Assembling Sweet Lou's Staff

[OBPMatters]

Why was he fired by the Reds?

 

because dunn kept striking out.

 

But he got on base, and that's all that matters.

[RichHillIsABeast]

The Reds have decided strikeouts are the devil and are purging players who K a lot. I guess the hitting coach gets the axe too.

[Guest]

Why was he fired by the Reds?

 

because dunn kept striking out.

 

But he got on base, and that's all that matters.

 

hitting homeruns matter too!

[BigbadB]

Considering how patient the Reds bats were under Chambliss, I'll happily welcome him to Wrigley. Hopefully, he doesn't change anything in wake of his firing.

[Guest]

Considering how patient the Reds bats were under Chambliss, I'll happily welcome him to Wrigley. Hopefully, he doesn't change anything in wake of his firing.

 

ok, let me just say that how patient the reds hitters were is probably completely irrelevant. Did Chambliss make them patient? doubtful. I guess there is some benefit in not teaching patient hitters to be impatient but hendry is the man that needs to go get patient hitters. chambliss isn't going to turn jones into a walk machine.

[XZero771679666304]

Considering how patient the Reds bats were under Chambliss, I'll happily welcome him to Wrigley. Hopefully, he doesn't change anything in wake of his firing.

 

ok, let me just say that how patient the reds hitters were is probably completely irrelevant. Did Chambliss make them patient? doubtful. I guess there is some benefit in not teaching patient hitters to be impatient but hendry is the man that needs to go get patient hitters. chambliss isn't going to turn jones into a walk machine.

 

Chambliss may not do that much, but hitters aren't unaffected by their hitting coaches. Do you think it is any coincidence that Baker and his coaches preached aggressiveness at the plate and over aggressiveness was a rampant problem for his entire tenure?

 

If a coach preaches enough, it will have some degree of effect.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Well, I missed on McLarne, got Rothschild correct, and it appears Sinatro will be the bullpen coach according to this.

 

Piniella will have pitching coach Larry Rothschild, another former Rays manager who worked for him in Cincinnati, and Matt Sinatro, his longtime bullpen coach, with him. But not longtime bench coach John McLaren, who decided to take the bench coach job with the Mariners in an effort to further his credentials to be a manager and diminish his reputation as a Piniella follower.

 

So, if the Trammel rumor is correct, we have:

 

Bench Coach: Alan Trammel

Hitting Coach: ?

Pitching Coach: Larry Rothschild

Firstbase Coach: ? but believed to be Quade.

Thirdbase Coach:

Bullpen Coach: Matt Sinatro.

 

All right....I'll take the hitting coach job then since nobodys taken it yet.

 

Those last 2 openings are pretty important IMO and may distinguish what idenity this team is going to have.

 

No way, man. I've heard rumors that you preached swinging at a curveball, no matter the count, is a good thing. :lol:

 

That's why it's called hitting and not walking.

 

Johnny B, is that you?

[Guest]

Considering how patient the Reds bats were under Chambliss, I'll happily welcome him to Wrigley. Hopefully, he doesn't change anything in wake of his firing.

 

ok, let me just say that how patient the reds hitters were is probably completely irrelevant. Did Chambliss make them patient? doubtful. I guess there is some benefit in not teaching patient hitters to be impatient but hendry is the man that needs to go get patient hitters. chambliss isn't going to turn jones into a walk machine.

 

Chambliss may not do that much, but hitters aren't unaffected by their hitting coaches. Do you think it is any coincidence that Baker and his coaches preached aggressiveness at the plate and over aggressiveness was a rampant problem for his entire tenure?

 

If a coach preaches enough, it will have some degree of effect.

 

 

who's walk rates changed? I don't know the answer but that would provide some hard evidence.

[BigbadB]

Considering how patient the Reds bats were under Chambliss, I'll happily welcome him to Wrigley. Hopefully, he doesn't change anything in wake of his firing.

 

ok, let me just say that how patient the reds hitters were is probably completely irrelevant. Did Chambliss make them patient? doubtful. I guess there is some benefit in not teaching patient hitters to be impatient but hendry is the man that needs to go get patient hitters. chambliss isn't going to turn jones into a walk machine.

 

In a perfect world, the Jacque Jones' of the baseball world end up playing in some other outfield, far, far away from Chicago. Better players, like JD Drew, take his place.

 

I really don't know the extent of what hitting coaches do for the players. But, I do know that early in the 2006 season, Dusty was getting on Murton for being too patient, which, IMO, induced his slump. Baker stressed aggressiveness. I doubt that the hitting coach stressed the opposite.

[Wilson A2000]

When Dusty got on Murton for slumping, was his average declining?

[BigbadB]

When Dusty got on Murton for slumping, was his average declining?

 

Dusty didn't get on him for slumping. That's when Dusty decided to platoon him. Dusty got on him early in the season for being too patient. It was after that Murton's AVG started slipping.

[RichHillIsABeast]

Considering how patient the Reds bats were under Chambliss, I'll happily welcome him to Wrigley. Hopefully, he doesn't change anything in wake of his firing.

 

ok, let me just say that how patient the reds hitters were is probably completely irrelevant. Did Chambliss make them patient? doubtful. I guess there is some benefit in not teaching patient hitters to be impatient but hendry is the man that needs to go get patient hitters. chambliss isn't going to turn jones into a walk machine.

 

In a perfect world, the Jacque Jones' of the baseball world end up playing in some other outfield, far, far away from Chicago. Better players, like JD Drew, take his place.

 

I really don't know the extent of what hitting coaches do for the players. But, I do know that early in the 2006 season, Dusty was getting on Murton for being too patient, which, IMO, induced his slump. Baker stressed aggressiveness. I doubt that the hitting coach stressed the opposite.

 

Murton was being too patient. He was consistently letting the best pitch of the AB go right by him and then swinging at crap later in the AB, many times grounding out weakly in the IF.

 

His success at the end of the season wasn't a return to a patient approach. He learned how to zone the plate better, which was what Baker was whining about in the first place. That's how you exploit power, which Murton has, and wasn't showing early on.

 

I'm not big on Baker's free swinging ways either, but with Murton he was right on the money.

[BigbadB]

April: .286/.368 10 walks

May: .286/.358 8 walks

 

June: .212/.257 4 walks

[Wilson A2000]

When Dusty got on Murton for slumping, was his average declining?

 

Dusty didn't get on him for slumping. That's when Dusty decided to platoon him. Dusty got on him early in the season for being too patient. It was after that Murton's AVG started slipping.

 

I'm sorry. I meant to say patient but I instead said slumping. I guess it sounds like Murton was being too patient but was nonetheless still putting up decent numbers, Dusty got on him, and the results weren't good.

[RichHillIsABeast]

April: .286/.368 10 walks

May: .286/.358 8 walks

 

June: .212/.257 4 walks

 

 

What is this supposed to show? That Murton slumped?

 

He was trying to hit the best pitch in the AB, like he should. In June he was frequently going after something in the zone, rather than in a zone he could hit. That's part of the learning process!

 

It took him some time to adjust. Because Murton didn't immediately adjust means that Dusty/Clines gave him bad advice?

[BigbadB]

Because Murton didn't immediately adjust means that Dusty/Clines gave him bad advice?

 

Yeah, that's the timeline I remember. Murton was told he was being too patient. Murton attempted to be more aggressive and his AVG slipped. After that, he was sharing time in LF with Bynum.

 

If Baker/Clines helped Murton, there should have been no reason to sit him in favor of Bynum.

[RichHillIsABeast]

Because Murton didn't immediately adjust means that Dusty/Clines gave him bad advice?

 

Yeah, that's the timeline I remember. Murton was told he was being too patient. Murton attempted to be more aggressive and his AVG slipped. After that, he was sharing time in LF with Bynum.

 

If Baker/Clines helped Murton, there should have been no reason to sit him in favor of Bynum.

 

When you make adjustments, sometimes you regress for a period of time. But when you get it figured out, you're just that much better than you were to start with. That's the nature of baseball.

 

IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING MORE AGGRESSIVE. It's about zoning the plate, which oftentimes seems more aggressive as you tend to swing at the first good pitch you see.

 

If you're used to driving a car with an automatic transmission all your life and then suddenly switch over to manual, you look like a horrible driver to start with, stalling and fumbling around. Once you get it down, you have another skill. Suddenly driving an automatic is just that much easier too.

 

Same thing goes with making adjustments at the plate.

[BigbadB]

And Murton was hitting nearly .400 in the minors prior to his call up in 2005. He continued to hit well with the parent club. He was doing fine in April and May.

 

I don't disagree that time is needed when adjustments are made. However, in Murton's case, I see a direct correlation to Dusty calling out Murton publicly for not being aggressive enough and Murton's immediate slump. Murton was first pitch swinging during that stretch quite regularly.

 

First pitch swinging was not his forte' prior to his slump. Yet, after Dusty's suggestion, Murton's game went in the toilet.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Chambliss would be an excellent choice for hitting coach.

[CubColtPacer]

And Murton was hitting nearly .400 in the minors prior to his call up in 2005. He continued to hit well with the parent club. He was doing fine in April and May.

 

I don't disagree that time is needed when adjustments are made. However, in Murton's case, I see a direct correlation to Dusty calling out Murton publicly for not being aggressive enough and Murton's immediate slump. Murton was first pitch swinging during that stretch quite regularly.

 

First pitch swinging was not his forte' prior to his slump. Yet, after Dusty's suggestion, Murton's game went in the toilet.

 

True, but what he's saying is that slump was required to make Murton better. Murton was not hitting for much power in the first part of the season. He went through his slump where he swung at everything. He came back, this time looking at the pitches he couldn't handle and actually swinging and driving the pitches he could, and his OBP and SLG shot up.

[RichHillIsABeast]

And Murton was hitting nearly .400 in the minors prior to his call up in 2005. He continued to hit well with the parent club. He was doing fine in April and May.

 

I don't disagree that time is needed when adjustments are made. However, in Murton's case, I see a direct correlation to Dusty calling out Murton publicly for not being aggressive enough and Murton's immediate slump. Murton was first pitch swinging during that stretch quite regularly.

 

First pitch swinging was not his forte' prior to his slump. Yet, after Dusty's suggestion, Murton's game went in the toilet.

 

Yes, Murton was first pitch swinging and it led to a slump. He was taking Dusty's advice to the extreme and going after the first pitch he saw in the strike zone, and not in a certain hitting zone. BIG DIFFERENCE. Eventually he made the adjustment to more properly zoning the plate.

 

Look at his GDP, GO/AO ratios, HR totals in the time frame we're talking about. Murton really changed his game. You don't need stats to see that either.

 

Baseball is about adjustments. It just took Murton some time to do it this time around. He'll hit for a lot more power this way.

 

Murton has a great swing. But a great swing doesn't mean much if you can't select the right pitch to hit. Murton has pretty much always been able to tell if the pitch is a strike or a ball, but that's a very different thing than identifying pitches you can drive into the gaps or out of the ballpark.