Fredi Gonzalez: The new manager gets a surpassing grade
If Fredi can get Nate McLouth going, we'll name him valedictorian. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Bobby Cox said this week he’d give his successor “an A-plus,” but Cox has always been given to bouts of irrational exuberance when it comes to the Braves. Still, we thank the former manager for broaching the topic, and we welcome this opportunity to cast a cold eye on Fredi Gonzalez’s job performance and award him a totally rational …
A-minus.
The new man has been really good. The numbers are one powerful indication — the Braves awoke Friday with the fourth-best record and the best ERA in baseball — but the numbers don’t tell the entire tale. To say everything has broken right for Fredi’s club would be to ignore a run of injuries that sent the starting outfield to the disabled list and the ongoing flailings of Dan Uggla, whose batting average hasn’t topped .200 since May 16.
Uggla didn’t arrive as just another in a series of Frank Wren’s impulse buys: He was a calculated acquisition who figured to become the linchpin of this batting order. (Certainly Wren believed as much, re-upping Uggla for $62 million over five years and making him the highest-paid second baseman in the history of the sport.) Uggla’s struggles might have scuttled an entire team, but the Braves under Gonzalez have been buoyant.
It’s not as if the manager hasn’t done his managerial bit to help Uggla, with whom Gonzalez worked when both were Florida Marlins. He has moved him in the batting order, given him days off, taken pains to praise his hustle and work ethic. On Wednesday, after Uggla hit a two-run homer against Toronto, Gonzalez played the realist: “I tell him, ‘April and May are gone.’ ” Meaning: Look instead to the future, the only thing subject to change.
Cox was legendary for finding the tiniest sliver of sunshine on a dark day, and Gonzalez isn’t much different. He hasn’t agonized — at least not for public consumption — over his team’s lack of offense, insisting that the hits will come. Besides, just because you can’t hit doesn’t mean you can’t win. “Some people thought I was crazy for saying I’d rather have it this way,” Gonzalez said, “but you can’t be losing games 11-10.”
Loading ...Which brings us, inevitably, to pitching, and every manager rises or falls on his ability to handle a staff. Gonzalez has proved an expert handler, trusting his stellar starters while carving specific niches for his many splendid relievers. (Let the record also reflect that the manager was without his pitching coach for two weeks, Roger McDowell having been suspended for insensitive remarks.)
If there are quibbles, it’s that Gonzalez hasn’t tried a bit harder to kick-start the offense. (Though he did insert Jordan Schafer into the leadoff spot upon his promotion, and that has made a spot of difference.) And he does seem determined to work Jonny Venters (first among big-league pitchers in appearances) and Craig Kimbrel (tied for second) into every single game.
But you know what? When you don’t score much, you play close games. When you play close games, you need your best arms at the end. The Braves have the lowest bullpen ERA in the majors by some distance. Who wouldn’t use those guys?
Best of all, Gonzalez hasn’t worried about doing as Bobby did. That the men are temperamentally similar made for a (John Schuerholz’s word here) seamless transition, but it’s not as Gonzalez went out of his way to emulate No. 6. The new guy is a bit more involved on the field before games — he circulates among players as they stretch, and he throws batting practice and hits grounders — but nothing seems forced. Fredi’s doing in Atlanta as he did with the Marlins.
And it’s working. He has his team, which is hitting .239 (the big-league average is .252), within sight of Philadelphia, which has spent nearly twice as much for its players as have the Braves. So why the A-minus? Why not a straight A?
Old managerial trick: We want to give the new guy reason to work even harder the second semester.
By Mark Bradley
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
230 comments Add your comment
Jay Dorkman
June 24th, 2011
1:52 pm
Don’t be surprised if LM moves the Braves elsewhere.
VOS
June 24th, 2011
2:12 pm
Can we save the grades for October please. Big deal, the Braves are 10 games oer .500 and its only June. This is a little premature. When he can manage when it counts and get this team deap in to October, than I will give him an A, but until then, the grade is N/A.
Loosing Managar = Loosing Record
June 24th, 2011
2:12 pm
HA HA! Nice try 2 inslut me. Its OK I have thick skin.
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
2:14 pm
The job of the leadoff hitter is to get on base, and get into a position to score, that requires some speed.
How much speed does Chipper possess? Can he score from 1st on a double, not very likely.
Do you want Chipper to even take the chance of further injury, attempting such a play.
Why am I even entering into a debate about Chipper in the leadoff slot? I must be drunk or stupid, or maybe both.
What is the Braves record with Schafer in the leadoff spot?
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
2:21 pm
There are some degrees of job performance that are between fair and excellent. Like good and very good.
I would say that Gonzalez has been between good and very good.
I still don’t understand why he makes some of the strategic moves that he makes.
But, I know he has more baseball smarts, than anyone on the any of the AJC blogs possess.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
2:24 pm
I’m not going to do your research for you.
I’m puzzled by why you apparently think speed is more important than getting on base. Schafer is a nice player but he is a terrible hitter.
Do you think Chipper risks less injury hitting third? Also, you’re arguing in the negative for Schafer. Give me a reason or two for him to hit leadoff.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
2:25 pm
How do you know that, reckingball?
goldenglove002
June 24th, 2011
2:26 pm
I just can’t approve of the job Fredi’s been doing. In no way does he deserve an F, but he isn’t helping this team. They have the 4th best record in baseball despite Fredi’s coaching, not because of it.
Biggest sore spot: His bullpen management is atrocious. Johnny Venters and Craig Kimbrel lead baseball in appearances. He’s going to blow out their arms at this rate. The future of the Braves bullpen is amazing, why ruin it before it reaches it’s full potential.
I also believe this team is under-achieving. Yes they have the 4th best record in baseball. Why don’t they have the best? This roster sure is capable of it.
DetroitBraves
June 24th, 2011
2:27 pm
I’m with G.Stein, Shaun and some others on here. This article is too results oriented. I’m sure I’ll get flogged for saying that in our results oriented world, but when you’re winning by over-extending your young relievers and in spite of abysmal lineup construction – well, I wouldn’t bet on living in the right tail of the distribution forever. That isn’t to say there aren’t some things he does well (there is a lot of value in having the players like you and want to play hard for you), and the starting pitching may carry the day, but an A- is very, very, very generous.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
2:32 pm
Agreed, Detroit. People need to focus on the process and not the result.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
Not sure they’re better than Boston, Philadelphia, or the Yankees, goldenglove. But your point is well taken and it’s the point I think Detroit is getting at. Namely, the record is good but if FG wasn’t such a bonehead, it may be a win or two better.
Mark Bradley Booster
June 24th, 2011
2:50 pm
A mid-season grade does not mean much. The Braves record is relatively good but not great. I will wait until the regular season ends and then give my vote.
Joseph
June 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
Agree with Marteen’s earlier post about not standing up for the players as much as Bobby did. I miss no.6 waddle out onto the field and then firing into the umpire for something that always centered around defending his players. You just don’t see that from Fredi. That and seeming to use Venters and Kimbrel a bit too much I have no complaints. When you’ve got the 4th best record in the bigs, there’s just not much you can complain about. GO BRAVES!!
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
3:23 pm
George @2:24…….Your point seems to be, that OBP is the sole requirement in choosing a leadoff hitter, then why not have McCann in the leadoff slot, he has a higher OBP than Chipper.
I am not a baseball managerical expert, but it is general knowledge that speed is an important attribute in a leadoff hitter, you should know that, it’s basic.
Chipper and McCann have the bats to drive the runs in, that’s why they bat in the order that they are batting in now, again, basic knowledge.
Yes I do think that Chipper would have a greater risk of injury batting first, as it requires a greater amount of risk, due to it calling for a more aggressive running style, again basic knowledge.
The Braves record with Schafer batting the leadoff spot?- – - – it’s called winning, as in a winning record.
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
3:24 pm
George @2:24…….Your point seems to be, that OBP is the sole requirement in choosing a leadoff hitter, then why not have McCann in the leadoff slot, he has a higher OBP than Chipper.
I am not a baseball managerical expert, but it is general knowledge that speed is an important attribute in a leadoff hitter, you should know that, it’s basic.
Chipper and McCann have the bats to drive the runs in, that’s why they bat in the order that they are batting in now, again, basic knowledge.
Yes I do think that Chipper would have a greater risk of injury batting first, as it requires a greater amount of risk, due to it calling for a more aggressive running style, again basic knowledge.
The Braves record with Schafer batting the leadoff spot?- – - – it’s called winning, as in a winning record.
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
3:24 pm
George @2:24…….Your point seems to be, that OBP is the sole requirement in choosing a leadoff hitter, then why not have McCann in the leadoff slot, he has a higher OBP than Chipper.
I am not a baseball managerical expert, but it is general knowledge that speed is an important attribute in a leadoff hitter, you should know that, it’s basic.
Chipper and McCann have the bats to drive the runs in, that’s why they bat in the order that they are batting in now, again, basic knowledge.
Yes I do think that Chipper would have a greater risk of injury batting first, as it requires a greater amount of risk, due to it calling for a more aggressive running style, again basic knowledge.
The Braves record with Schafer batting the leadoff spot?- – - – it’s called winning, as in a winning record.
hawesg
June 24th, 2011
3:29 pm
I guess great starting pitching and abusing Venters and Kimbrel now counts as being a good manager.
By all accounts, the lineup is underperforming. Only McCann is performing to his ability. Maybe AGonzalez. Fredi continues to put Uggla in position to kill rallies. He bats Gonzalez – whose only offensive attribute is power – in the #2 hole. How can a manager who fundamentally doesn’t understand OBP be doing A- work?
I’m fundamentally unimpressed with Fredi. Terry Collins is doing a great job with the Mets, because he has a fundamentally broken team (no Santana, no Wright, no Davis, no money) playing well. Fredi has a fundamentally sound team (recent injuries notwithstanding) underperforming, especially on offense.
TomahawkChoppin'
June 24th, 2011
3:30 pm
I cannot believe someone wants to bat Chipper leadoff. Asinine.
I hear all this talk about blowing out someone’s arm. Do you really have any statistics on relief pitchers’ innings vs. arm trouble. I realize starting pitching and relief pitching is a little different, but starting pitchers can go 200 innings plus a year. Why can’t a reliever have 100 plus? If you check Venters ERA after he gets a day of rest, it is higher than when he doesn’t get a day of rest.
Second of all, I don’t believe either of the O’Ventbrel machine would hide any sort of soreness or injury. See O’Flaherty’s back. They realize their importance to this team, and I think they would tell FG if they didn’t feel like they could pitch on any given night.
Nice article MB. Fredi does deserve an A minus. Room for improvement. I would like to see some more arguments with the umpire, but maybe we were spoiled a little bit with Bobby. FG has his own way of doing things too, and we must remember that.
Lugo may play a key role for this team this year, if he can swing the stick a little. Give rest to the infield, and play stellar defense. See Rafael Belliard. I could be completely wrong, but he just seems like a piece the Braves have always had in their title runs.
McLouth move to LF has been seamless. He is definitely more of a corner outfielder. His arm doesn’t have to carry the mound on a throw home from center, and his speed has diminished for a CF, but for a LF he has some wheels. I like the idea of a platoon situation with prado. Having him play second too when he isnt in LF.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
3:30 pm
You’re not very bright, reckingball.
DetroitBraves
June 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
Reckingball, why would you want the position player most likely to make an out getting the most at-bats? Not making outs IS the most important attribute for a hitter.
But by all means, don’t let facts get in the way of a good rant.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
3:37 pm
Schafer is a head of Jose Reyes in runs scored per plate appearance. That’s pretty good for a leadoff man
DetroitBraves
June 24th, 2011
3:42 pm
Ted M, do you expect that to continue if Reyes gets on base 40 more times than Schafer over the remainder of the season? And if it does, do you think that’s due to some magical ability Schafer has to turn less into more? And finally, wouldn’t you then wonder how many runs the Braves would score if they had a lead-off hitter than could, you know, hit?
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
3:45 pm
thats even more impressive when you consider the Mets team batting average is way higher then the Braves.
The leadoff man is supposed to score runs and Schafer is doing that.
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
3:46 pm
Yeah Detoit, put McCann or Chipper in the leadoff, great idea.
I think that scoring runs and driving in runs is the most important thing in a batter.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
3:47 pm
If Schafer stops scoring runs taking out.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
3:48 pm
So you think RBI and runs scored are useful metrics, reckingball?
DetroitBraves
June 24th, 2011
3:48 pm
You don’t understand the question. You are stating what has happened over a small sample size. Why do you believe Schafer has scored more runs? What is it about him that makes him capable of scoring more runs than a vastly superior player? You give me a good reason why this is anything more than luck, any reason to legtimately project a similar outcome moving forward, and I will back off the ill-advised Schafer experiment.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
3:49 pm
oops… If Schafer stops scoring runs take him out.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
3:49 pm
He’s never on base, Ted. You make no sense.
DetroitBraves
June 24th, 2011
3:51 pm
George Stein, Reckingball doesn’t understand how runs are created at the most fundamental level. There isn’t enough common ground here to continue the discussion. Would probably cast an MVP vote for Ryan Howard.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
3:52 pm
Tell me why batting Chipper first is asinine, Tomahawk.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
3:53 pm
Ryan Howard has a lot of RBI though, Detroit. He’s awesome!
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
3:54 pm
George @3:30………….I might not be very bright, but I am smart enough to know, that you do not bat one of your best RBI men, that happens to have bad knees and a pulled crotch muscle, in the leadoff position of your batting order.
But enough of this debate, let’s play nice.
Roark
June 24th, 2011
3:54 pm
it seems all the bullpen management critics would rather not use the best availabe resources to secure a close game. who really believes that the braves are competitive or even entertaining with Sherrill/Venters alternating at setup and maybe Linebrink/Kimbrell at the end?
it is hard to find fault with Fredi’s work when you consider the injuries, offensive production woes, and the many “scrub” lineups employed.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
3:55 pm
I just calculated his and Reyes runs scored per plate appearance…Schafers IS better. Schafer is scoring runs. Sure the sample size is fairly small so if stops take him out.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
3:55 pm
In all seriousness, you’re right. These people probably also think pitcher wins or errors are meaningful statistics.
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2011
3:57 pm
I love a good stat argument.
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
4:02 pm
George @3:48…….”So you think that RBI and runs scored are usefull metrics?”
Yes, I think that ‘runs scored’ is the most important thing in each and every baseball game that is played.
I can’t think of a thing(other than the players health and welfare), that is more important, than scoring the most runs in a game.
Last words.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
4:02 pm
Runs scored is absolutely positively the most important stat.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
4:03 pm
McCann won’t. Have many RBI chances if Schafer keeps leading off, reckingball. I guess a dropoff in RBI by McCann would mean sucks, right?
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
Runs scored is the product of other things. I can’t understand how you don’t understand that.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
Uh, Ted, runs prevented is equally important.
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
4:07 pm
Runs scored by an individual is a totally irrelevant stat.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
4:07 pm
hmmm so if you put someone at leadoff who scores fewer runs then McCann’s RBI are going to go up?
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
I think that Schafer is only going to get better.
Ted M
June 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
it is a product of other things and even tho the Braves team batting stinks he is still scoring runs.
Rogo
June 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
Anyone who really believes that Fredi wants to be using Venters and Kimbrell this much at this point of the season is crazy. HE HAS TO. If (I used to say when, but now I am not so sure) the bats ever wake up on this team so that they consistently have 5 run leads going into the 8th inning, believe me, you won’t be seeing them quite so much. Fredi can’t hit for them, and neither can the batting coach. But with Prado out, Chipper nicked, Heyward having been out and now seemingly destined to hit below .250 this season, “Jekyl and Hyde” Freeman, and then, the disaster that is Uggla right now, you are left with 1-2 run games and praise your lucky stars they are that close. I guarantee you that part of the reason that the young arms on the farm keep getting pulled up and then sent down is probably because FG knows that if he HAS TO keep trotting Venters/Kimbrell out there, they probably are going to end up on the DL in August and September and he will most probably need those arms to even try and keep pace.
It all comes down to the hitting right now. To have the 2 best record in the National League and having a team BA and OBP that the Braves have right now is insane. Ya gotta stick with what is working. And, as to Shaefer — somehow he still manages to get on base with a .230 average adn score runs. Walks, forcing infield and throwing errors because of his speed — something is helping him be a run scorer. And, HE IS THE ONLY SPEED THIS TEAM HAS. Remember when JeyHey led the team in steals for weeks — EVEN WHEN HE WAS ON THE DISABLED LIST?
George Stein
June 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
First of all, who cares about RBI. Second, did it occur to you that Schafer scores more runs because of who hits behind him?
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
Runs scored by an individual added to his teammate’s runs scored and totaled up, is relevent.
The most relevent stat in a game, if they have more than their opponents.
How can it not be so?
reckingball
June 24th, 2011
4:17 pm
Shafer would not score runs, because of who hits behind him, if he were not of base.