Macha considering Kendall at leadoff...

[Fatter than Joey]

So he forgot he pitched more than 1 inning once... the world isn't going to come to an end.

 

Macha could decide this weekend to transplant Villy's brain into McClung's body, and the world wouldn't come to an end. Why do people use that phrase?

 

I know bashing the manager is fun and all, and sooner or later some clown will put up a FireKenMacha.com...

 

Count on it... Managers for the most part are hired to be fired.

 

it's Spring Training, why are we getting so bent out of shape over nothing?

 

Why are you getting so defensive? -- Anything Macha says is fair game for criticism. This community has a very diverse opinion of how a MLB team should be ran. No one suggested he should get fired, you seem to be the only person that is really upset by this discussion -- otherwise it's just a bunch of Brewer fans stating their opinion on how Macha should handle things.

[Fatter than Joey]

MACHA-ED!

 

No -- It's

 

"Ma-cha-cha-cha-ed."

[RightFieldCoder]

People were discussing the Villy thread and I had an evil genious thought.

 

What if Macha is bluffing? Maybe he's trying to light a fire under Weeks, and he thinks the best way is to threaten his position on the team. It starts by publicly toying with the idea of someone else hitting leadoff. Maybe that will result in Weeks playing better at lead off. Or maybe he's pointing out to everyone that this isn't the Yost "don't worry, I'll stick with you no matter what" Brewers. If Villy could lose his 8th inning or Weeks could lose his lead off spot, all 40 men on the roster will feel the need to perform.

 

At least I hope this is the case, and not that Kendall will lead off.

[Ennder]

Weeks certainly pops out too much which is going to suppress his BABIP some, I'll give you that much with him.

[owbc]

I like Robin19's diagnosis. If that's true, then I'm suddenly a much bigger Macha fan. Weeks did go 2-3 yesterday and is now batting .289.

[John Brew]

I'd like Doug Melvin's stats guys to get cracking on a new analysis: "Kendall compares favorably to history's best #8 hitters". Show this one to Macha instead of Witrado.

[Weirdos19]

We could just have a manger that thinks out loud once in a while.

 

Always seemed like, with Yost and Melvin together, that all information was on the down low and we were dealing with the CIA. Never got a straight answer, then Ned would chew somebody's head off for questioning him.

 

I kinda like hearing a little "out loud thinking".

[patrickgpe]

there is a firekenmacha website already that is a profanity laced blog from his oakland days.

[Gobias Industries]

I have no problem if Macha feels the need to bat Kendall leadoff against certain pitchers that are a bad matchup for Weeks. I wouldn't be too surprised to see him leading off opening day against Lincecum. But against most, Weeks is definitely a better option.

[logan82]

Pulling guys in and out of the lineup because of performance isn't generally a good idea. Players are streaky and looking at the bigger picture is the way to go. All of our players have enough MLB experience that we have a good idea what to expect. Unless somebody is not giving good effort, they shouldn't be pulled out of the lineup for more than a normal rest day.

 

Maybe he's trying to light a fire under Weeks, and he thinks the best way is to threaten his position on the team. It starts by publicly toying with the idea of someone else hitting leadoff. Maybe that will result in Weeks playing better at lead off.

 

I really doubt Weeks would mind moving out of the leadoff spot. I would also prefer Villanueva to be used in a more flexible role than "8th inning guy." Villy can go multiple innings. Why use him one inning at a time?

[endaround]

There isn't a matchup that exists that makes Kerndall the best option to lead off. Assuming Kendall is facing those "tough" righties, Kendall vs RHP in 2008:

 

.245/.324/.316

 

Kendall vs RHP in 2007:

.259/.315/.326

 

 

Add into that a lack of speed and it makes no sense.

[rluzinski]

Unless Weeks was signed to a lucrative multiyear deal when I wasn't paying attention, I think he plenty of motivation to to try superhard all the time.

[Mike]

This is the Bay Area voice of reason again. If you have seen my earlier posts you will understand I have been a long time A's fan. The problem is I have always had a soft spot for the Crew starting in 1982, recently escalated in the past several years. I have divorced Oakland for a variety of reasons; Billy Beane, bad stadium, marginal support and the death of Bill King though I love their history ( 4 world titles). In any event I want to discuss the Ken Macha issue as it pertains to Jason Kendall and batting 1st.

 

Billy Beane has always believed that the manager has had little or no impact on the success of a team. Since Beane is an egomaniac he therefore found Macha expendable despite 90+ wins in 2006. The truth is it was a personality problem between the two that got Ken fired. Now, having said that the A's have done worse since Macha's firing.

 

However, Macha is quirky, there is no question of that fact. He is 58 years old and I am 54. The truth is you start to lose certain mental capabilities at that age. I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but I can remember Jason's fire, competiveness and .300 average as my leadoff hitter in Oakland.

 

My point? Kendall is no more than a .250 hitter at 34 or 35 years old and does not belong at the leadoff spot in 2009. Ken Macha's memory is probably shot like mine and he may still think Jason is a .300 hitter, but hopefully he is just hopeful and come opening day move Kendall to the 8 hole.

 

Mike

[greeg35]

In that case maybe we should give Macha Kendall's baseball card to keep in his back pocket so whenever he forgets he can remember his stats from last year.

[BrewCrewForever]

I'm just looking forward to next season when Lorenzo Cain should be ready to start everyday in CF and he bats leadoff. Then we don't have to have all these debates about who should leadoff. Cain would be a clear cut choice in 2010.

[endaround]

I doubt that. Cain will likely bat 7th or 8th for a year.

[dvoiss]

Has Macha completely lost his mind? This thread makes me long for the days of Ned Yost.

[3Putt]

All this tells us is that we don't have a prototypical lead off man. Guys that work the count, bunt and have more BB's than K's just haven't been the type of guys we've been running through our organization.

[TooLiveBrew]

Bunting imo just should never factor into who leads off, and I don't think you could make a very long list of successful MLB hitters that BB more than K. Bunting is a skill to allow poor hitters (like pitchers) to positively contribute to the offense. If you have a guy that has to bunt quite a bit to not hurt the offense, he should be batting as low in the order as possible.

 

I think Ennder's point that it isn't like this is some philosophical approach by Macha, but instead just some thinking out loud or whatever, shouldn't get lost here.

 

The chances of Ken Macha batting Jason Kendall leadoff under GM Doug Melvin & keeping his managerial job seem pretty slim. Kendall might get a few leadoff ABs here & there (please, not many, please!), but really anyone that knows a bit about baseball can see that Rickie is still the best choice to lead off. I'm of the opinion Weeks would 'fit' better batting lower in the lineup, but honestly there's just no one else to lead off right now.

[logan82]

Billy Beane has always believed that the manager has had little or no impact on the success of a team.

 

I don't know about Billy Beane, but I don't think changing managers makes much of an impact. You just change from one set of mistakes to another. Yost was pretty good at putting out a decent lineup(excepting the Counsell as half of a platoon stuff). He didn't make many glaring errors like Kendall batting leadoff and even gave the pitcher in the 8 hole a try.

 

Even if Kendall only bats leadoff for 40 games, that's 28 plate appearances that should have gone to other players over the course of a full season.(assuming 16 PA per spot in the order).

 

I hope Macha was just thinking out loud and not seriously considering Kendall for leadoff.

[TheCrew07]

Macha could decide this weekend to transplant Villy's brain into McClung's body, and the world wouldn't come to an end. Why do people use that phrase?

I wouldn't have used it people wouldn't go off the deep end regarding a couple of comments without any context to place them in and ignoring what the man was quoted as saying afterwards. In Villy's case he basically said he wasn't happy with the results thus far and was going to sit down with the player and his position coach to come up a strategy, then he prompty did just that. Where's the problem? Additionally posters start questioning the man's intelligence utilizing statistics that look flawed even at a passing glance to anyone who listened to or watched the games... that was a rational and reasonable stance considering the limited information we had on the subject? I shouldn't be surprised I guess after how much time I've spent on this site, but the criticism in this case was so obviously flawed, basically it boils down to people quibbling over a single statement in which Macha didn't recall a single 2 inning performance... that's the only innaccurate statement he's made all spring... again he hasn't even managed a game for real yet and stones are being cast. What makes anyone on this site that much smarter, more qualified, or better at managing a professional baseball game? The vast majority of us didn't play sports beyond high school unless there's a statistical anomoly in play here... many of us have never even coached at the high school level where wins and losses truly start to matter... I find it very interesting how people with very limited personal experience are so sure their opinions are accurate assessments of the situation given how far from the game most of us are.

 

Why are you getting so defensive? -- Anything Macha says is fair game for criticism. This community has a very diverse opinion of how a MLB team should be ran. No one suggested he should get fired, you seem to be the only person that is really upset by this discussion -- otherwise it's just a bunch of Brewer fans stating their opinion on how Macha should handle things.

What's defensive about pointing out glaring weaknesses in someone's arguments about another man's mental capacity? Upset? Seriously? I'm the only one continuinually pointing that people are making brazen posts using flawed statistics so I'm upset? I have no allegiance to Macha, my record as far as Yost is concerned is out there, I liked him but I absolutely despised his bullpen management. I also believe that Maddux had quite of a bit of input on those pitching moves, I've been always been curious why people around here saw it as merely a Yost issue. Your record in regards to Yost is pretty clear, and you're misuse of statistics was a major factor in many people's opinions regarding both issues that Macha is being questioned on. The way I see it I'm not the one who should be defensive...

 

The older I get the more interested I get in the truth, or the facts. When I see someone misrepresented it doesn't matter matter if it's someone I regularly butt heads with on this site, a player, a manager, or a friend I'm going to take a stand for the truth. That's all of I've done in this thread... I feel bad about the way I worded my post toward's logan, I didn't intend to single him out, especially since he wasn't the one who initially brought up the "counting issue". So logan, I do apologize and I hope my subequent post made my intentions more clear.

[Fatter than Joey]

I wouldn't have used it people wouldn't go off the deep end

 

No one went off the deep end.

 

Where's the problem?

 

Some posters didn't like the way Villy was handled by Macha.

 

basically it boils down to people quibbling over a single statement in which Macha didn't recall a single 2 inning performance...

 

Macha was incorrect. When you are calling someone out in the press you probably should have all of your ducks in a row.

 

What makes anyone on this site that much smarter, more qualified, or better at managing a professional baseball game?

 

Superior breeding.

 

Seriously? I'm the only one continuinually pointing that people are making brazen posts using flawed statistics so I'm upset?

 

You seem upset to me.

 

and you're misuse of statistics was a major factor in many people's opinions regarding both issues that Macha is being questioned on.

 

I felt that Macha was overstating his case. I looked at the stats and found errors in what he was saying. The pitch counts did seem odd to me, which is why I said "What am I missing?" in my post. A lot of people expressed opinions before I popped into this thread. I was simply adding to the discussion.

 

The older I get the more interested I get in the truth, or the facts. When I see someone misrepresented it doesn't matter matter if it's someone I regularly butt heads with on this site, a player, a manager, or a friend I'm going to take a stand for the truth.

 

At the end of the day, no matter how thin you slice it, Macha was misrepresenting Villy's performance... Villy has not pitched as bad as Macha made it out to seem. I made the efforts to look up Villy's stats because what Macha said didn't seem right to me -- like you I was seeking out the truth.

 

The way I see it I'm not the one who should be defensive...

 

I should have phrased it "Why are you so defensive of Macha?" -- you don't need to be defensive of what you think or say, but Macha is going to never ever make everyone happy on this site -- it's part of his gig -- I don't understand posters continually admonishing other posters when the post about how they disagree with the manager.

[3Putt]

Considering we've been conditioned to Yost's style of treating players like they are made of glass, a new manager who holds players accountable is going to seem over the top. Yost had the excuse that the team was young and their confidence couldn't recover from a sit down or a lecture. The team isn't quite so young any more and Macca doesn't appear to believe in giving guys a pass and hoping they will come around. He'll pay for that with some fans but for others it will be a breath of fresh air. Different strokes for different folks.

[logan82]

Considering we've been conditioned to Yost's style of treating players like they are made of glass, a new manager who holds players accountable is going to seem over the top. Yost had the excuse that the team was young and their confidence couldn't recover from a sit down or a lecture.

 

We have no idea if Yost held players accountable or not. He didn't pull them out of the lineup for poor performance and that is the way to go. The only thing players should be pulled out of the lineup for is lack of effort. Player performance over a few at bats is not predictive.

[TheCrew07]

Some posters didn't like the way Villy was handled by Macha.

 

Macha was incorrect. When you are calling someone out in the press you probably should have all of your ducks in a row.

I realize we're delving into the subjective here... but many people that posted that they had a problem with the way Macha was handling Villy was actually in my opinion more a reflection of Witrado's interpretation of what Macha said, and not actually what Macha was quoted as saying.

 

Again Macha was wrong about a single multi appearance, nothing else... I guess a poor outing is pretty subjective as well but generally speaking I'm not a fan of 20 pitch innings either. It doesn't bother me as much with RP as SP, but when Villy gets himself into trouble he nibbles, and from the broadcasts of the game, that's the impression I've gotten. I haven't been fortunate enough to see him pitch yet this season, and generally I'd like to see what's happening for myself without relying on someone else's impressions of what is taking place. However, Villy pretty much agreed with exactly what Macha said and Macha actually did exactly what he said he would do which is why Villy is starting his next time up. The fault here lies more with how the comments were reported than what was actually said and done about the issue.

 

As far as Kendall goes, he does give the team a pretty good AB, he's just not very good anymore, so the offensive results aren't there. I'd be curious what the motivation here is... if it's to move Weeks farther down in the order to see how he performs I don't think it's a terrible idea given the roster limitations, Hart might actually make more sense than Kendall, but we're talking less than 20 runs difference over the course of 160 games either way. I find it hard to get worked up over such a minor issue when I personally would like to see if Weeks would be more aggressive at the plate batting someplace else in the order. I agree that the position in the order shouldn't matter, but it matters to the players, so it does make a difference. If they believe they'll struggle or thrive in a particular position, they will... it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, so it matters. I wonder if Green would have been the player traded for Sabathia if Melvin would have declined Cam's option so the team could have moved up Brantley, which would have freed up more money and provided an alternative to Weeks in the leadoff role. Too bad we'll never know.

 

As an aside... both Brantley and LaPorta have hit well this spring.