OT: baseball...Sox manager out

[Blakeon18]

Red Sox manager Farrell won't return in '18

Dombrowski didn't hire him and that makes this decision much easier.

 

[TitleTown]

Red Sox manager Farrell won't return in '18

Dombrowski didn't hire him and that makes this decision much easier.

In typical Red Sox fashion they decide on a managerial change a mere 10 months after letting one of the best young managers(Torey Lovullo) in all of baseball go and turn around the Diamondbacks.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I think it was a good move. I thought he was a terrible manager. Overuses bullpen and starters on occasion. Although he preached aggressiveness, their top steals guy has in the low 20s. Given the lack of power and what seemed like a large amount of double play balls, people like Betts and Bradley and to a lesser extent Benintendi and Bogaerts, should have had the green light a lot more. Their best baseball was when they were getting on and running. They just need to avoid those killer running mistakes, of which there were a number of them.

 

[TitleTown]

I think it was a good move. I thought he was a terrible manager. Overuses bullpen and starters on occasion. Although he preached aggressiveness, their top steals guy has in the low 20s. Given the lack of power and what seemed like a large amount of double play balls, people like Betts and Bradley and to a lesser extent Benintendi and Bogaerts, should have had the green light a lot more. Their best baseball was when they were getting on and running. They just need to avoid those killer running mistakes, of which there were a number of them.

They were a "small ball" team that couldn't play "small ball"! They couldn't execute a sacrifice bunt to save the modern world as we know it, I can count on one hand how many times they used the hit and run, and they led all of MLB in running into outs. Farrell was as bad an "in game" manager as there is in baseball. I am also basing a good amount of blame on John Henry's unwillingness to go over the Luxury Tax and get the slugger they needed this year. Edwin Encarnacion virtually got down on his knees and begged the Red Sox to sign him for a pennies on the dollar deal of 3years/60million. I wanted to see Farrell go, but I wanted it to happen last year when they had Lovullo waiting to step in. In order for the Red Sox to make a serious push next year they need to sign JD Martinez and Eric Hosmer this offseason. Anything less than that is not going to cut it!

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I wanted to see Farrell go, but I wanted it to happen last year when they had Lovullo waiting to step in. In order for the Red Sox to make a serious push next year they need to sign JD Martinez and Eric Hosmer this offseason. Anything less than that is not going to cut it!

Agreed 100%. I think of how many hits Bradley could have had if he could bunt anywhere near the 3rd base side.
So is DiSarcina a candidate. I think so.

 

[TitleTown]

Agreed 100%. I think of how many hits Bradley could have had if he could bunt anywhere near the 3rd base side.
So is DiSarcina a candidate. I think so.

Dombrowski said in the press conference that no current Red Sox coach was a candidate. I really hope I am wrong but I think it's going to be Brad Ausmus or Mike Redmond.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I really hope I am wrong but I think it's going to be Brad Ausmus or Mike Redmond.

I saw Ausmus rumored a week or so ago, pre-playoffs. I like the local connection, but after that I know nothing about him as a manager.

 

[BostonCanuck]

They were a "small ball" team that couldn't play "small ball"! They couldn't execute a sacrifice bunt to save the modern world as we know it, I can count on one hand how many times they used the hit and run, and they led all of MLB in running into outs. Farrell was as bad an "in game" manager as there is in baseball. I am also basing a good amount of blame on John Henry's unwillingness to go over the Luxury Tax and get the slugger they needed this year. Edwin Encarnacion virtually got down on his knees and begged the Red Sox to sign him for a pennies on the dollar deal of 3years/60million. I wanted to see Farrell go, but I wanted it to happen last year when they had Lovullo waiting to step in. In order for the Red Sox to make a serious push next year they need to sign JD Martinez and Eric Hosmer this offseason. Anything less than that is not going to cut it!

Nailed it! Let me add that I've never seen a more passive hitting philosophy applied by a club so dogmatically and without any variation for what the particular situation on the field called for. These guys almost to a person (except for Devers and the two trading-deadline pickups) could never bring themselves to swing at a ball in the strike zone until the count was at least 0-2 in the pitcher's favor, and by then they'd go down hacking at balls way off the plate.

Their entire offense is designed to beat sub-500 teams, and that's exactly what it did, all season long. And what a shame, too, because they had such great pitching, and such great defense. But that approach to hitting will never take you anywhere in the playoffs, as was proven two years in a row. You're not going to achieve anything post season by taking pitch after pitch in a mindless effort to drive up pitch counts or get on base with walks. And then to see them finally realize this after dropping the first two by 12 runs in Houston, and try to make the necessary adjustments when they had been doing something completely different all season long, well it was painful to watch.

I really like John as a human being. Clearly a player's manager. But the offensive strategy deployed by his Red Sox was a guaranteed loser that also had the unfortunate affect of making the games boring and/or exasperating to watch.

 

[bags27]

Funny that everyone moans about Luvollo. Exactly the same story after they fired Francona: everyone said that they had just let Farrell go to Toronto and should have fired Tito sooner. I wonder what ever happened to Tito...rotten manager...must have left baseball, 'cause I'm sure he could never win with another team....

 

[BobbyJ]

Dombrowski said in the press conference that no current Red Sox coach was a candidate. I really hope I am wrong but I think it's going to be Brad Ausmus or Mike Redmond.

Keep an eye on Alex Cora. Brilliant baseball mind and a great communicator.

 

[Bigboote]

I too think Farrell should have gone middle of last year. But I place the blame this year solidly on upper management -- Farrell didn't have a whole helluvalot to work with..

They'd known for a year before Ortiz retired that he'd be gone -- they had a year to get a power hitter signed, but they didn't get the job done. They seem to have no regard whatsoever for team chemistry. Panda was a bad signing. Hanley was a bad signing. Something north of $100 million pissed away. It might be different if either were good for chemistry, but neither is/was worth a damn in the locker room.

They've got a good nucleus of players in the outfield; guys who seem to enjoy themselves. Build on that.

 

[mbr33ct]

I think it was a good move. I thought he was a terrible manager. Overuses bullpen and starters on occasion. Although he preached aggressiveness, their top steals guy has in the low 20s. Given the lack of power and what seemed like a large amount of double play balls, people like Betts and Bradley and to a lesser extent Benintendi and Bogaerts, should have had the green light a lot more. Their best baseball was when they were getting on and running. They just need to avoid those killer running mistakes, of which there were a number of them.

Not a Red Sox fan, but I think I found the issues with the team...need to get rid of some of these names, too many "B's"