Bobby Cox

[brucest]

A search of his name didn't locate any thread that discussed Bobby as a manager. I'm wondering if there's any consensus here about his game tactics, i.e., use of relief pitchers, steals, hit and runs, pinch hitters, etc.

[SamtheBravesFan]

A search of his name didn't locate any thread that discussed Bobby as a manager. I'm wondering if there's any consensus here about his game tactics, i.e., use of relief pitchers, steals, hit and runs, pinch hitters, etc.

Welcome to Baseball Fever, brucest. :waving

Here are my opinions on those. We'll see if I can get a conversation going.

Game tactics - Personally, I don't think this really matters. In my opinion, in-game tactics even out over the course of the season.

Steals - Thankfully, the Braves never had anyone fast enough to attempt a steal... until they got Willie Harris. He quickly became the team's SB leader, but I started to question the tactic when Willie Harris was caught stealling six times in a row.

Relief pitchers - I think this is where Bobby is at his weakest, and I'd go so far as to say that he's terrible at it. Sometimes he has good reasons for using people and they don't work out, but these days, he seems to keep using the same people over and over and over and they keep failing. Chris Reitsma, Dan Kolb, and even Rafael Soriano; the list goes on. (I'm giving a mulligan to Bob Wickman; he seems to have his act together).

For this season, I don't believe that Rafael Soriano should be pitching in the eighth in a close game anymore because he has given up a frightening amount of gopher balls lately. But surely as the sun rises in the east, Cox will keep using him in that situation.

Pinch hitters - Matt Diaz is one of the best, and that's great when he's on the bench. But after him, the Braves are incredibly thin on consistent pinch hitters. Prado, Woodward and Thorman just aren't all that great at it.

Clubhouse manager - This is really where Bobby is the best in the business. He's great at keeping his team focused and quashes any kind of dissent quickly, like the spat between Chipper and Smoltz, and no one really seems to have a problem with him these days.

[PureBaseballFan]

Welcome Brucest!

Bobby is a great manager but like most managers he has his problems. Like Sam said his main problem is bullpen management of course this year it has hurt that anyone not named Smoltz or Hudson can't give them at least 6 inning on a consistent basis.

His bench management is usually good but this year he really hasn't had much to work with except for Diaz, Harris, and Yunel.

Game tactics if you mean calling steals and such then I think he is alright in this situation. I mean the last game against the Mets that bunt play was very nicely done. The lack of steals the past few years has been mainly because he hadn't had anyone he knew would get the steal if they had to. Since the exit of Furcal the Braves haven't run that much because they have never had someone like him.

As Sam said Bobby is one of the best if not the best clubhouse manager in baseball. Bobby has shown he can get the most out of rookies that on other teams would be sent down or put on the bench. I think the best example of this was Kelly Johnson when he was first called up I believe he got 1 hit in something like 50 ABs but Bobby continued running him out there saying he was hitting it hard and making pitchers work just not getting the hits to show it. After that stretch Kelly went on an absolute tear killing pretty much everyone he faced. Bobby just knows how to make a rookie play way over his head and help him get out of a slump if he believes in you. Of course if you test his patience for to long he will eventually lose a faith in you.

Bobby overall will go down as one of the best managers of all time but like every other manager he has his problems.

[Atlanta Braves Freak]

Welcome, brucest!

Sam and PBF made great points. And PBF pointed out one "quality" that is both good and bad. He noted how Cox often stays with his players through thick and thin, which in some cases works out for the better (ex. Kelly Johnson and Vinny Castilla) and others it doesn't work out (ex. Andruw Jones and Chris Reitsma). I do consider Bobby Cox a great manager, but in my opinion he can be loyal to a fault.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Welcome, brucest!

Sam and PBF made great points. And PBF pointed out one "quality" that is both good and bad. He noted how Cox often stays with his players through thick and thin, which in some cases works out for the better (ex. Kelly Johnson and Vinny Castilla) and others it doesn't work out (ex. Andruw Jones and Chris Reitsma). I do consider Bobby Cox a great manager, but in my opinion he can be loyal to a fault.

Vinny Castilla? Are you sure he was a positive?

[Atlanta Braves Freak]

Remember his 2002? He had a .232 average and had 12 HR, but Bobby kept him in the lineup because of his glove. Castilla responded with a .276 average and 22 HR in 2003 (aka best offense year in Braves history).

[SamtheBravesFan]

I guess so. His OPS+ did go up to 101 in 2003, but .461 SLG isn't that much, especially considering how much he played.

I like the guy, but these days, I think that the Braves would have been better off now if they didn't get Castilla at all because Chipper Jones was hurt while playing left field. He could have hurt himself playing third, I know, but that just seems less likely to me.