Leo Mazzone Available

[chuckiehacks]

Wow. Only two years removed from being a genius in Atlanta. I like Maddux, but I'm sure Leo & Ned have a relationship...

[TooLiveBrew]

Very intriguing. I'd find it hard to believe that Maddux is going anywhere, though.

[Thurston Fluff]

yikes. Amazing fast coaches go from penthouse to doghouse. Maybe it's just how little they really matter compared to the talent they have to work with.

[naivin]

Maybe it's just how little they really matter compared to the talent they have to work with.

 

Have you forgotten where you are? In case you haven't read any of the Ned Yost posts, such a ridiculous theory has no place on BF.net.

[patrickgpe]

id like him just for the experience that he brings. Ned still doesn't handle a pitching staff that well, and experienced ear would help. I agree though its not happening.

[endaround]

He was fired by a guy who didn't hire him. Not really anything to do with him per se.

[joepepsi]

He needed to go. A lot of his success in Atlanta was due to the unprecedented health and greatness of Glavine and Maddux. How many teams have 3 HOF caliber pitchers for a decade these days?

 

Mazzone doesn't believe in pitch counts. He doesn't believe in limiting innings of young pitchers. He doesn't adapt his regime to the individual. It's his way or he admonishes you in the press. The last two seasons the Orioles lost 60% of their opening day rotation to injuries. Orioles were 13th in ERA each of the last two years. The bullpen each year had the worst ERA in the majors, as I recall. You wouldn't believe the number of pitchers that have come up injured in the last two seasons. Maybe that's not all his fault. But at some point, the coach has to be accountable for the failure of his players. He needed to go.

[jazzytrav]

Mazzone doesn't believe in pitch counts. He doesn't believe in limiting innings of young pitchers.

Does this really have anything to do with him though? The manager is usually the one who brings the hook and makes decisions regarding inning limits and pitch counts. If that's not the case, then we've been giving Yost a lot of grief that should have been directed towards Maddux. Perhaps Mazzone argued the point too much, but in the end I don't believe that's really his call.

[dadofandrew]

He's lost much of his genius label once he stopped working with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz.

 

Coincidence, I'm sure.

[JumpinMacFlash]

I don't see the point in making a change just to make a change. Like has been mentioned before, he didn't do much with marginal talent in Baltimore. With the Brewers not having the likes of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, I'm content sticking for Maddux...at least for one more year.

[Fatter than Joey]

He's lost much of his genius label once he stopped working with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz.

 

This isn't fair... For a couple of reasons...

 

1.) When Malone hit the Braves scene (1990) Glavine and Smoltz were pitching in ATL and Maddux was a Cub. Smoltz was pitching pretty well -- Glavine however was not fairing as well. In 1991, however Glavine after working one year with Mazzone, Galvine makes a remarkable improvement -- and the Braves go to the WS, with Glavine winning a Cy Young. If you read newspapers from that year -- you will see that Mazzone brought some new philosophies to the team, using their fastballs to set up their breaking pitches, and pitching more on their offdays.

 

2.) We move to 1993 -- Maddux's first year with the Braves -- Maddux had just won a CY Young for the Cubs, -- however Maddux was able to "improve" and win 3 more Cy Youngs, with some absolutely insane years.

 

3.) We move to 2000 -- The first year "the big 3" are not all in the rotation. Smoltz is out for the year. The Braves do not miss a beat. In 2003 Glavine is out of the rotation, as he leaves the team, in 2004 none of the big 3 are in the rotation, as Maddux leaves and in 2005 Smoltz returns to the rotation for Mazzone's last year. Of course we all know the Braves continued to post 90 win seasons (and 2 100 win seasons) w/o "the big 3" in the rotation.

 

Mazzone had success before the big 3 arrived and after they left -- to indicate otherwise is false. I don't think that there is a question that Mazzone helped devlop Glavine/Smoltz into HOF pitchers, and while Maddux was successful before Mazzone -- I think Mazzone made him a better pitcher as well -- you would be hard-pressed to indicate otherwise.

 

Anyone who has followed the game for the last 20 years will know that Mazzone got the "genius" label -- not for the work he did with the big 3, rather the work he did with the marginal pitchers that were on the back end of the Braves rotation. Mazzone got most of his accolades for his work with guys like Ortiz, Burkett, Neagle, Jaret Wright, Jorge Sosa, Pete Smith, John Thompson, and the list goes on.

 

Is Mazzone's abilities overstated? -- Probably -- Has he been one of the best pitching coaches in the last 30 years? -- Without a doubt -- Should his legacy be tarnished, or is he being exposed in Baltimore? -- I don't think so -- Baltimore is a train-wreck of a franchise -- I don't think any coach is going to improve his resume after being employed in Baltimore.

[recte44]

Bench coach?

[tomwopat]

The number of mediocre pitchers that turned back into pumpkins after leaving ATL says volumes for Mazzone's impact, IMHO.