunch of times in 05. Though it was still dumb to have Cairo hit second at all.
Except that's not and should not be the justification for Willie's dismissal. I hate this rewriting that outsiders are putting out there - as if Willie was some bystander to the Mets' poor play.
Willie didn't do anything to help his team. Okay, maybe he brought a level of calmness and classiness to the public microscope, but he didn't manage the game well, he didn't unite the team, he didn't inspire confidence when the team needed it, he didn't develop young players exceptionally well, he didn't breed an unusual comraderie amongst the individuals, he couldn't come up with any clever ideas or tricks, and most of all, he refuse to change even when it was obvious that he wasn't doing it right. Willie is a nice and likeable person, but geez, what did he bring to the table? Why did he deserve to continue managing this squad?
I wish him the best, and I'd be the first to support him replacing Kruk or Phillips on BBTN.
It was more of a 2005 and 2006 thing, especially 06. Lo Duca hit second the most, and Chavez was second, but after that you had Woodward, Matsui, Valentin, and Hernandez. In 05, Cameron and Matsui were 1st and 3rd in PA in the 2 hole.
Castillo has also started 10 games in the 8 hole this season, particularly when he was struggling. If he hadn't gotten hot, I imagine Willie would have continued hitting him close to the bottom of the order.
The second spot got 740 PA in 05, 757 in 06, and 754 in 07. Is it that much of a difference? Do you have the breakdown then?
The reason I ask is because I don't always know if a guy is is credited with hitting second started the game at second. (Particularly a guy like Easley who moves around.)
I think it is pretty close though.
Explaining what happened when Jose Reyes put up a fight when asked to leave Tuesday's game with a hamstring injury, manager Jerry Manuel joked: "I told him next time he does that I'm going to get my blade out and cut him. I'm a gangster. You go gangster on me, I'm going to have to get you. You do that again, I'm going to cut you right on the field."
Really?
There must be something about managing the Whitesox
I couldn't get to Drudge report at work, but if true, thats funny they took it seriously.
Jerry Manuel was a decent manager for the Sox and is by all accounts I've seen an intelligent and decent man. Taking a stand with Reyes is also consistent with his behavior while with the Sox.
Just wanted to say that.
B I N G O!
This is the most intelligent assessment of Willie's tenure as I've read in the past year...
Dead on.
What bothered me most about Randolph is that I never once got the impression that he could out-manage his opponent. I never saw him as a guy that could innovate, that could make tactical decisions that had the potential to give the other guy a place to make a mistake. The best he could ever seem to do is not make his own mistakes.
I am going to side with the proliferation of the backup middle infielders on the roster as a Minaya problem. Managers may have input, GMs deal with personnel. If Minaya didn't want Abraham Nuñez on the lineup, he shouldn't have called him up.
Getting mad at Willie for this is the equivalent of blaming the GM for having you pitcher not bunt.
Reyes is a great young player with incredible potential. But there's no doubt it: he needs to grow up.
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