Joe Maddon: The Man Behind the Glasses

[Quality Start Machine]

I don't want Joe Maddon fired. I think he's probably the best manager out there for this team. That said, I recently got a raise at work and a promotion and yet they also still give me feedback on things they'd like me to do better at each performance review. There's nuance here. Running Heyward out there every day is bad. There is no level of defense in right field that justifies hitting like Jonathan Herrera. Joe should stop being a stubborn ass and forget whatever fucking lesson he's trying to teach and put out the lineup that has the best chance of winning a baseball game. That lineup has Kyle Schwarber in it and not Jason Heyward.

This weekend the Cubs were outscored 21-3. To you really think Schwarber had another 19 HR in him? I mean, I love the big lug, but I had him pegged for 15, max.

[Brownie]

I don't want Joe Maddon fired. I think he's probably the best manager out there for this team. That said, I recently got a raise at work and a promotion and yet they also still give me feedback on things they'd like me to do better at each performance review. There's nuance here. Running Heyward out there every day is bad. There is no level of defense in right field that justifies hitting like Jonathan Herrera. Joe should stop being a stubborn ass and forget whatever fucking lesson he's trying to teach and put out the lineup that has the best chance of winning a baseball game. That lineup has Kyle Schwarber in it and not Jason Heyward.

This weekend the Cubs were outscored 21-3. To you really think Schwarber had another 19 HR in him? I mean, I love the big lug, but I had him pegged for 15, max.

He had 1 AB this weekend. He homered in that. If you extrapolate that over 5 ABs a game, that's 15 HR. Maybe not enough to win Saturday, but they'd have won Friday and Sunday.

[SKO]

I don't want Joe Maddon fired. I think he's probably the best manager out there for this team. That said, I recently got a raise at work and a promotion and yet they also still give me feedback on things they'd like me to do better at each performance review. There's nuance here. Running Heyward out there every day is bad. There is no level of defense in right field that justifies hitting like Jonathan Herrera. Joe should stop being a stubborn ass and forget whatever fucking lesson he's trying to teach and put out the lineup that has the best chance of winning a baseball game. That lineup has Kyle Schwarber in it and not Jason Heyward.

This weekend the Cubs were outscored 21-3. To you really think Schwarber had another 19 HR in him? I mean, I love the big lug, but I had him pegged for 15, max.

Saying "I disapprove of this manager making the consistently wrong lineup choice" is different than saying "they'd win if he did this." A manager only controls so much, but it's worrying how poorly he's handling the things he does control

[Brownie]

Either way, last year would have been the last season of Ricky Renteria's contract. I don't think he gets the Cubs to the playoffs during his tenure.

The Cubs won the division by 17.5 games last year. You really think Maddon is worth the equivalent of basically two Mike Trouts?

I don't think Lester is here without Maddon. Obviously, neither is Ross. I don't think Renteria would be as good for Arrieta or Schwarber or Bryant making their debuts. I wonder if Castro bounces back like he does the last 6 weeks of the season. I doubt Hammel comes back.

Without Maddon, there is no Zobrist here, no Lackey, Fowler probably doesn't come back as a Free Agent, so yeah, playoffs are iffy.

[Brownie]

I don't want Joe Maddon fired. I think he's probably the best manager out there for this team. That said, I recently got a raise at work and a promotion and yet they also still give me feedback on things they'd like me to do better at each performance review. There's nuance here. Running Heyward out there every day is bad. There is no level of defense in right field that justifies hitting like Jonathan Herrera. Joe should stop being a stubborn ass and forget whatever fucking lesson he's trying to teach and put out the lineup that has the best chance of winning a baseball game. That lineup has Kyle Schwarber in it and not Jason Heyward.

This weekend the Cubs were outscored 21-3. To you really think Schwarber had another 19 HR in him? I mean, I love the big lug, but I had him pegged for 15, max.

Saying "I disapprove of this manager making the consistently wrong lineup choice" is different than saying "they'd win if he did this." A manager only controls so much, but it's worrying how poorly he's handling the things he does control

To be fair, you can say Saturday's game was a shitshow, but I agree Schwarber could have helped Friday and Sunday. That said, Maddon isn't Dusty-ing it up out there or being Bruce Kimm (who famously accidentally pulled Sosa in a double-switch in a 1-run game). Everything I have seen and read about Maddon shows that he has data-based (both qualitative and quantitative) reasons for making the decisions he makes. I get the frustration of a bat like Schwarber sitting on the bench, but I think Joe has earned the right for the benefit of the doubt there.

[Saul Goodman]

Thank fucking christ Heyward is starting they might actually have scored more than one goddamn run.  Somedays I miss the gutless fucking assholes thread

What particular type of Zen is this that you're practicing?

There was an opt-out clause in my zen contract if they got swept and were in danger of blowing the division to either the Brewers or a mediocre as shit Cardinals team. Anyway, Joe sitting Schwarber for 3 straight games against RHP while starting Zobrist and Heyward and claiming its due to "matchups" would have been enough to give me an aneurysm even if I was the fucking Dalai Lama.

Well, given that the matchups were "vs. major league pitchers" sitting Schwarber makes sense.

Christ you're one obtuse motherfucker.

Honestly Schwarber hasn't had a bad season. He had a bad month. He hit .246/.378/.459 in his first 16 games, and he's hit .238/.335/.539 in his last 63. In between those two he had a 35 game stretch where he hit .121/.243/.290. He's not taken the next step like we hoped into being Babe Ruth yet, but outside of one putrid stretch in late April/May he's been basically the same dude he was as a rookie.

Pitchers still fear him, which makes him formidable enough to have in the lineup.

That all said, I have 100 percent confidence in Joe Maddon that if he told me that I needed to drink a gallon of paint thinner because it would improve my life and/or the Cubs chances to win a ballgame, I'd only question him on which brand to drink. I don't think his "benching" of Schwarber is arbitrary; I wonder if the reason for it is one he doesn't care to share for competitive reasons. Either way, last year would have been the last season of Ricky Renteria's contract. I don't think he gets the Cubs to the playoffs during his tenure.

I don't want Joe Maddon fired. I think he's probably the best manager out there for this team. That said, I recently got a raise at work and a promotion and yet they also still give me feedback on things they'd like me to do better at each performance review. There's nuance here. Running Heyward out there every day is bad. There is no level of defense in right field that justifies hitting like Jonathan Herrera. Joe should stop being a stubborn ass and forget whatever fucking lesson he's trying to teach and put out the lineup that has the best chance of winning a baseball game. That lineup has Kyle Schwarber in it and not Jason Heyward.

"another day volunteering at the david ross museum.  everyone keeps asking me if they can fuck the grandpa rossy scooter.  buddy, they wont even let me fuck it"

[Eli]

Either way, last year would have been the last season of Ricky Renteria's contract. I don't think he gets the Cubs to the playoffs during his tenure.

The Cubs won the division by 17.5 games last year. You really think Maddon is worth the equivalent of basically two Mike Trouts?

I don't think Lester is here without Maddon. Obviously, neither is Ross. I don't think Renteria would be as good for Arrieta or Schwarber or Bryant making their debuts. I wonder if Castro bounces back like he does the last 6 weeks of the season. I doubt Hammel comes back.

Without Maddon, there is no Zobrist here, no Lackey, Fowler probably doesn't come back as a Free Agent, so yeah, playoffs are iffy.

Those are a lot of assumptions.

[SKO]

Either way, last year would have been the last season of Ricky Renteria's contract. I don't think he gets the Cubs to the playoffs during his tenure.

The Cubs won the division by 17.5 games last year. You really think Maddon is worth the equivalent of basically two Mike Trouts?

I don't think Lester is here without Maddon. Obviously, neither is Ross. I don't think Renteria would be as good for Arrieta or Schwarber or Bryant making their debuts. I wonder if Castro bounces back like he does the last 6 weeks of the season. I doubt Hammel comes back.

Without Maddon, there is no Zobrist here, no Lackey, Fowler probably doesn't come back as a Free Agent, so yeah, playoffs are iffy.

Those are a lot of assumptions.

Hammel talked about coming back to the Cubs literally right after he was traded, didn't he? I think we're retconning Renteria into a guy people didn't like to play for, which is not at all accurate. They really seemed to like him. Heck, Castro may not have needed to "bounce back" during those last 6 weeks because maybe without Maddon/Mallee tinkering with whatever he did in 2014, his best offensive season, he never gets broken to begin with.

These are all assumptions, too, but yeah I just can't buy any argument where a manager was the difference for two teams that made the playoffs but 13+ games.

[Eli]

Thank fucking christ Heyward is starting they might actually have scored more than one goddamn run.  Somedays I miss the gutless fucking assholes thread

What particular type of Zen is this that you're practicing?

There was an opt-out clause in my zen contract if they got swept and were in danger of blowing the division to either the Brewers or a mediocre as shit Cardinals team. Anyway, Joe sitting Schwarber for 3 straight games against RHP while starting Zobrist and Heyward and claiming its due to "matchups" would have been enough to give me an aneurysm even if I was the fucking Dalai Lama.

Well, given that the matchups were "vs. major league pitchers" sitting Schwarber makes sense.

.918 OPS in the 51 games since he came back from the minors.

[Quality Start Machine]

Thank fucking christ Heyward is starting they might actually have scored more than one goddamn run.  Somedays I miss the gutless fucking assholes thread

What particular type of Zen is this that you're practicing?

There was an opt-out clause in my zen contract if they got swept and were in danger of blowing the division to either the Brewers or a mediocre as shit Cardinals team. Anyway, Joe sitting Schwarber for 3 straight games against RHP while starting Zobrist and Heyward and claiming its due to "matchups" would have been enough to give me an aneurysm even if I was the fucking Dalai Lama.

Well, given that the matchups were "vs. major league pitchers" sitting Schwarber makes sense.

.918 OPS in the 51 games since he came back from the minors.

And 14 dongs. Now being reclassified as FYCs.

[SKO]

Zobrist should not be batting 3rd or 4th anymore, Joe.

Leadoff works.

[SKO]

What the hell is he smoking tonight

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

What the hell is he smoking tonight

Specifically, I was annoyed by him double-switching Edwards into the game in the 6th--which in and of itself was fine, since as normally is the case with a double-switch, you'd be looking to get 2 innings out of the pitcher.  It's the time of year, I assumed, because at this point in his career, Edwards is ready to go more than the 1 inning--if need be--in the playoffs...and then Edwards goes and has an economical inning on top of it in the 6th, so we're good, right?  Schwarber's bat helped you to the lead and Almora is in now for Schwarber on the other end of the double-switch, and so I assumed they were golden.

Then Edwards doesn't come back out in the 7th, but Maddon double-switches again, this time taking Heyward out.  If Jason Heyward is good for anything it'd be for his defense in the late innings of a tight game.

Sure enough the go-ahead run scores on a sharp single to right field which Happ made a game effort on, but on which Heyward may well have gunned down the tying run.

I know Happ helped them tie the game  by gritting out an infield hit in the 9th, but it could have--should have--been rendered unnecessary.

[SKO]

What the hell is he smoking tonight

Specifically, I was annoyed by him double-switching Edwards into the game in the 6th--which in and of itself was fine, since as normally is the case with a double-switch, you'd be looking to get 2 innings out of the pitcher.  It's the time of year, I assumed, because at this point in his career, Edwards is ready to go more than the 1 inning--if need be--in the playoffs...and then Edwards goes and has an economical inning on top of it in the 6th, so we're good, right?  Schwarber's bat helped you to the lead and Almora is in now for Schwarber on the other end of the double-switch, and so I assumed they were golden.

Then Edwards doesn't come back out in the 7th, but Maddon double-switches again, this time taking Heyward out.  If Jason Heyward is good for anything it'd be for his defense in the late innings of a tight game.

Sure enough the go-ahead run scores on a sharp single to right field which Happ made a game effort on, but on which Heyward may well have gunned down the tying run.

I know Happ helped them tie the game  by gritting out an infield hit in the 9th, but it could have--should have--been rendered unnecessary.

If Heyward is in right that ball doesn't fall. Heyward plays shallower than most because he covers so much ground, he'd have been there to get it. But yeah, in general if you put up with the first 7 innings of Heyward, well, shit, leave him in there, because you've reached the part of the game where he's most valuable. Felt like the definition of making moves just to make moves.

[Quality Start Machine]

What the hell is he smoking tonight

Pretty sure he would have let Jake go another inning had he not been coming off an injury. That would have given Strop, Edwards and Davis all clean innings.