In an interesting bit of “what if” history, Scott Miller of Bleacher Report runs down the story of how new Angels manager Joe Maddon almost become the club’s skipper at the tail end of the ’90s (link). Apparently, former Angels GM Bill Bavasi identified Maddon back in 1996 as a potential future manager and hatched a plot to install the pitching mind as something of an heir apparent–assuming, of course, that Bavasi could secure the managerial services of Sparky Anderson to serve as Maddon’s mentor. The plan went awry, however, when Bavasi, then-team president Tony Tavares, and Anderson met for a fateful lunch. Apparently, Tavares was offput when Anderson, then 62, struggled to raise a soup spoon to his mouth with a steady hand, and the prez nixed the Anderson-Maddon succession plan immediately after the lunch date. The club later went with Terry Collins as manager (with Maddon serving as bench coach), with the club later going outside the org to hire Mike Scioscia after the ouster of Collins.
If Maddon is harboring any resentment over the way things worked out, he’s doing a good job of hiding it. “I couldn’t be more grateful, sincerely, for how things have worked out for me in my baseball career,” Maddon says in Miller’s article. “I’ve always been a big believer in not having anything happen to you before it’s time. In other words, I had to earn this opportunity, and I felt like I did by 2006.”
More news from around the diamond…
- Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki was selected today in NPB’s amateur draft by the Chiba Lotte Marines, according to the Japan Times (link). Sasaki, 18, was clocked at 101 mph during his time in high school, and many major league scouts were said to have an interest in luring the pitcher to the States. Had the youngster decided to forego the NPB draft, he could have signed with an MLB club in June; instead, he will report to the Marines under the guidance of Chibba Lotte captain and former MLB infielder Tadahito Iguchi. Iguchi, for one, is eager to have the firearmer in the fold. “He’s an extraordinary pitcher,” Iguchi said. “It’s scary to think how far he might go. He was the best player available and now it’s incumbent on us to nurture his potential.” Unlike the MLB Draft, every team in the NPB has an equal chance of landing the first overall pick; teams provide their first choice in secret to the league, and the player’s negotiating rights are decided by the drawing of lots. Some Japanese teams, including the Yomiuri Giants and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, have refused in recent years to allow for the posting of players before they become nine-year veteran free agents. The Chiba Lotte org, meanwhile, has taken no such public stance, so it is not impossible to imagine Sasaki being posted for MLB clubs in the coming years.
- Conversations surrounding the Red Sox bullpen continued for much of the 2019 season, as the club’s decision to forego the Craig Kimbrel market caused many fans to wonder about front office priorities. It’s rather kind then, for Jen McCaffery of The Athletic to offer some free bullpen scouting in her latest piece, in which she looks at a few outside acquisitions who might be a fit in a Boston uniform. Trade options (Brandon Kintzler) and impending free agents (Steve Cishek, Will Harris) are both bandied, with McCaffery wondering aloud if Boston’s new leadership might be inclined to keep Brandon Workman in the ninth inning role he handled for much of 2019. The Sox recorded a collective 4.40 relief ERA last season, 18th among major league teams.
No offense to Mccaffrey, but the closer situation in Boston isn’t nearly as high on the priority list as it was 6 months ago. Workman is capable and at a projected arb number of $3.4M is a better candidate than any of these recycled, scrap heap free agents, most of whom were available for a few million bucks last spring, when the closer role was a primary need. Bringing in one of these guys would show just how out of touch the organization truly is
Workman is a ticking time bomb. He doesn’t have closet makeup. He’s a middle relief guy who was out there because of lack of other options.
They need an overhaul in the Bullpen and HAVE needed one for the past 3 years.
Doesn’t matter much unless the starters return to form. I would not invest in older retreads unless it was a minor league spring training invite. 2020 reminds me of 2013. Small moves and you hope to hit lightning in a bottle.
The Red Sox relievers were 5th in MLB with 5.5 fWAR. They don’t need an overhaul. But adding 1 or 2 experienced and good relievers would be a good idea.
The bullpen was overtaxed but given the individual parts, most will regress next year. Key though are the starters.
Here we go again!
Isn’t Kintzler a FA?
spotrac.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/brandon-kintzler-7367…
Yes.
Ryan Brasier all over again.
Nah, Workman showed promise before some injuries slowed him down before. He’s not just a late blooming flash in the pan. Another injury would scare me more than a Brasier type implosion when it comes to Workman. Will he be an elite closer? Probably not, but passable… I think the metrics support him.
Workman has earned the right to start 2020 as the closer but I’m not betting big $$ that he finishes as the closer
Who do you guys think wins the democratic nomination?
It’s Rob Manfred’s to lose. What America has is a pace of play issue.
Sparky Anderson aged so prematurely. Does anyone know why?
Because he had to put up with mlbtraderumors fans constant badgering.
Good one!
He was a smoker and he had to carry the name of Sparky around.
Workman’s tough to hit but he walks a few too many. He’s been effective since he became healthy and is valuable in the bullpen. I can see him as a closer after last year’s success.
They need the fake ball to go away and their pitching will improve. They also need some more home grown relievers on the team to be effective. The potential is there.
Workman closing is a better idea than offering JBJ a contract (an actual contract, arbitration, or otherwise)
Workman is not a closer but let’s also be fair about Kimbrel. During the last couple of months of 2018 he was making games far too exciting in late innings which is pretty much the opposite of a closer’s job. When you add in his abbreviated numbers from this season I’d say not giving Kimbrel a contract was one of the few right things the Red Sox did last year.
Workman’s not a closer….? But Fernando Rodney is? Or Greg Holland? Or Sergio Romo? Please.
Workman has got lots of potential as a pitcher but a guy with a 12 to 6 curve ball isn’t the guy you want in late in the game, even if you have Y Molina catching. Too many bouncing balls that can get away from the catcher in a tie game or with a 1,2 or 3 run lead. Workman’s repertoire of pitches is wrong for closing. Even as a set-up man, he’s got two big concerns; 1 – he walks too many guys 2- he bounces too many pitches. As a starter, he could bounce pitches when he needs a strike out and the impact will be far less early in a game.
Workman could learn to not bounce the ball but then he’s likely to hang the curve ball. Late in a game, that could be a big problem too. Workman needs to develop a wicked change-up with movement and only use the 12 to 6 curve ball when nobody is on base. If he could do that, his value would skyrocket.
Barnes has the same ‘bouncing the ball too much’ issue. I have the same advice for him. He needs to work on a wicked change-up as his out pitch with runners on base.
We need a closer with experience and good control. We can probably live with our four set-up men being Hernandez, Taylor, Barnes and Workman (two lefties and two righties) but I think we will be sweating out during the 7th and 8th innings when Barnes are Workman are in if runners get on base.
Hernandez has such an electric arm that he seems to me to be the most likely to develop into a closer but it’s not going to happen over-night. He needs time as a set-up man to get him ready if he is to be our eventual closer.
Barnes or any relief pitcher using a change up with runners on base is a good way to let them run wild. I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t ever throw one but if runners know it’s your out pitch, they’re going to steal on you a lot.
Please stop on the Kimberly nonsense. If he was such a nugget someone would have grabbed him. The starters were the real issue of the 2019 Sox. They caused the pen to be overworked and brought them down quickly.
I agree. If Sale, Price , E Rod & Euvoldi give them 700 quality innings the bull pen will be fine . If not, no amount of bullpen help will be enough.
Last year none of the top 10 FA RPs would have helped.
I am not saying the pen was great or even very good, but if everyone is average with ERod breaking out, they would have been good enough.
I think he’ll get the opportunity to close, Hopefully the budget will allow for some insurance in the form of an ace set up man
Workman is a great reliever. He’s not a great closer, however (blown save rate = 27%. Sox need to keep him AND get a closer.
The Red Sox could pick up all 3 relievers Kintzler, Harris and Cisek for under $20M annually “combined”.
Basically they get all 3 pitchers for what they paid Porcello last year or less.
Makes sense that teams beef up their pens as that seems to be the way to go to make the playoffs.
And Boston’s going to need a great pen with Sale, Price and Eovaldi all questionable in 2020.