The “Blame Game” started early in this MLB season. It began late last week when the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton. Indeed, the Pirates have been disappointing this season; as of this morning, their record stands at 14-28, putting them dead last in the NL Central Division and in danger of losing touch with the rest of the teams there. This is a surprise to me because in mid-September of last season, the Pirates were within hailing distance of a wild card playoff spot. Remember, the Pirates shut down Paul Skenes by that time in the season because Skenes had already thrown a full season of college baseball before coming to the Pirates. I do not question for a moment the decision to do that, but had he been available for three or four more starts last year …?
So, with Skenes set for a full season and some further development anticipated from youngsters like Oneil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes, it appears to have been an offseason where the Pirates added a free agent or two. Playoffs, here we come … Not happening; if my scanning is correct, the Pirates offseason free agent dabbling amounted to signing Tommy Pham to a 1-year deal. Pham is a decent player, but he is not the sum and substance of a “push to break through to the playoffs”.
Yes, the Pirates are underachieving so far in 2025 – – but it is only Mother’s Day for Heaven’s sake. Derek Shelton is not the problem in Pittsburgh; the front office – – and maybe the ownership too – – is the problem in Pittsburgh.
Once the news of the Pirates’ managerial change hit the streets, that seems to have provided cover for the Colorado Rockies to fire their manager, Bud Black. If you look at the standings, you can say that the move is totally justified; as of this morning, the Rockies check in with a record of 7-34; they are already 20 games behind the Division-leading Dodgers.
- [Aside: At their current pace the Rockies project to a final record of 28-134 which would make last year’s Chicago White Sox look like world-beaters.]
The Rockies are not merely bad; they are memorably bad. They lost a game last week by the score of 21-0; earlier this year, they lost games by scores of 17-2,10-2 and 11-1; their run differential is already at minus-129; the next-worst run differential in MLB today is the Miami Marlins at a measly minus-72 runs. The Rockies cannot hit major league pitching very well and the Rockies’ pitchers cannot get major league hitters out efficiently; that is not a managerial issue.
Dave Roberts is the manager of the LA Dodgers; he has no “lack of talent” issues on his plate. Roberts previously worked with Bud Black in San Diego. Here is what Roberts had to say when he heard of the firing:
“I don’t think Casey Stengel could change the outcome of that ballclub, and that’s not the manager’s fault. But obviously, they felt they needed a change in voice or direction. But for me, there’s not many people that are better than Buddy Black. So yeah, that’s very disappointing; it is certainly not his doing.”
Roberts allusion to Casey Stengel there is particularly cogent because it was Stengel – – unquestionably a competent manager of baseball teams – – who led the NY Mets in the first years of that club’s existence. Here are some stats:
- In 12 seasons with the Yankees, Stengel’s teams went 1149-696 (win percentage = .623). The Yanks won 10 pennants and 7 World Series in those 12 seasons.
- In 4 seasons with the Mets, Stengel’s teams went 175-404 (win percentage = .302). The Mets finished 10th in the NL in each of Stengel’s 4 seasons there.
- Casey Stengel was “out of baseball” for one year between his time with the Yankees and the Mets; clearly, he forgot everything about how to win baseball games in that hiatus.
So, if the current standard for managerial instability is underachievement/uncompetitive records, who might be next? I would not advocate changes here, but two situations come to mind:
- LA Angels: For a while, the Angels led the AL West and were playing solid/winning baseball. Then, the Angels went into a funk, and they are now last in the AL West with a record of 17-23. Ron Washington is the Angels’ manager …
- Baltimore Orioles: Lots of people – – me included – – thought the O’s might win the AL East with a bunch of really good young players. Not so; the O’s are last in the AL East with a record of 15-24. The big problem is the Orioles’ pitching staff; they have injuries to starters and free agent acquisition, Charlie Morton, has been shelled almost every time out; his record is 0-7 and his ERA is 8.82. Brandon Hyde is the Oriole’s manager …
So, is there any good news in MLB this morning. If you want to feel good about something in baseball this morning, check out Aaron Judge and the season he is having. The season is 25% over already and here is what Aaron Judge had been doing at the plate:
- Batting Average = .414
- OPS = 1.283
- RBI’s = 40
- Runs scored = 39
Finally, today has been mostly about losing and failure. Here is what Bill Gates had to say relative to that:
“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Warren Spahn pitched 382 complete games in his 21-year career.