Something that is always an overlooked aspect of fantasy baseball is the impact that managers have on your players' stats.  We identify the players that we want to draft but how much thought do we give to who the player's manager is?  Managers impact our players more than we think they do and should  be taken into account before selecting a player.  So what do we need to know about them?

History and Background

• When it comes to the manger's background you should know his roots.  For example, Ron Gardenhire is a Tom Kelly disciple and Joe Maddon comes from the Mike Scioscia coaching tree.  Knowing the manager's mentor gives you insight into their tendencies.
   
• It also helps to know what kind of player they were and what position they played.  This can be difficult because some managers were more obscure players that only had a cup of coffee in the majors but it is worth researching if need be. You do not need any great epiphanies here just a rough idea.

• Following a manager's track record is always helpful. What are his strengths and weaknesses?  What is he praised for and what has he been criticized for?  Every manager has been criticized but you should research the worthiness of the criticism and who it is coming from.

• Do they stress pitching and defense, speed and base running or the three run home run?  Not all of this is up to the manager.  Sometimes a manager must employ a style that he normally wouldn't due to his personnel. Do they scrag their pitchers like Billy Martin or Joe Girardi?
   
• All managers become labeled as a "player's coach" or a "tough guy".  Some are a combination of both.  A alleged players' manager such as Dusty Baker will stick with his guys no matter what.  A tough guy like Ozzie Guillen will bench any player who is not performing no matter how much the player is getting paid.  Joe Maddon is a combination of both as we saw last season.  His players love him and he loves them but he's not afraid to bench a star player if the player isn't playing to his standards.  We all saw it on display when he benched B.J. Upton for not hustling on several occasions.
   
• Some managers like a good six innings from their starter and go straight to the bullpen which could have an undesired effect your starter's stats.  Some managers will go strictly on matchups which could cost your hitters some playing time.  The manager could fill out his lineup based on lefty/righty matchups or a player's history against a given pitcher.   Some managers love the stolen base and therefore players not known for their base stealing prowess may get a few extra because of their manager's style.  All of which could have an impact on your player. These are tendencies that will become more appearant as the season goes along.

1. Dusty Baker- He is known as a player's coach which means that he will stick with a under-performing player longer than most managers.  This gives the player a chance to break out of the slump but also could result in a better option rotting on the bench.  Handling a bullpen has never been one of his strong suits, which costs his starters wins.  He has also been known to leave a starter in for too long or allow them to throw a large amount of unnecessary pitches.

2. Mike Scioscia- He loves the stolen base.  The Angels had nine players that stole at least five bases last season.  Scioscia is known for getting the most out of his players and designing lineups so that every player is in a position to excel.  He is also excellent at knowing when and how to use his bullpen which helps the Angels' starter more opportunities to get the W.

3.  Lou Pinella- He is not afraid to start rookies and young players.  He is also pretty good at knowing when to pull his starters and how to use his bullpen.  Pinella is not afraid to sit struggling players in favor of a better option no matter how much money the player is making.  He sat Kosuke Fukudome for most of the second half of the season which gave Reed Johnson and Mike Fontenot fantasy value.

4. Tony LaRussa- I put LaRussa on this list but it is really pitching coach Dave Duncan that makes LaRussa look like such a great manager.  Duncan has transformed numerous fantasy nobodies into solid fantasy options.  Todd Wellemeyer and Kyle Lohse are now fantasy worthy pitchers thanks to Duncan and has made a big impact on the development of Adam Wainwright.

5. Joe Torre- He could easily be considered number one on this list.  He is great with hitters having been a very good hitter in his playing days.  It often takes Torre a while to settle on a lineup that he likes but he seems to make the right decisions in the end.  He also has been criticized in the past for his use of the bullpen and for pulling pitchers too early or late.  Some of the criticism has been warranted but a good deal of it was over-blown.

How much significance to you place on who a player's manager is?  Will you shy away from a player because of his manager?  What do you think of the list?  Who would you add to it?

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (8)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

...
written by dd, April 30, 2009

he stuck with pedroia when he was atrocious his rookie year

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by dd, April 30, 2009

not mention pedroia his rookie year

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by RobReed, January 09, 2009

Excellent. I do hope that you expand this to talk about EVERY manager... that would be very valuable.

Generally, I consider managers only with speed issues, but it makes sense to look at their philosophies on pitching.

Trouble is, I think getting this info is pretty time consuming... so if you did all the work for me, I would give you at least 10% of any fantasy winnings*.

* after all applicable taxes and deductions that I deem appropriate; percentage not to exceed twenty-five cents

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Chris Mulligan, January 07, 2009

see a jump

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Chris Mulligan, January 07, 2009

Madgame,

I have to agree with you about Torre. I think in general he does a below average job of handling his pitching staff.

Chuck,

Totally right as well but I think those players have better track records than the guys that Dusty Baker has stuck with throughout his managerial career (Nefei Perez). He kills me.

Joe,

I thought Hunter's SB would go up too but there was about a two month stretch where Hunter did absolutely nothing. Hopefully he has a more consistent '09 and the SB will he a jump.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by JoeLano, January 06, 2009

I thought for sure last season Tori Hunter would see a jump in SB after signing with the Angels and playing for Mike Scioscia, but was greatly dissappointed when he stole only 1 more base than the season before, going from 18 to 19.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by ChuckAnderson, January 06, 2009

Good stuff Chris. I definitely think you could add Terry Francona in the category of "will stick with underperforming players." I'll cite the cases of Mark Bellhorn, Kevin Millar, and Julio Lugo. Could Bruce Bochy be as rough on his starters as Dusty Baker?

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , January 06, 2009

I've always thought Torre was over rated...not a good X and O's guy, tends to burn out his bullpen...blessed with great talent in NY, never won anyplace else. Check his record while not with the Yankees...biggest strengh is handling the media and keeping a calm clubhouse...

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment Preview