Bruce Bochy, coming off a World Series victory, tops Nick Cafardo's list of baseball's best managers in the Boston Globe. Cafardo, who ranks baseball's skippers 1 through 30, praises Bochy's "flawless postseason," explaining that he "had a pretty dynamite pitching staff in San Francisco but basically took a team of vagabonds to the highest peak." Here are some other items of interest from Cafardo's piece:
- Bengie Molina has gone back and forth on whether he wants to play this year. A team like the Red Sox wouldn't mind adding him for insurance, but Molina would be looking for a job that offers fairly consistent playing time.
- Alfredo Aceves, who recently signed with the Red Sox, "wasn't pleased" that the Yankees didn't show a stronger interest in re-signing him. Brian Cashman said the Yanks only offered Aceves a minor league deal due to injury concerns.
- Joe Nathan's recovery from Tommy John surgery is on track and he expects to be ready for the start of the season. Twins management is confident in Nathan's health as well, which is why the team didn't make significant additions to a bullpen that lost Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, and Jon Rauch.
- Although Cafardo thinks Mike Cameron will see plenty of playing time in Boston this year, he cautions that the outfielder could become trade bait before the end of Spring Training. One National League scout's thoughts: "Cameron is a guy who fits well on a team because he’s versatile, plays excellent defense, and can hit left-handed pitching. A team like the Phillies would have to be interested, but he’s a guy who could help a lot of teams."
I’d like to see Cameron stay as a backup right hander. The Sox are extremely left-hand heavy, particularly in the outfield. (Jacoby, J.D., Carl, Kalish)
Back in the 70’s was other way around with R/H mashers Boston always went for and always seemed to have. Will be sort of strange this upcoming season to see it tilted so far to the L/H side in 2011.
Thats what you get Yankees!!! Players you dont want back like Aceves just go and join the Red Sox!!!
I’m a Red Sox fan, and even I know that’s a lame comment.
Like it’s never happened the other way around right?
or the highest bidder
Nathan better be ready to contribute to my fantasy team.
If healthy, Cameron will likely wind up playing a lot, between right field, where J.D. Drew will get time off against lefties, and occasionally in center, when Jacoby Ellsbury will sit against particularly tough lefties. But don’t discount Cameron becoming trade bait between now and the end of spring training. “Cameron is a guy who fits well on a team,’’ said a National League scout
“as i just reported last week, j.d. drew is not 100%. so i think what will happen next is that they’ll trade 4th OF mike cameron. my source for this is that a scout said he is a good player”
“also, since i’m not an ignorant tool, i realize that ellsbury has positive splits against lefties, so when there’s a “particularly tough” lefty starting against us, cameron will play for drew and not jacoby”
god i hate nick cafardo so much
Did Cafardo not sign a ball for you when you were a kid?
Thanks, Nick Cafardo, for once again proving that you know nothing about baseball.
I think the Phillies will get him so they don’t need to put Roy Oswalt in the outfield in an emergency.
By the way, cool name dude.
Why would the Phillies want Cameron? Not only that but what would they offer for him? They traded almost their whole farm for pitchers and last I heard were trying to rebuild it, If Cameron was on the block the last team I would think of is the Phillies. The Pirates could use his veteran presence or the Nationals, I could see him going to maybe the Marlins but all of those are long shots.
i really have no idea how to assess managers beyond glaring mistakes, but almost nothing about that list seemed right to me
Wow, someone’s mad. Has his team won a world series? And the Rangers team had tons of talent. So all he had to do was make a lineup.
Maybe it was vs the NL West with no competition last year? Not dicing on the Rangers all that much, but come on.. It’s not like there was anyone in that division that even gave them even remotely a scare.. Barely better than the NL Central.. Just how much did he have to prove he could manage?
For my thoughts.. Fredi Gonzalez was the one who got shorted, always taking the Fish into competition with budget low balling payroll teams, yet staying near the top in the standings every season and he did not have ANY off the field issues either might I add..
And did so high as a kite on drugs, I mean c’mon usually drug addicts especially coke addicts break under pressure.
28-30 are three rookie managers, but Terry Collins, who hasn’t managed in over 10 years, isn’t grouped with them?
Which makes it all the more sad Girardi is #6 on the list since that’s pretty much all he does as well.
“So all he had to do was make a lineup.”
Pot, meet kettle.
That could be said about any manager then, including Terry Francona, who had a managerial W/L percentage of .440 before he came to Boston, or recently retired Joe Torre who had a managerial record of .470 before he came to NY.