Fredi Gonzalez, the only real choice? Not so fast (UPDATE)
UPDATE: The Braves have scheduled “a major announcement” for 2:15 p.m. today after Bobby Cox’s already scheduled valedictory at Turner Field. Sounds like Fredi will be introduced today, as opposed to tomorrow.
The last time the Braves held managerial news conferences on consecutive days — one to bid farewell, the next to say hello — it didn’t work out so well. They fired Joe Torre in the press lounge of the old stadium in October 1984, and the next day we were back to greet …
Eddie Haas.
Who lasted 121 games.
Yes, there’s a huge difference this time. Fredi Gonzalez has been a big-league manager; Haas never had. (And, after being canned by the Braves, never would again.) But the Braves back then were so certain Haas, who’d been their Class AAA manager, would be the man to improve on what Torre had started that I developed a kneejerk response to kneejerk promotions. I’m leery of Perfect Choice successions because they so rarely turn out to be.
Everyone in baseball was so convinced the Braves would anoint Gonzalez as Cox’s successor that it had to be either the worst-kept secret or the best-constructed ruse in the history of the world. Turns out it wasn’t the latter. And clearly the Braves have their reasons: He did meritorious work here before leaving to manage the Florida Marlins, who might just be unmanageable. That said …
He never quite lifted the Marlins to the playoffs — got them over .500 in both 2008 and 2009, though — and this year’s team was thought to be (at least by owner Jeffrey Loria) of playoff caliber. And that’s why Gonzalez was fired after 70 games. And before you say, “Well, Loria wouldn’t know a baseball from the back end of a buffalo … ” let’s consider that Loria did hoist the World Series trophy in 2003 after changing managers in midseason.
But my quibbling about Gonzalez has less to do with his Florida days than with his background: The Braves are essentially hiring from within, and after having the same manager from June 22, 1990 to Oct. 11, 2010, this was their chance to look outside and tap someone who wasn’t immersed in The Braves’ Way Of Doing Things. Other clubs are much heavier into statistical analysis. (Terry Pendleton, the hitting coach, was actually surprised earlier this season when I mentioned that his club led the league in on-base percentage.)
The Braves’ Way worked largely because players loved playing for Bobby Cox. I’m not sure they’ll love playing for Gonzalez quite so much. That’s not a knock on the new man. It’s simply to say that there is — or was; got to get used to using the past tense — only one No. 6.
Please understand: Fredi Gonzalez is not Eddie Haas, who was overmatched from Day 1. Fredi Gonzalez is a solid hire made for logical reasons — the Braves know him and like his way of doing business. But I was hoping for someone who wasn’t a Cox acolyte. I was hoping for someone like Jose Oquendo, who’s the third-base coach in St. Louis and who has apprenticed under Tony La Russa. And, apart from their love of stray animals, Cox and La Russa have as much in common as chalk and cheese.
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
396 comments Add your comment
Brave 1959
October 13th, 2010
10:37 am
Fredi G was on top or close to being on top for every GM managerial opening’s list.
Very smart choice and a no brainer. I really think the Braves will now get those World Championship we all desire. With all the talent both in management and players within the organization, we should at least be at the top for quite some time.
Why would the Braves bring in anyone who would want to change a system that has been setup for winning for over 20 years?
Go Braves
PMC
October 13th, 2010
10:38 am
The huge advantage for Gonzalez in this gig is that they already have a great environment. They already have a winning tradition. He doesn’t have to change the culture and in Atlanta at least there is virtually no pressure for him as there wasn’t for Bobby.
I’m fairly convinced that given the right amount of talent across the board (especially pitching) the right culture or environment could well be the difference between being in the playoffs and missing them entirely.
curtis jones
October 13th, 2010
10:38 am
Not your usual stellar effort, Mark. It sounds like some higher-up ordered a “point-counterpoint” kind of column to balance all the Fredi-worship elsewhere on the AJC. Your arguments (to be generous) are a bit flimsy. Fredi won’t be Cox. Frankly I don’t know of another manager, for that matter human being, who would make some of the head-scratching moves Cox has made during the past few years.
For instance, Braves MVP this year should be Omar Infante….a player who, if Cox had his way, wouldn’t have gotten 100 at bats this year. And I didn’t even mention his Melky-worship. OK now I did.
Brave 1959
October 13th, 2010
10:41 am
And all the other Teams needing managers said ” Just Dayme” He could have chose anyone he wanted, guaranteed!
VinceVanGo
October 13th, 2010
10:41 am
Here’s my Christmas wish list for the Braves. Sign Cody Ross for center and Dan Uggla for second. Resign Omar Infante for left or anywhere else and bat him leadoff. Resign Hinske & Derek Lee(if cheap enough) for backup and pinch hitting. Keep Matt Diaz as a fourth outfielder and get a decent lefty for a fifth outfielder(in other words dump McClouth. Ankiel, and Cabrera). Prado will start at third with Chipper(if he makes it back) as a backup & pinch hitter. Add one or two middle infield backups and with David Ross that’s 14. Carry 5 starters(Lowe, Hudson, Hanson, Jurrgens & either Minor or Beachy). The other can be the long reliever. That leaves 5 spots for late relief. Kimbrel, Venters, Dunn, Moylan and whoever wins the last spot will make a pretty good team. Keep Roger McDowell and Eddie Perez and replace the rest of the coaching staff. Then turn Fredi loose!
Andy
October 13th, 2010
10:42 am
I do agree with some others that say that Mark is only taking this perspective to offer a different point of view than Jeff because it wouldn’t be very interesting if Mark only repeated what Jeff said. That said, I usually follow the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. If Fredi is a Cox disciple then that can only be a good thing because Cox is one of the greatest managers of all time. Fredi did solid work in Florida with the smallest payroll in baseball. I do think that TP needs to go. He has overstayed his welcome and there needs to be a change.
Mitchell
October 13th, 2010
10:42 am
Terry Pendleton deserved an interview, at least. I hope Fredi keeps Eddie Perez on the staff.
firebradley.com
October 13th, 2010
10:42 am
Enter your comments here
AJ
October 13th, 2010
10:43 am
Really Bradley? Are you playing point-counterpoint with Schultz? This was a no brainer. Give me the Cox tree over the LaRussa tree anyday of the year. LaRussa would have been fired years ago if he didn’t have Pujols. Fredi is a solid hire.
firebradley.com
October 13th, 2010
10:43 am
when is the ajc finally gonna have a back to back press conference announcing you’re leaving and they are hiring somebody else.
you’re terrible at this gig.
1/15
October 13th, 2010
10:45 am
Freedi is a booby cox clone. The same failure will happen all over again.
T-Bone
October 13th, 2010
10:46 am
Mark,
Usually I agree with you, but not this time. You have been Bobby’s biggest cheerleader–and for good reasons. So why “look outside and tap someone who wasn’t immersed in The Braves’ Way Of Doing Things.” Fredi will do enough things his way that he won’t be a Bobby clone.
indigo
October 13th, 2010
10:46 am
I know he’s made so much money that he might just stay on the ranch when his playing days are over, but I hope that Chipper some day will be back with the Braves, either as the hitting coach, as some have suggested, or I would even say as manager, even though he has had no managerial experience. I know that he has the knowledge of the game. I think he also has that “intangible” leadership ability, the proper attitude to handle players
JRW7
October 13th, 2010
10:47 am
FREDI GONZALES, great hire, Fredi, we need a new hitting coach, more offense, more defense, and more team speed. GO BRAVES!!!
Lucas
October 13th, 2010
10:47 am
Fredo along with sam will stop gallum and destroy the philly ring.
why
October 13th, 2010
10:48 am
NEGATIVE NEGATIVE NEGATIVE,
norman
October 13th, 2010
10:48 am
Bradley- I asked you last week to name three that you would recommend for the next Braves manager. You said: “Gonzalez, Gonzalez, & Gonzalez”. Now you are questioning the hiring of Gonzalez. I don’t understand your thinking. Are you bipolar?
Keith
October 13th, 2010
10:48 am
Bradley,
The Braves’ beat writer speculated that even though Gonzalez is friends with Pendleton, the organization is not going to allow him to remain as the Braves’ hitting coach.
DId you see that? Is that based on any inside info?
Hmmmmm.
ATL
October 13th, 2010
10:49 am
Bet Pendleton is pissed right now!!!!!!!!
JD
October 13th, 2010
10:49 am
Your heart’s not in this one MB. Freddi is going to bring a new staff in, you have to know TP is gone, and I’m not real sure McDowell stays, although the pitching staff was outstanding as a whole this year. I’m wondering if we might see Chipper do the throwback thing and be a player/hitting coach this year, perhaps as a way to transition him into mgmt within the organization after he retires.. have you listened to him breaking down pitchers and hitters when he does the TV broadcast? The guy knows what he’s doing….
Keith
October 13th, 2010
10:50 am
Re: normal
Fair question to Bradley. But your analysis of associating bipolar with changing one’s mind is ignorant and uneducated. You might want to get some Mental Health education.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml
Mark Bradley
October 13th, 2010
10:50 am
Perhaps we misunderstood one another, norman. I thought you were asking: Who’s going to BE the next manager?
33rd miner
October 13th, 2010
10:50 am
I’m the last
Arthur Blank
October 13th, 2010
10:50 am
Don’t dare compare Fredi Gonzalez to Mike Smith, unless and until you can compare the Braves’ ownership to the Falcons’ ownership. Smith wouldn’t be a success without Blank (and Dimitroff).
Period.
Alby
October 13th, 2010
10:52 am
Why would you want chipper as a hitting coach. He still seeks advice from his pappy when his hitting goes awry.
Raoul
October 13th, 2010
10:52 am
Why didn’t the Braves take the logical move and name Bradley as the manager?
Keith
October 13th, 2010
10:53 am
Re: Alby
Because there have been times when a couple of players took his advice and did much better. One of the bigger stories was Matt Diaz a few years ago and how it turned around his career.
tim
October 13th, 2010
10:53 am
With John S. and Bobby working ‘upstairs’, you wonder how much different this team will be from the teams from the past? Frank Wren has shown that he will do whatever the money will allow him to do, and that money is coming from a cable company based out of Denver. Now that Fredi is in place (or will be tomorrow), lets hope that Liberty Media will sell the team to someone committed to making the Braves a world championship caliber team.
observation
October 13th, 2010
10:53 am
It seems as if this is just a blatant attempt to take a contrarian position just for the sake of doing so.
Bradleyisalwayswrong
October 13th, 2010
10:53 am
Once again, clueless blog writer, you write something just to be different and to again prove you really don’t know much about anything.
And once again, I urge editor Julia Wallace to take a long, hard look at the crap you put out under the AJC masthead and consider whether you really ought to have such a high-profile outlet for your high school sophomore writing.
Ms. Wallace, think of the young, undiscovered David Kindreds and Steve Hummers of the world that you could hire if you dump this inept staffer who does have a stable of 25-30 blog responders, often writing multiple entries under different names. The truth is that real sports fans have tired of Bradley a long, long time ago.
And finally, Ms. Wallace, is it possible that Bradley is posting some of these “reader” comments himself? Think about that.
Blue Fox
October 13th, 2010
10:54 am
Mark, the Braves way of Doing Things has been ultra-successful, why fix it if it ain’t broke?
WatchEmEveryNight_Fans
October 13th, 2010
10:54 am
Mark: Happy that Braves made solid decision on Freddy. We love TP but .170 bat average in post season; give credit to opponent great pitching but demerits to Bats Coach. Also happy to see some younger players committed to improvement; ie., Freddy Freeman in the Arizona Fall League. We won’t stop watching and making the 70 mile drive to stadium occasionally.
Now for our wishful ultimate goals: Trash cans in dug out, no more chewin and spittin, pickin bugars while on camera and finally limited scratchin and adjustin the crotch cup to only once per innin. Would our request make for dramatic changes in MLB?
Go Braves 2011.
blazerdawg
October 13th, 2010
10:54 am
Fred-di! Fred-di! Fred-di!
Keith
October 13th, 2010
10:54 am
Bradley, Bradley, Bradley!
Goog point, Raoul. But then he wouldn’t be able to come up with 8-9 reasons the Braves will…
Sorry, Bradley. Love you man!
Abnerish
October 13th, 2010
10:55 am
The only way they would’ve gone in a different direction is if they fired JS and FW. Otherwise, you knew they would stay the course and hire someone that would fit with the current environment. Besides, comparing the situation of now to Torre/Haas is not a good comparison. The Braves organization is in a so much better situation it’s not even close. The only thing the Braves from then had that we could use now is Ted Turner’s cash.
Top Rope
October 13th, 2010
10:55 am
Personally I applaud the Bobby Cox era ending. His obsession with platooning was detrimental in some cases because a guy could be swinging a hot bat but would be held out of the lineup because he hit from the wrong side of the plate. He was not aggressive enough as far as hit and run and base steal attempts. In the playoffs, you can’t sit back and wait for a 3-run homer for Petes sake even Ron Washington ordered Benji(the slowest player in baseball)Molina to steal last night. And guess what? He made it without a throw.Bobby Ball was borrrrrrrrinnnnng! I hope Fredi G. brings some excitement to the game.
Joe
October 13th, 2010
10:55 am
I wouldn’t care if it was Mickey Mouse as long as it wasn’t Terry Pendelton. He’s been a horrible hitting coach and would certainly have been a sorry manager….
myra
October 13th, 2010
10:56 am
After Cox, there will be no more excuses. Its all about the W.
dick
October 13th, 2010
10:56 am
I JUST HOPE SOMEONE CAN TEACH PLAYERS TO BUNT
Keith
October 13th, 2010
10:56 am
Re: Bradleyisalwayswrong
I bet your favorite movie is Conspiracy Theory, and you believe that the US government was responsible for 9/11.
Go find another blog.
Mark Bradley
October 13th, 2010
10:58 am
Oh, and for those who believe I’m just being a naysayer for the sake of novelty, let me remind you that I was saying essentially the same thing in June 2009. Take a look.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
October 13th, 2010
11:01 am
The front office has had a year to look over and discuss options from within as well as outside the organization. This is not a hasty decision. JS, Cox and Wren all apparently agreed this was the direction to go. I personally like the hire, I hope it is the right one.
Gary O
October 13th, 2010
11:03 am
Mark,
You have said that Bobby is the greatest manager you have ever known. So why would you NOT want one of his disciples calling the shots?
And since Chemistry was one of the strong points of this year’s team, why would you want to take the chance on bringing in an outsider?
(For the record, I’m okay with the decision to hire Fredi or not hire Fredi).
Mark Bradley
October 13th, 2010
11:04 am
Because, Gary O, I think what worked for Bobby worked primarily because he’s Bobby.
Al
October 13th, 2010
11:06 am
Fredi is a great choice! I like this hire.
Go Braves!
Do It
October 13th, 2010
11:07 am
Check with Schultz before posting an article or are you playing good cop bad cop chit.
Larvell Blanks
October 13th, 2010
11:08 am
DP 10:26 – “I doubt Fredi Gonzales is worth more than 3 games in the standings in a 162 game season versus Mark Bradley, Jeff Schultz or Dave O’Brien.”
Agreed. The only question is, 3 games which way?
reckingball
October 13th, 2010
11:08 am
How about Valentine?
Mark Bradley
October 13th, 2010
11:09 am
Bobby Valentine would be my last choice.
Cobby Box
October 13th, 2010
11:09 am
http://pricezack.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/the-end-of-an-era/ is a good read on the end of the braves season