Impressions of Roenicke 2012

[adambr2]

Okay, evaluating a little more after a year, here are the things I like:

 

I do like the fact that his players respect him and seem to be willing to play hard for him. I think I might like the shifts, although I'm not sure yet, but I at least like the fact that he's thinking. I like the fact that he doesn't let his backup catcher rot on the bench every day if he needs a pinch hitter because he's afraid of what will happen if he gets hurt. I like how his bullpen management improved in the second half, although I think that's greatly attributable to the bullpen being "dummy-proofed" with the K-Rod acquisition.

 

Here's the things I hate:

 

- The fact that because he was given a very talented team that won close games last year and ended up with 96 wins, he basically has immunity for the next several years because that's just the way it goes.

 

- Kameron Loe overuse/misuse.

 

- Ron, if my boss calls me at 3 pm on Saturday and asks me to come in and work til 5, did I really get the day off? No, and neither did Lucroy. Give him one. Kottaras is not atrocious. You can let him finish his games.

 

- I realize this isn't all your call, but please remember that old does not always = good.

 

- Not saying smallball doesn't have its place once in awhile, but when all of us watching at home know that the squeeze is coming, or that Nyjer is about to bunt, the other team probably does too.

 

- Speaking of Nyjer, why can't he lead off?

[Baldkin]

You forgot, Mark Kotsay, CF.

 

I am very worried that he's going to play Morgan or Aoki in CF with Gomez in RF this year.

[Oldcity]

Why would he do that? Any time he had both of them in last year, Morgan slid over to right.

[Baldkin]

He's done it a bunch in spring training so far.

[afeter]

the starting pitchers can hit. i wish he would let them swing more.

[PrinceEatMeat]

To be clear, Roenicke has said that Morgan is only playing CF, because he'll play there a lot this year. He said if him and Gomez are in the same lineup during the regular season, Gomez will be in CF and Morgan will be in RF. He's just making sure Morgan gets playing time in CF during ST.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Okay, evaluating a little more after a year, here are the things I like:

 

I do like the fact that his players respect him and seem to be willing to play hard for him. I think I might like the shifts, although I'm not sure yet, but I at least like the fact that he's thinking. I like the fact that he doesn't let his backup catcher rot on the bench every day if he needs a pinch hitter because he's afraid of what will happen if he gets hurt. I like how his bullpen management improved in the second half, although I think that's greatly attributable to the bullpen being "dummy-proofed" with the K-Rod acquisition.

 

Here's the things I hate:

 

- The fact that because he was given a very talented team that won close games last year and ended up with 96 wins, he basically has immunity for the next several years because that's just the way it goes.

 

He deserves at least a few years to begin with. He did nothing last year that should put him on the hot seat anyway. Sure he made mistakes, but managers always do. I think he fits in with this team very well, although I have my criticisms as well.

 

- Kameron Loe overuse/misuse.

 

This was only before K-Rod was acquired. I expect this problem to be non-existent this year.

 

- Ron, if my boss calls me at 3 pm on Saturday and asks me to come in and work til 5, did I really get the day off? No, and neither did Lucroy. Give him one. Kottaras is not atrocious. You can let him finish his games.

 

Kottaras is pretty bad defensively compared to Lucroy, and has had problem blocking balls in the dirt. Which K-Rod and Ax throw a lot of. Lucroy should for sure be in games at the end that those guys pitch in.

 

- I realize this isn't all your call, but please remember that old does not always = good.

 

I agree with this. He seems to think that veterans are always the best option, but to be fair he didn't have a lot of options last year. He did overuse his vets though. Especially Kotsay. I'm really glad he's not on the roster anymore.

 

- Not saying smallball doesn't have its place once in awhile, but when all of us watching at home know that the squeeze is coming, or that Nyjer is about to bunt, the other team probably does too.

 

I'm also in agreement here. I absolutely hate when Roenicke makes Morgan bunt in the first inning when the leadoff man gets on. Just seems like a waste to me in the first inning. I don't have a problem with it in certain situations, but hate it early in games.

 

- Speaking of Nyjer, why can't he lead off?

 

This goes along with your last point. Roenicke insists on using the 2 hitter to move over the leadoff hitter. He doesn't want Weeks to be wasted, so instead he does it to Nyjer. It would make more sense to have Nyjer leadoff in my opinion, so Weeks gets more RBI opportunities and hits in front of Braun. This is one thing I really hate about Roenicke.

[Oxy]

To be clear, Roenicke has said that Morgan is only playing CF, because he'll play there a lot this year. He said if him and Gomez are in the same lineup during the regular season, Gomez will be in CF and Morgan will be in RF. He's just making sure Morgan gets playing time in CF during ST.

 

So, being that Roenicke already is willing to think outside the box with his defensive shifts, why can't Gomez move over to right field whenever a lefty (especially a pull hitter) is up, moving Morgan (or perhaps even Hart) over to center in those situations? Heck, I'd move him over to left and put Braun in center/right whenever a righty pull hitter is up. Why not?

[PrinceEatMeat]

That would be really cool if he did that. I've never seen that happen before.

[homer]

I seem to recall the small ball stuff got better as last year went along....as in, not used as much.

[RWeeksFan23]

Roenicke was a complete idiot last season, if he's half as dumb as he was last season, there's no way we make the playoffs.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Roenicke was a complete idiot last season, if he's half as dumb as he was last season, there's no way we make the playoffs.

 

So if he's less dumb this season then you say he was last season, and we won 96 games and made the playoffs, why would we not make the playoffs again. Being less dumb would be an improvement, and only help us. Not that I think he was a complete idiot last season like you said, because I don't.

[3and2Fastball]

I like Roenicke, a lot, and it is hard to argue with success. I think that overall he is a good to very good manager who seems to know how to properly motivate and manage a baseball team. A lot of managing a baseball team is knowing how to deal with the various personalities and from the outside looking in, Roenicke seems to excel at that....

 

That said, Kotsay starting in CF in a playoff game pretty much guarantees that I will never think of Roenicke as a "baseball genius". That is OK, we don't need our manager to be a baseball genius to be successful

[TURBO]

I HATE the fact that he stuck with McGehee last year as long as he did. I hated it then, and thinking about it now still bugs the crap out of me. His stubborness lost us a few games between his constant bungling of Loe the first half, and the constant playing of Casey all season long. Those are the 2 things that irritate me even now.

 

Personally, I don't think it took a great manager to get us to the playoffs last year, just about anyone could have done what RR did. A lot of guys could have won close to 100 games with that team, but not RR. In my opinion, we won in spite of Roenicke, not because of him.

 

This year may be a different story though. If he makes all the same mistakes he made last season, we are in trouble. If he learns from his irrational stubborness from last year, we could possibly make the playoffs for a 2nd straight season.

 

I just have no faith in the guy.

[jerichoholicninja]

McGehee, Kotsay, putting Lucroy in after Wolf comes out, Loe until K-Rod arrived, squeezing every other game...

 

I'll give him credit for realizing Nyjer was better than Gomez early on, but there's not much that I like about Ron.

[topper09er]

Starting Kotsay in CF and Marcum in game 6 of the NLCS should have gotten him fired.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Starting Kotsay in CF and Marcum in game 6 of the NLCS should have gotten him fired.

 

and the fact that he played a big role is the decision making that contributed to the Brewers winning 96 games, winning the division, and getting all the way to the NL championship series should have gotten him extended.

[jerichoholicninja]

Starting Kotsay in CF and Marcum in game 6 of the NLCS should have gotten him fired.

 

and the fact that he played a big role is the decision making that contributed to the Brewers winning 96 games, winning the division, and getting all the way to the NL championship series should have gotten him extended.

 

I doubt Ron played a big role in trading for Greinke and Marcum.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Starting Kotsay in CF and Marcum in game 6 of the NLCS should have gotten him fired.

 

and the fact that he played a big role is the decision making that contributed to the Brewers winning 96 games, winning the division, and getting all the way to the NL championship series should have gotten him extended.

 

I doubt Ron played a big role in trading for Greinke and Marcum.

 

He played a big role in the in-game decision making that contributed and in cases led to those wins that I mentioned above. Because of those accomplishments he should be looking at an extension.

[TooLiveBrew]

In-game decision making is Roenicke's biggest weakness. Clubhouse/personality management seems to be his strongest.

[logan82]

Put me in the camp that thinks we won in spite of the manager last year. Hopefully he learned we are not a small ball team. He was saved from himself by Saito, Hawkins and K-Rod all coming back to the team in the middle of the year only to end our season prematurely by starting Kotsay in CF. I firmly believe we make the World Series if Morgan or Gomez start instead of Kotsay.

 

Put Morgan in the bottom of the order where his small ball belongs and tell him not to bunt as often.

[PrinceFielderx1]

In-game decision making is Roenicke's biggest weakness.

 

96 wins proves that wrong. A team doesn't get to "96" wins with poor decision making. I will admit that Roenicke is new to managing a ball club, because he is, but despite that he did an average to above average job last season and 96 wins backs that up. There is more evidence at this point to extend him rather than fire him.

 

I agree with you on the second statement of yours.

[Baldkin]

In-game decision making is Roenicke's biggest weakness.

 

96 wins proves that wrong. A team doesn't get to "96" wins with poor decision making. I will admit that Roenicke is new to managing a ball club, because he is, but despite that he did an average to above average job last season and 96 wins backs that up. There is more evidence at this point to extend him rather than fire him.

 

I agree with you on the second statement of yours.

 

Overwhelming talent can overcome a lot of bad decision making. No matter how many good decisions the Astro's manager made last year, they wouldn't have won 96 games.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Put me in the camp that thinks we won in spite of the manager last year. Hopefully he learned we are not a small ball team. He was saved from himself by Saito, Hawkins and K-Rod all coming back to the team in the middle of the year only to end our season prematurely by starting Kotsay in CF. I firmly believe we make the World Series if Morgan or Gomez start instead of Kotsay.

 

Put Morgan in the bottom of the order where his small ball belongs and tell him not to bunt as often.

 

I'm in the camp that says the Manager is less relevant than the players, because in the end it comes down to the players having to perform.

[TooLiveBrew]

96 wins proves that wrong.

No, it doesn't. Like you just said, it's about the players.