What Makes Bruce Bochy and Joe Maddon Great? | FanGraphs Baseball

It's not real hard to figure out or quantify. They consistently make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. If in the pre-season you crunch all the numbers and figure they have a team that is expected to win 81 games, they will win you 85-90 games . In Maddon's case, if you expect 70-75 you get 80-85. The classic making a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Bochy generally ranks higher. Due to the three rings, he takes a higher level roster and that's mainly due to the payroll measurement. That should change going forward with Maddon now being employed by the Cubs. The early returns are good for Maddon. With the increased payroll comes increased expectations. He should do very well under the bright lights, but ultimately that is the last question needing answering for Maddon. Consistent out-performance at the higher levels, where wins are harder to come by, and out-performance when all the marbles are on the table. For that reason, Bochy should get a higher grade for now. Check back in another five or ten years.

Both guys have teams that consistently out-perform expectations regardless of how you measure that. Both seem to have a similar demaeanor and approach to handling players, so no difference or surprise there. Showalter would be next-up for now and deserves to be in the team picture among current managers.

from FanGraphs Baseball:
What Makes Bruce Bochy and Joe Maddon Great? | FanGraphs Baseball:

With the Cubs in San Francisco to face the team just behind them in the wild-card race, it makes sense to compare the two managers. After all, they both ended up within the top five in a recent ESPN.com survey, and their teams have both found success in recent years. Though they were born just a year apart, their styles are different enough that they seem to be a study in contrasts.

Who better to ask about what makes them great than their own players and coaches and beat writers? Well, maybe unbiased observers can be more critical than our sample, but the task at hand is to delineate the managers’ strengths.

So, what makes Bruce Bochy great? What makes Joe Maddon great?

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Giants starting rotation - a revolving door attached to a M.A.S.H. unit

Given that the Giants starting rotation -- save Bumgarner -- has become a revolving door of ineptitude, inefficiency, inconsistency and injury, it's amazing the Giants are still in contention. It's a revolving door attached to a MASH unit.

Where's Timmy? Or Tim for that matter? Heston is gassed and sent down to AAA to recharge his batteries I guess. Leake has hardly contributed and now Vogie is back to being bad Vogie. Peavy wavers back and forth like a weather-vane. And Matt Cain. What to do about Matt Cain?

I don't envy Bochy and the staff if the Giants continue to stay in contention and it appears likely the Dodgers are going to see to it that they do until the end of September at least. Failing that, I would have like to have seen what a Clayton Blackburn can do against major league hitters. I guess there is always spring training for that.

For now, there is a division pennant that nobody seems to want hanging out there. The walking wounded that the Giants are becoming might as well be the ones to snatch it.

from MLB Daily Dish:
Bruce Bochy has a difficult decision looming - MLB Daily Dish:

As of today, their rotation consists of Madison Bumgarner, Chris Heston, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong, and Matt Cain; however Mike Leake is set to come off the DL in the next few days, and he'll undoubtedly be slotted back in. Unfortunately that means that someone will be pushed to the bullpen, or demoted to the minor leagues to make room.

August	IP	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	ERA	FIP	SIERA	fWAR
Madison Bumgarner	25.1	12.4	0.36	0.00	0.71	0.46	1.48	1.7
Ryan Vogelsong	15.0	11.4	3.60	0.60	2.40	2.64	3.17	0.4
Jake Peavy	16.2	8.64	3.24	0.54	4.32	3.05	3.95	0.3
Chris Heston	19.2	5.03	5.95	1.37	4.58	6.11	6.01	-0.3
Matt Cain	19.2	5.49	3.66	2.29	7.32	7.02	5.08	-0.5

In Bochy's tenure as manager of the Giants, he's largely stuck with the hot hand when it comes to making decisions on playing time; and if that holds true, then it would seem likely that Heston or Cain is on the hot seat. Neither has performed well in August, and ultimately, the deciding factor could be how Heston pitches in his next start.

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Announcing your Giants All-Stars

Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Madison Bumgarner have been named to the National League All-Star Team View as web page    |   July 6, 2015 Four Giants named to the National League All-Star Team Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Madison Bumgarner will represent the Giants on the National League All-Star Team. Buster Posey earned his spot via popular vote, while the very-deserving Crawford and Panik, as well as the 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, were selected by Bruce Bochy, the National League All-Star Team manager.

Bochy may come under fire from the St. Louis area for taking Panik over Kolten Wong but really both deserve to be there and it seemed like one was going to be left behind since LeMehieu is having a great year as well. If it was Matheny, he would likely have picked Wong, so the answer is to win in October or expand the roster even further.

Cardinals flying high and first class under Matheny

If Bochy isn't the best manger in the NL , then this guy is IMO, and a class act to boot. Year after year, this team produces. They are resilient and resourceful. After the Dodgers, this is the team I most like to see the Giants beat, but for the right reasons -- because they are so darned good.

Apologies to Joe Maddon, who I still consider an AL manager until he gets either a full year under his belt in the NL or makes a playoff appearance, in which case he will be the Mayor of Chicago.

from mlb.com
http://m.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article/133350366/cardinals-among-fastest-to-50-wins-in-history

"Forgive me, but I really don't know how to respond to it because the message that we're giving inside [the clubhouse] is that it's way too early to be looking at records," Matheny said. "We can't deny [the significance] when you start looking at some things that teams have or have not done in this organization in the past, and you have to be able to respect the fact that not many have been able to get to 50 [this quickly]. So we're not completely oblivious to it, but we're also not spending a lot of time on it. I think it's kind of a distraction for what we have to do next."

Sent from my iPhone

Matt Duffy sends Giants on happy flight

The difference between a 7-3 home stand versus a 6-4 record, especially after the Gigantes started 4-1 would have been huge. For that reason, this was a clutch hit. But Matt Duffy has proven to be a clutch hitter and you wonder how long Bochy can continue to hold the door open for McGehee and keep this kid out of the lineup. I don't get it, but I don't make out the lineup.

For me, for now, Duffy would be in the lineup until he dips under .250 or McGehee hits over .250, which could be a while since .200 seems to be busting his balls at the moment.

FREE MATT DUFFY!!!

from ESPN.com
Giants get 2 in the 9th to edge Marlins 3-2:

"That's sweet when it makes for a really nice homestand," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "If we lose that one, it's so-so. Those guys in the ninth inning found a way. I thought it was huge win for us."

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Grounding Into Double Plays Records - Baseball Almanac

So maybe "Hits" McGehee becomes "GIDP" McGehee if he breaks Jim Rice's record of 36 set in 1984? There are some quality names on this list so I guess you have to be good enough to set this kind of a record.

But when you're hitting .190 and heading south or so and you have to sit a guy that is currently hitting .300 and heading north to get Matt Duffy in the lineup and keep McGehee in the lineup, my only question becomes:

"Why doesn't the .190 guy get a day off or dropped down in the lineup?"

"Sorry Boch, I couldn't hear you with all that bling coming off your three World Series rings. What did you say?"

"All right. I'll STFU and let you run the ship skip. But it sure seems like a dumb way to approach line-up construction, especially when the offense is struggling. But yeah, whatever."

It's ridiculous and it almost cost them a game last night. Then Panik has to ice the cake by "knocking" in the game-winning RBI with a fairly bad safety squeeze bunt.

Don't over-think it guys. The guy that sucks, sits. Period. That way they are incentivized to not suck so much.

In 159 games of 2014, McGehee grounded into an MLB-leading 31 double plays while batting .289 with 4 home runs and 76 RBI, winning the Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award for the National League.

Note: According to Grant at McCovey Chronicles, our boy is on pace to GIDP 94 times over 600 plate appearances!! Go for it, guys. 

from Baseball Almanac:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_gidp.shtml

"As far as I'm concerned, (Hank) Aaron is the best ball player of my era. He is to baseball of the last fifteen years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He's never received the credit he's due." - Mickey Mantle in Baseball Digest (June 1970, John Kuenster, 'Warm Up Tosses', Page 8)

Grounding Into Double Plays Career Grounding Into Double Play Records Record Lg Name(s) Team(s) Data Most In A Career (Top 1,000) AL Cal Ripken, Jr. Baltimore 350 350 NL Hank Aaron Milwaukee 193 305 Atlanta 112 Grounding Into Double Plays Single Season Grounding Into Double Play Records Record Lg Name(s) Team(s) Data Fewest In A Season (150+ Games Played) AL Dick McAuliffe Detroit 0 1968 NL Craig Biggio Houston 0 1997 Augie Galan Chicago 1935 Fewest In A Season By A Rookie (150+ Games Played) AL Ichiro Suzuki Seattle 3 2001 NL Vince Coleman St. Louis 3 1985 MostIn A Season (Top 500) AL Jim Rice Boston 36 1984 NL Miguel Tejada Houston 32 2008 MostIn A Season By A Lefthander AL Ben Grieve Oakland 32 2000 NL Sean Casey Cincinnati 27 2005 A.J. Pierzynski San Francisco 2004 MostIn A Season By A Righthander AL Jim Rice Boston 36 1984 NL Miguel Tejada Houston 32 2008 MostIn A Season By A Rookie AL Billy Johnson New York 27 1943 Al Rosen Cleveland 1950 NL Albert Pujols St. Louis 21 2001 MostIn A Season By A Switch-Hitter AL Dave Philley Philadelphia 29 1952 NL Ted Simmons St. Louis 29 1973 Most Seasons Leading The League (In Fewest GIDP) AL Ichiro Suzuki Seattle 4 2001 Seattle 2003 Seattle 2005 Seattle 2006 NL Richie Ashburn Philadelphia 6 1951 Philadelphia 1952 Philadelphia 1953 Philadelphia 1954 Philadelphia 1958 Chicago 1960 Most Seasons Leading The League (In Most GIDP) AL Jim Rice Boston 4 1982 Boston 1983 Boston 1984 Boston 1985 NL Ernie Lombardi Cincinnati 4 1933 Cincinnati 1934 Cincinnati 1938 New York 1944 ML Miguel Tejada Baltimore [AL] 5 2004 Baltimore [AL] 2005 Baltimore [AL] 2006 Houston [NL] 2008 Houston [NL] 2009 Grounding Into Double Plays Game Specific Grounding Into Double Play Records Record Lg Name(s) Team(s) Data MostIn A Game AL Goose Goslin Detroit 4 04-28-1934 Victor Martinez Detroit 09-11-2011 NL Joe Torre New York 4 07-21-1975 Record Lg Name(s) Team(s) Data Grounding Into Double Plays Records