How Much Does a Minor League Manager Matter?

[CubinNY]

I mentioned this is my useless scouting report of the Smokies, but they don't look good. It's hard for me to describe, but they just don't look like a good team. They don't have that, I don't know what to call it, but whatever it is they ain't got it. However, they seem to have a lot of talent on the team. My question to the experts is this: How much does a minor league coach affect winning? Is it the same as a major league manager or is the manger in the minors more important? Do minor league managers ever get fired/promoted during the season? Who is Buddy Bailey?

[jersey cubs fan]

I mentioned this is my useless scouting report of the Smokies, but they don't look good. It's hard for me to describe, but they just don't look like a good team. They don't have that, I don't know what to call it, but whatever it is they ain't got it. However, they seem to have a lot of talent on the team. My question to the experts is this: How much does a minor league coach affect winning? Is it the same as a major league manager or is the manger in the minors more important? Do minor league managers ever get fired/promoted during the season? Who is Buddy Bailey?

 

Well, minor league records don't matter, so it shouldn't be how anybody rates a minor league manager.

 

But aren't the Tenn Smokies the Cubs AA team? How do they have "a lot of talent"?

[CubinNY]

I mentioned this is my useless scouting report of the Smokies, but they don't look good. It's hard for me to describe, but they just don't look like a good team. They don't have that, I don't know what to call it, but whatever it is they ain't got it. However, they seem to have a lot of talent on the team. My question to the experts is this: How much does a minor league coach affect winning? Is it the same as a major league manager or is the manger in the minors more important? Do minor league managers ever get fired/promoted during the season? Who is Buddy Bailey?

 

Well, minor league records don't matter, so it shouldn't be how anybody rates a minor league manager.

 

But aren't the Tenn Smokies the Cubs AA team? How do they have "a lot of talent"?

Fox

Craig

Colvin

Samardzija

Holliman

Veal

Clevenger

 

There are a lot of high round draft picks there. I think one has to measure talent by the level of competition.

[jersey cubs fan]

I mentioned this is my useless scouting report of the Smokies, but they don't look good. It's hard for me to describe, but they just don't look like a good team. They don't have that, I don't know what to call it, but whatever it is they ain't got it. However, they seem to have a lot of talent on the team. My question to the experts is this: How much does a minor league coach affect winning? Is it the same as a major league manager or is the manger in the minors more important? Do minor league managers ever get fired/promoted during the season? Who is Buddy Bailey?

 

Well, minor league records don't matter, so it shouldn't be how anybody rates a minor league manager.

 

But aren't the Tenn Smokies the Cubs AA team? How do they have "a lot of talent"?

Fox

Craig

Colvin

Samardzija

Holliman

Veal

Clevenger

 

There are a lot of high round draft picks there. I think one has to measure talent by the level of competition.

 

They were only high draft picks because the Cubs drafted them. The Cubs are clearly in the bottom half of minor league talent, so I'm not sure how somebody could think they have a lot of talent in AA. Physical ability maybe, but baseball talent? Not so much. I can't blame a manager for Tyler Colvin's weak numbers or Samardzija's incompetency. The other guys are fairly marginal as far as I can tell.

[Guest]

I mentioned this is my useless scouting report of the Smokies, but they don't look good. It's hard for me to describe, but they just don't look like a good team. They don't have that, I don't know what to call it, but whatever it is they ain't got it. However, they seem to have a lot of talent on the team. My question to the experts is this: How much does a minor league coach affect winning? Is it the same as a major league manager or is the manger in the minors more important? Do minor league managers ever get fired/promoted during the season? Who is Buddy Bailey?

 

Well, minor league records don't matter, so it shouldn't be how anybody rates a minor league manager.

 

But aren't the Tenn Smokies the Cubs AA team? How do they have "a lot of talent"?

Fox

Craig

Colvin

Samardzija

Holliman

Veal

Clevenger

 

There are a lot of high round draft picks there. I think one has to measure talent by the level of competition.

 

They were only high draft picks because the Cubs drafted them. The Cubs are clearly in the bottom half of minor league talent, so I'm not sure how somebody could think they have a lot of talent in AA. Physical ability maybe, but baseball talent? Not so much. I can't blame a manager for Tyler Colvin's weak numbers or Samardzija's incompetency. The other guys are fairly marginal as far as I can tell.

 

Yeah, but now that the Smokies have burned their batting gloves and a few bats, the team is bound to turn it around.

[Jehrico]

If Dusty taught us anything, it is that you shouldn't take for granted that professional baseball players are sound fundamentally. Dusty's teams were never fundamentally sound. If the manager at the Major League level can affect the fundamentals of his players, then I would assume that a minor league manager is even more important to making sure guys are ready fundamentally to make the transition to the majors. If the team looks bad fundamentally in the minors, then yeah, that manager needs to go and quickly.

[jersey cubs fan]

If Dusty taught us anything, it is that you shouldn't take for granted that professional baseball players are sound fundamentally. Dusty's teams were never fundamentally sound. If the manager at the Major League level can affect the fundamentals of his players, then I would assume that a minor league manager is even more important to making sure guys are ready fundamentally to make the transition to the majors. If the team looks bad fundamentally in the minors, then yeah, that manager needs to go and quickly.

 

Depends on where the bad fundamentals are coming from. The manager's primary job should be to develop the prospects. If the system guys suck there isn't much he can do about that.

 

He has to work with the guys to get better, but I'm not sure what blame you can give him for having the team "not look like a team" and "not have it".

[biittner77]

If the minors are all about player development- as they should be-then stressing the fundamentals should be at the top of the priority list.

 

There's absolutely no excuse for system guys to be weak fundamentally.