Three weeks into the 2015 MLB season, a handful of managers may already be feeling the pressure of making sure their teams fulfill expectations.
Is it a coincidence that Reds skipper Bryan Price vomited a bucketful of F-bombs at Cincinnati Enquirer beat reporter C. Trent Rosecrans after his team had lost seven of its past eight games, dropping to fourth place in the NL Central? Having played just 12 games and going into the season’s third week, it was surely too early to suggest that Price’s job status might be in danger. But his unhinged reaction to a relatively minor bit of reporting (especially in the larger picture of the season) indicated that he may feel the walls beginning to close in.
Or maybe Price exploded to fire up his team. Since Mount Price erupted, the Reds have won three consecutive games, which might indicate that Cincinnati players channeled their manager’s rage into their play on the field and took out some frustrations on Milwaukee. Playing the lowly Brewers and teeing off on their pitching staff — especially in Tuesday’s five-homer onslaught during a 16-10 victory — likely had more to do with this brief run of success.
But in the short term, it seems possible that Price’s outburst provided a little boost. If that compelled the players to play harder for him, that’s arguably something working in Price’s favor. Isn’t that one of the first things we look for when judging a manager? How are the players responding to him? Has he lost the clubhouse? If apathy or resentment was setting in this early, there would be major reason for concern.
Of course, that sort of speculation can be wildly overblown too. Joey Votto surely wants to rebound from a subpar, injury-plagued 2014 season, and shut down ridiculous grumblings that he cares too much about getting on base and not enough about hitting for power. With six home runs and a .772 slugging percentage, it’s like he’s directly lashing out at such criticism with his bat. Is he hitting like a MVP because he likes Price or because he’s a great hitter who’s healthy and able to capitalize on opportunities at the plate?
PHOENIX, AZ – MAY 29: Manager Bryan Price #38 of the Cincinnati Reds watches from the dugout during the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 29, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Reds have a talented roster, one that should be able to compete for a playoff spot and division title in the NL Central. The players see that too, and could be working to fulfill their potential for themselves because they want to win.
Naturally, that could be used against Price if the team begins to falter. Ownership and the front office apparently believed at least one more run at postseason glory was possible this year. Alfredo Simon and Mat Latos were traded, but the Reds kept Johnny Cueto and added Marlon Byrd, moves that signaled contending was the objective. And if the Reds don’t meet such expectations, who’s the first guy likely to be blamed? (I should probably mentioned that I predicted Price to be the first manager fired this season.) No wonder Price might be a little tight, even in the third week of April.
Another manager reportedly feeling some heat under his seat is the Marlins’ Mike Redmond. If not for poor performances thus far by the Brewers and defending World Series champion Giants, Miami would likely be getting much more attention as the most disappointing team in MLB to begin the season. Though the Mets were viewed as a sleeper contender by their fans and by the East Coast contingent of baseball media, many observers expected big things from the Marlins.
Among The Outside Corner staff, six writers (including me) picked Miami to win one of the NL’s wild-card playoff bids. Three of us predicted Giancarlo Stanton to win the NL MVP award. In early January, our Randy Holt posed the argument that the Marlins could have the best outfield in baseball. Adding veteran pieces like Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Michael Morse, Dan Haren and Ichiro Suzuki to a talented young core indicated what the ambitions were for this season.
But with a 4-11 record going into Thursday’s (April 23) slate of games, the Marlins are already eight games behind in the NL East, holding last place behind a Phillies team that was expected to be one of the worst in MLB. Yes, it’s still early in the season, but a team can also dig itself a hole in April that it spends the rest of the season trying to escape from. Miami is creating a significant obstacle for itself with its terrible play.
:MIAMI, FL – APRIL 06: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Miami Marlins is greeted during Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Park on April 6, 2015 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
So after suffering a four-game sweep last weekend to the Mets at Citi Field, perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the rumor mill was churning over Redmond’s job status. Owner Jeffrey Loria is infamously impatient if his team doesn’t show a positive early return. He’ll trade players and cut payroll if performance is below expectations. And he’ll certainly fire the manager under such circumstances.
What gave rumblings about Redmond being fired extra significance is that a name was being mentioned as his replacement. The Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer reported that former major leaguer Wally Backman, who currently manages the Mets’ Triple-A team in Las Vegas, was being discussed within the organization. Mike Puma of the New York Post followed that up with a report that Loria was on a fact-finding mission while the Marlins were in New York, asking people if they thought Backman would make a good major league manager.
The 55-year-old is in his fourth season with the Mets’ top farm club and has managed his team to two consecutive playoff appearances. Backman has been viewed as a likely replacement for Terry Collins in the Mets dugout if a change needed to be made. But with the Mets’ current success (at 12-3, they have the best record in MLB), Collins’ position is surely safe, barring a total collapse later in the season. So Backman is probably blocked from moving up in the organization. If he wants a major league manager job, he’ll have to find it elsewhere.
Having not even played 20 games yet, it’s awfully early to make a final judgment on Redmond for this season. But again, this is Jeffrey Loria we’re dealing with. And according to Spencer’s report, he’s not happy with how the Marlins are playing. Perhaps even more damning is Stanton saying last Friday (April 18) that “the fire is not there” among his teammates, and players aren’t working hard and focusing for nine full innings. As mentioned above, that’s often one of the first concerns when evaluating a manager.
If Redmond can’t inspire a relatively young team to play to its potential, tells reporters that players need to motivate themselves and the clubhouse is holding players-only meetings, that’s not a very good sign. But if he believes that a firing could be imminent, his outward behavior hasn’t yet indicated that he’s feeling the pressure. Perhaps Redmond just handles stress better than Price. Or maybe he’s less insecure about his job since this is his third year as the Marlins manager.
But unless his team starts playing better, Redmond will almost certainly be dismissed if Loria and Marlins executives are already inquiring about possible replacements. The same likely holds true for Price, though rumors and reports haven’t indicated his job is in jeopardy yet. Expectations can be a hell of a thing, as these two managers are quickly discovering. That is, if they didn’t know this already.
