Are Braves affected by transition from Cox to Gonzalez?
Could the Braves' erratic start have anything to do with an adjustment period from Bobby Cox to Fredi Gonzalez as manager? (Jason Getz/AJC)
After 51 games, or nearly one-third of the way through the season, the Braves have been something less than predictable.
They have winning records against Philadelphia and San Francisco. But they are a combined 4-8 against Washington, Arizona and Los Angeles. They have pitched and defended impressively (No. 2 in the majors in ERA at 2.97, No. 3 in fielding percentage at .988). But they have struggled at the plate, hitting .242 (24th overall) with 377 strikeouts (fifth most), when offense wasn’t expected to be a problem.
Words like flow and rhythm don’t come to mind.
Let’s assume the Braves are still as good as most believed coming into this season. It’s possible that this is nothing more than common early season hiccups, and at some point there will be a market correction.
But could it be that the transition in managers, from Bobby Cox to Fredi Gonzalez, actually is causing a little bit of an adjustment period?
I realize this isn’t football. It’s not like Gonzalez is burning the old playbook and switching from the wishbone to the run-and-shoot. He’s certainly not unfamiliar with most of the players, or they with him. Gonzalez coached here. He coached for Cox. But considering Cox had managed the previous 21 seasons in Atlanta, it’s not a stretch to think there’s some kind of impact when a player looks down at the end of the bench and sees Gonzalez instead of the old Buddha sitting there.
General manager Frank Wren agrees, but only to an extent. He acknowledges everybody is going through an adjustment, but he doesn’t believe it has affected the Braves’ offense or overall play.
Dan Uggla hasn't helped the cause by hitting .180, including .128 with runners in scoring position.
“I think the transition is more with us thinking in terms of, ‘What’s the next move [by Gonzalez]?’” Wren said. “We watched Bobby manage for so long, we knew what the next move was going to be.
“Obviously, our team hasn’t really found a rhythm yet, but I really like the way Fredi has managed the team. A lot of people are uncomfortable with change. Bobby was masterful at running a game, but that doesn’t mean things Fredi is doing are wrong. There are just different ways of doing things.”
When asked about his comment that some people are “uncomfortable with change” and whether that has affected the players, Wren said, “I don’t think so. I really don’t think it’s impacted the players as much as it has people like us. Fredi’s a really good communicator so I don’t think anybody is real surprised by anything he’s done.
“Hitters hit. The fact is, if hitters were functioning and playing at the levels we expected, the manager wouldn’t have a lot to do. Fredi has had to create some situations for hitters because we haven’t scored runs like we expected. The manager is more involved when the team is struggling than when it’s rolling.”
The Braves are 17th in the majors in runs scored. They’ve scored three or fewer runs in 25 of 51 games, two or less in 17. Their on-base percentage of .308 ranks 25th in the majors. They’re also last in stolen bases (eight). That’s a little surprising given the expectation that Gonzalez would have players run more, but as Wren said, “You can have a more wide open offense when you have a two- or three-run lead. We’re fighting for a run to get a lead. You don’t want to lose base runners.”
Then again, if Dan Uggla wasn’t hitting .180 — and .128 with runners in scoring position — all of this analysis might not be necessary.
Wren conceded that Uggla is feeling pressure. “It’s an extraordinary change in your life when you sign a big contract, sign with the hometown team or the team where you wanted to go play,” he said. “There are additional pressures on the guy. But it’ll run its course and he’ll be fine.”
So, probably, will the Braves. But to this point, they’ve been a team out of sync.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Last 3 posts
– NFL lockout: Falcons cut pay of some office staff
– Poll time: What would you think of a Smith-for-Bynum deal?
– Cowardly Bettman ignoring evidence of Thrashers fans
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
155 comments Add your comment
TruthSeeker
May 26th, 2011
6:04 pm
“i understand the thoughts about the Phils for this year but generally over the past 3 years, the phils are and were better than any time during the 14 year run we had”
Hahaha, no. How many times have the Phillies won 100 games? The Braves did that six times.
Any of the Braves teams from 1991-2002 would have smoked the Phillies.
Strother Martin on Josh Smith
May 26th, 2011
6:05 pm
Our mgr is on anti-depressants….,FOR REAL. Nothing wrong with that mind you, but do u want a cracked egg managing ur ballclub……I’m just sayin. IMO Freddis stint here will end badly.
Sonny Clusters
May 26th, 2011
6:09 pm
Clusters was never slow starters so we don’t fully understand how a guy can be such a slow starter that he’s hitting .180 at the tail end of May. We just got back from a trip and was hoping when we got back Uggla would be tearing the cover off the ball. We took a little nap on the plane and they had to wake us up when we landed. We was walking down a moving sidewalk to get our luggage and there on the wall in the airport the sign said, Zimbabwe! That’s right, Zimbabwe! We was ready to panic when we saw that sign and thought we was in the wrong place. We was wondering if it wouldn’t be smart to change that sign to read, Atlanta? As far as changing from Bobby to Fredi there doesn’t seem to be all that much difference except Fredi seems to have better hygiene in the dugout.
Rutherford Seydel
May 26th, 2011
6:11 pm
Ed,
I’m still not paying you back you old fart! Nice zing Mike!
Man, I’m getting plastered tonight. It’s good being rich!
Wink
May 26th, 2011
6:21 pm
No the Braves players are not being affected by the change to Gonzalez. The Braves just don’t hit. The pitch, they defend, but they just don’t hit. They still can’t manufacture runs, they still have no speed, the on base percentage is really low and now they are not patient at the plate.
The Braves are not hitting, transition has nothing to do with it, see ball…hit ball just not happening here. The hits they do get have no impact on the game. They are not lousy, so they will win some they should lose and lose some they should win. We need professional hitters & speed, which we never seem to get (See Uggla).
To put this in prospective, they did not hit for Bobby Cox either, because if they did how do you explain only ONE World Championship, with 14 straight Division Titles on your resume.
Welcome to ATL Fredi!!
reckingball
May 26th, 2011
6:24 pm
Yeah, I had forgot about that, Fredi will never be able to pick a booger, like Bobby can.
chewyandrw
May 26th, 2011
6:24 pm
Baseball managers have the least impact on their teams performance of any of the major sports. I am not saying they are not important but a chance has a smaller impact than in football or basketball. Like Schultz said, there isnt really a change in offensive/defensive/pitching. Its on the players more in baseball and right now, the Braves are not performing. Too old in some areas and too young in others (except on the mound, and it shows.)
The Nature Boy
May 26th, 2011
6:31 pm
@ shadowfax419
nice post…but Freddie aint Bobby never will be…but u are correct sir..Freddie should gotten thrown out, Bobby would have..I’m stuck in the past…but IMO Uggla is killing us…and what about Kimbrell, he’s cost us 6 games…just sayin
Stan
May 26th, 2011
6:40 pm
Must be nice to be a pro athlete with millions to get out of a dui.
reckingball
May 26th, 2011
6:43 pm
How does anyone know that Lowe was DUI?
The court said there was not enough evidence.
Sonny Clusters
May 26th, 2011
6:53 pm
WSB just found a fallen tree! We have a bunch of them in our yard but they never put them on TV. We was wondering if they could help Dan Uggla find a base hit?
Hillbilly D
May 26th, 2011
6:54 pm
Have things changed all that much since I took my Driver’s Test, those decades ago? Back then, under Georgia’s Implied Consent law, if you refused a breath or blood test, that made you guilty.
Whether Lowe was actually drinking or not, I have no clue but he did refuse the test, according to the AJC.
NO MORE BOBBY
May 26th, 2011
7:01 pm
The Braves have an excuse every year. How about we are not as good as the Phillies? I said it. We are not even as good as the Marlins (who became a better team when you know who was fired). I think if we had brought in all new coaches with Fredi then you could use the transition excuse. But it really is the same crap that has been here for years but with a wannabe #6 running the show.
Plus it didn’t help that we signed a midget to be our much needed power bat.
HeartofBraves
May 26th, 2011
7:03 pm
Enter your comments here
HeartofBraves
May 26th, 2011
7:06 pm
This switch up is killing the flow of the braves. Let’s just hope the braves will get some kind contribution from Gonzalez. Check out my buddies site you can now follow your favorite Braves players in one place look its easy and fun http://bit.ly/iVKVrx
reckingball
May 26th, 2011
7:07 pm
I would have done exactly same thing as Lowe did, if I had of been in his position.
Michael Gearon, Jr.
May 26th, 2011
7:24 pm
Yeah, har har, Seydel, go take a long walk off a short pier! Don’t think I forgot what happened last time you got plastered (bought a hockey team, wtf, guys?).
Looks like someone’s had one too many martinis before … noon.
61 year Braves Fan
May 26th, 2011
7:31 pm
Braves hitters have terrible plate discipline. They constantly swing at balls in the dirt and outside as well as pitches above the letters. Too bad there are no old films of Ted Williams batting. He never
swung out of the strike zone.More walks and far less strikeouts as a result.
JF McNamara
May 26th, 2011
7:46 pm
I blame all the folks who gave Pendleton such a hard time in this town as a hitting coach. He made lemons with lemonade. The new guy is making lemons out of Sweet Georgia Peaches…
Tomas
May 26th, 2011
7:59 pm
When Uggla starts hitting like he is supposed to, and Heyward gets healthy there will be no problem with the offense
DUD Uggla
May 26th, 2011
8:12 pm
No lead-off hitter, Freddie “I can only pull the ball” Freeman needs to keep his head still instead of acting like he is dipping Kristie Alley on the dance floor, get Heyward out of the Number 2 spot, Tell Chipper to shut up. And tell “Gonzo” to get his head into the ballgame and quit swinging at balls above his head……I could go on but hell I’m hitting below the 200 line.
The Fan
May 26th, 2011
8:20 pm
Fredi Gonzalez makes several terrible decisions, including but not limited to lineup order, bullpen choices, and other calls during the game. It took him forever to FINALLY bat Heyward 2nd(as opposed to Mclouth) to get him more plate appearances, his choices of when to use people like Linebrink (who sucks) and Kimbrel are laughable, and he calls all the wrong hit-and-run plays.
http://www.firefredigonzalez.com (yes, it’s a real website)
Thanks for your time!
Bob the Blogger
May 26th, 2011
8:30 pm
I don’t see how the changing of the guard per se can be a reason for the slow start. Which players in the starting lineup could be affected? Heyward only played one year for Cox. Freeman played one month. Uggla never played for Cox and had played for Fredi G. Alex G. only played part of one year for Cox. McClouth only played a couple of years under Cox. Martin played several years, but wouldn’t he be at least as comfortable playing for a manager who speaks spanish? That leaves Chipper and McCann, and they’re both playing OK, not great, but OK. The pitching and defense are good, so how can we associate the slow start with the manager change?
Plate Appearance
May 26th, 2011
8:39 pm
WREN’S SPIN CYCLE
Dear old Frank is trying the very best he can to do some damage control — and to cover his own backside for his own questionable decisions.
But it’s laughable! Wren has minimal credibility and minimal good judgment!
Gonzalez has already made more than his share of questionable decisions as a manager so far this season, so much so that even Chipper made a veiled comment criticizing one of his potential decisions (on when to use Conrad as a pinch hitter).*
*(I’d take Bobby back in a heartbeat to manage the Braves over Gonzalez!)
And Uggla’s been clueless in terms of a solid hitting approach at the plate.
So much for Wren’s comments. He’s very much like the boy who cried wolf, as far as believing what he says!
Frank’s using the SPIN CYCLE on his washer again!
"Chef" Tim Dix
May 26th, 2011
8:42 pm
I believe that can’t call your own number under Gonzo: Sunday in San Fran Chipper tells DOB he doesn’t think he can go and does. AGON taps Gonzo on the shoulder says he’s not right, plays two more innings before being pulled and the constant running out of JHey after he admitted being hurt in ST.
Just an observation.
Stan
May 26th, 2011
8:55 pm
The issue is heyward uggly and mccann are not producing with du being the worst and jh a close second. look at the sox offense now. look at the phils this week. watch us struggle against those same reds with 2 days rest this week. something happens to batters when they come to play here.
Dr. Phil
May 26th, 2011
8:56 pm
Sometimes Bobby motivated the team to play harder when he got thrown out. That is certainly a part of baseball, and maybe Fredi should get more aggressive. I doubt that arguing improves umps’ performance, however. Everything considered, the Braves are not in a bad place right now. I don’t know what to make of Uggla. He could prove to be another Wren disaster.
PALM BEACH BARON
May 26th, 2011
9:17 pm
BOBBY COX costs us at least 2 World Series rings – he burned out pitchers by leaving them out there too long – usually way too long. He never could keep a closer – he burnt them out and created headcases out of all of them. Time after time he sent Glavine & Sycho out there for the 6th, 7th or 8th when they should have been pulled and they gave up runs and the game . Stop worshiping that idiot Bobby Cox – if he played for anyone else he would have been fired by 1997. We should have gotten Joe Torre when we had the chance.
Could just be me
May 26th, 2011
9:25 pm
Yes the Braves have struggled offensively when many have said they added some punch during the offseason. Sure they haven’t put up as many runs as the explosion some were expecting. With as many problems as the Braves are having whether offensively or with players trying to avoid the DL, the Braves 51 games into the season just happen to be 3 games off the best record in the majors. Let’s try this again, almost a third of the season has went by as Schultz put it and the Braves are three games off the best record in the majors. Yeah that transition from Cox to Gonzo has to be really hurting the team, I can’t believe their only 3 games behind that supposed super pitching staff in Philly, especially with such a lack of offense, Gonzalez has to go now, this transition thing isn’t working out, then reality set in.
dobearsbare
May 26th, 2011
9:27 pm
To be truthful the Braves are in pretty good position which is a credit to Gonzalez, who was hamstrung from the start with a six-man lineup (rookie at first base, enigmatic center fielder). Give him a major-league hitter to play center field, and things would be different. Give him Uggla of the last five years, and things would be different. Give him the opening-day lineup for more than a handful of games, and things would be different. Some of those things are a function of miserly ownership. Some, pure poor baseball luck. If you want to nit-pick every decision he makes, you don’t understand the nature of the game. Baseball managers cannot be fairly judged on the results of one or five or 10 decisions. I’m sure in Philadelphia, some fan on a message board is picking Charlie Manuel apart, and it’s unjustified. A preponderance of the evidence is necessary, and if you use that standard in Gonzalez’ case, he looks pretty good on the whole.
Could just be me
May 26th, 2011
9:30 pm
Yes the Braves have struggled offensively when many have said they added some punch during the offseason. Sure they haven’t put up as many runs as the explosion some were expecting. With as many problems as the Braves are having whether offensively or with players trying to avoid the DL, the Braves 51 games into the season just happen to be 3 games off the best record in the majors. Let’s try this again, almost a third of the season has went by as Schultz put it and the Braves are three games off the best record in the majors. Yeah that transition from Cox to Gonzo has to be really hurting the team, I can’t believe their only 3 games behind that supposed super pitching staff in Philly, especially with such a lack of offense, Gonzalez has to go now, this transition thing isn’t working out, then reality set in, well, considering ATL sports writers, maybe not.
Seriously
May 26th, 2011
9:32 pm
Yeah…we can all “take a breath” but the reality is these guys are doing some amazingly bad things at the plate.
1. Consistently swinging at the 1st pitch and not being patient, waiting for “your” pitch.
2. Consistently swinging at balls that bounce 5 feet in front of the plate. (This happens to every hitter but we are have a team full of players that just look like they have decided to swing before the pitch is released.)
3. Consistently looking completely lost when a pitcher has a decent slider or curveball. I understand we are a Fastball hitting team but I have never seen a team so dumbfounded by average pitchers.
The key word here is Consistently. This is what worries me. Even Chipper looks completely lost out there at times and he is hardly ever confused,
Ron Hyatt
May 26th, 2011
9:34 pm
Nope. I see the same lack of discipline and no sense of urgency that I’ve seen since 91.
Larry
May 26th, 2011
9:35 pm
We missed the boat when Joe Girardi walked away from the Marlins. The Yankees jumped all over this opportunity to hire him while the Braves were still spiraling down the drain with Bobby Cox.
What did this leave us? Bobby’s offspring, Fredi Cox, whom, like his predecessor, absolutely hasn’t a clue how to operate a situational and circumstantial offense that one must do deep in the playoffs when facing the better teams with the better pitchers.
Fredi Cox, picked his coaches, picked his 25 man roster, fills out the lineup card and makes the in-game decisions…the buck stops with him!
Brave Fan
May 26th, 2011
9:43 pm
Great pitching and pretty good defense has gotten us to this point. We will not take the division from the Phillies because they can pitch, hit and run. We have too many hitters that have no plate discipline and try to pull the ball all the time. On top of that its not like these dead pull guys are the kind thats going to hit 35 bombs!
I hate it because I love the Braves but w.e’ll be lucky to pass and hold off the Marlins
bobby
May 26th, 2011
9:47 pm
It’s not the manager but the lack of hitting that is killing the Braves. You won’t win many times scoring two runs a game.
Brave Fan
May 26th, 2011
9:50 pm
Not much hitting but ZERO speed. Speed does not go into slumps.
Bill
May 26th, 2011
10:02 pm
The chemistry is not right on this team. The makeup of players, group situation, interaction, respect for each other is just not there. No chemistry no win…time to make some changes. Go Braves.
shmoe
May 26th, 2011
10:11 pm
bill,
i see plenty of chemistry in the dugout. what do you wanna see, kissing hugging and groping?
Andrew
May 26th, 2011
10:16 pm
DUD UGGLA Do you even know anything aabout this team. Freeman has been hitting the ball the opposite field since day one. He started out rough and is actually hitting 250 and will climb. He is a rookie. He will have rough weeks and will ajust. You need to get your head out of your butt and actually say something with merit. Uggla is struggling and so is Heyward. Brian has dropped over 55 points in the last month. It is not just Freeman.
Pluto
May 26th, 2011
10:22 pm
Jomy, that’s *alleged* drunk. And not even that anymore; charges were dropped. So maybe not so much with the name-calling.
Kentavo
May 26th, 2011
10:24 pm
I was not a Cox fan the last few years – think he wore out his welcome – so my wife was surprised when she heard me saying to the TV “Bobby would have gotten tossed on that one” a few times. She says, “I thought you didn’t like Bobby?” And I say, “I don’t, but he would have already had 5 ejections by now and Fredi doesn’t have any.”
Bill
May 26th, 2011
10:26 pm
There’s one DA on every blog…Chemistry is not kissing etc. u must know.
reckingball
May 26th, 2011
10:28 pm
That one guy says Cox burnt the arms up on relievers, then he says he left the starters out too long in the next sentence.
He says Cox burnt up pitchers arms, then he ends his comment by saying the Braves should have hired Torre, who ruined more pitchers arms than Cox ever thought about.
perk
May 26th, 2011
10:35 pm
marteen: dead on your #4 – I put that game soley on Fredi. He should have gotten thrown out to show his players he had their back and give the pitcher some time to regain his composure
skillfulpiffle7
May 26th, 2011
10:38 pm
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, http://BidsWork.com
BravesLover
May 26th, 2011
11:03 pm
Jeff you are really reaching. IMHO the hitters are door mats. Pitchers get well against our anemic lineup. No opposing pitcher wants to miss a turn when playing the Braves. Our Bash Boys are are unabashed. Like a fish out of water they are floundering. I’m reminded of the ole saying that crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (are you listening/reading Mr. Uggla?) I’m thinking of starting a poll called “Guess the date a Brave will reach 10 homeruns”. I’m thinking of after the all star break. It’s entirely possible that no Brave will hit more than 10 homeruns. Tip of the hat to the pitchers. I think Fredi is the right man in the right place at the right time. How long will our new lack of hitting coach last? How ’bout a big shake up next year and get a new pitching coach who doesn’t threaten opposing fans and a new hitting coach to take the place of the lack of hitting coach. Take Skippy Carey with them so that I can watch and listen to our announcers instead of the opposing team’s announcers just so I don’t have to “beautiful” 17 times a game. There are a myriad of adjectives that would describe a play other than “beautiful”. Maybe if Mr. Chatterbox would just let someone pull the plug on his mike after the tease…..
NC Brave
May 26th, 2011
11:04 pm
i don’t believe so. team was wildly all over the place last year too. lose 9 then win 9. run out of things to write about????
Chas
May 26th, 2011
11:05 pm
Fans have made some comments that I agree with. I think Fredi is a players manager but I’d like to see some fire in him and would like to see him get angry with the umps. I have really hated his tactics in managing at times. There were some managerial decisions I disagreed with during the Cox years but there have been many more with Fredi. I think he will be fine but I miss Cox.
NC Brave
May 26th, 2011
11:06 pm
and btw……Uggla will get it going folks. i like where we are.