tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post6252630255901798090..comments2023-10-17T10:45:07.796-04:00Comments on FJB: Plate Discipline: Better or Worse? And Is it Lenny's Fault?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-52061107125843052008-08-11T11:45:00.000-04:002008-08-11T11:45:00.000-04:00@Phil--I would say that a very, very good hitting ...@Phil--I would say that a very, very good hitting coach can make a difference, but I think most are just kind of guys standing there. That's not a defense of Lenny, it's just my sense of it. I doubt that if you dug into the specifics that you and I would disagree much.<BR/><BR/>I'm just resistant of the sentiment that "Lenny is so bad he's turned what would otherwise be a good offense into crap." I'm not trying to put those words in your mouth or Chris's, but I think that a dumbed-down, over-argued version of Chris's case like that has gained some legs out there.<BR/><BR/>I just don't think he's a credible scapegoat. I think the first problem is that we don't have enough good hitters. Our best hitters are better suited to be complimentary guys and our complimentary guys are better suited for the bench. I don't think the Dean Smith of hitting coaches would transform that reality.<BR/><BR/>@Mike--amen. Guzman sucks and blows. I curse the day we signed him and double curse the day we re-signed him.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14109288910583404941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-15423060074815929912008-08-11T10:38:00.000-04:002008-08-11T10:38:00.000-04:00A competent hitting coach can make a huge differen...A competent hitting coach can make a huge difference. Take a look at one of the consistently best hitting teams, the Rangers. They have arguably the best hitting coach in the majors, Rudy Jaramillo. Look at the job he has done with Marlon Byrd over the past two season. Byrd was an erratic hitter with the Nats and has now turned into a solid guy with the bat in Texas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-91719964654974638212008-08-11T09:18:00.000-04:002008-08-11T09:18:00.000-04:00I'll echo what Hendo wrote, thanks for providing t...I'll echo what Hendo wrote, thanks for providing the numbers. <BR/><BR/>And I agree with you that the larger issue with Harris is that Acta doesn't seem to have the authority to hire his own coaches. <BR/><BR/>As an aside, Guzman's OPS+ is down to 93 and his EQA is at .254 now which puts him solidly in the David Eckstein/Orlando Cabrera/Brendan Harris/Nick Punto/Alex Cora crowd. <BR/><BR/>Eckstein, Punto, Cora, and Cabrera are all due to be free agents. Obviously I could be wrong on this, but I sort of doubt that all of them get contracts making as much as Guzman's extension. <BR/><BR/>In the grand scheme of things, the money they're giving Guzman isn't going to make or break the franchise, but I do think it says a bit about how they value players. <BR/><BR/>One other thing, did you see the blog that Nieto's agent put up? He mentions quite a few front office people, but no mention of Bowden. I just thought that odd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-76031439850018433322008-08-11T08:39:00.000-04:002008-08-11T08:39:00.000-04:00Thanks.I should clarify (which I meant to do when ...Thanks.<BR/><BR/>I should clarify (which I meant to do when I was finishing the post at 1 am), that my conclusion is NOT that Lenny shouldn't be fired. His job is to figure out how to get the team to perform, and as far as I can tell the outcomes aren't there. Unless every young hitter ends on a tear, he hasn't earned a second full season in my book.<BR/><BR/>As I've said before, I think that most hitting instructors are pretty inconsequential, but that I have no reason to think we couldn't do better. And that the way I'd prefer the situation get resolved is for the team to first give Manny power over his coaches and then second have Manny pick his own, hopefully better, guy.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14109288910583404941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-75977569970317814832008-08-11T08:31:00.000-04:002008-08-11T08:31:00.000-04:00Wow, nice body of work. I'll have to wait till to...Wow, nice body of work. I'll have to wait till tonight to dig deeper, but thanks for cranking through all those numbers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com