WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DUSTY
Here’s what they are writing about Dusty’s glorious return to the bench:
As a public service to the fine residents of Cincinnati, here’s a few quick suggestions on how to prepare for Dusty Baker.
- Buy stock in toothpicks.
- Trade Adam Dunn…y’know since “walks clog the bases”
- Trade Homer Bailey. Get some value for him before he starts throwing 130 pitches a game. The Cubs yearn for the much discussed Mark Prior trades of 2004.
- Of course, make a locker for Neifi Perez, because he’s coming to town next season.
- Cancel all post game press conferences. Trust me, your sanity is worth it.
- Change the listed age of all young players, Keppinger, Encarcancion, Votto, etc. to at least 30. Otherwise, they’ll never see the field.
Z: That’s awesome. And from Home Run Derby:
Baker seems to succeed in situations where he doesn’t have to manage a baseball game.
- He relies too much on veteran players repeating their past successes (that’ll be Griffey in 2008), often to the detriment of younger players who need the experience.
- He overtaxes his starting pitchers (Homer Bailey, meet Dr. Jobe) and will often replace them one batter too late.
- Or he pulls a pitcher too soon to employ the double-switch.
- His teams often employ a “swing-first-ask-questions-later” mentality at the plate (Adam Dunn will love it).
- His teams are often lacking in baseball fundamentals.
Z says: The Dunn comment is a bit off because he draws walks, but can you argue with any of the rest of it? More after the jump…
Bleacher Report says:
Many detractors have brought up Baker’s stubborn loyalty to veterans over youngsters that may be better and his seeming inability to manage a pitching staff.
Still, everywhere he has been, Dusty Baker has been a winner, and he has done it the right way.
Z asks: What might the “right way” entail?
Sabernomics says:
The Cincinnati Reds just signed Dusty Baker to a three-year contract worth $3.5 million per year. Why do this? The mean and median manager salaries in 2007 were $1.45 million and $940,000. Yes, Dusty Baker has a lot of managerial experience, and because his broadcast position is opportunity cost is higher than some other managers. However, I don’t see why the Reds would fork out this money for a manager. Is this the main problem? Both the hitting and pitching are below league average when controlling for the ballpark. I would think the team could use is resources in a better way and just hire an unproven bench coach for less.
Z asks: Is Dusty worth, say $2.5 million more than Pete Mackanin?
