DODGERS The MATTINGLY Thread

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Dodgers, Mattingly part ways
by Anthony Irwin | Dodgers Nation — 2 hours ago

A familiar refrain from fans once the season ended has been how badly the organization needs to part ways with its manager. Well, those critics got their wish Thursday morning, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Don Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways.

First, from a purely human standpoint, anytime someone loses their job, the stress can be tough to overcome for them and their family. So, in that regard, I want to wish Mattingly well on whatever comes next for him (He’s already rumored as a candidate for the Miami Marlins).

Mattingly was always dealt a tough hand in coaching this team – especially these last few years as the payroll skyrocketed. While it’s easy to equate salary level with quality of roster, that’s a flawed way of thinking. If anything, those inflated bank accounts throughout the roster might’ve made Mattingly’s job even tougher, as egos tend to accompany that type of income.

By the time the Dodgers were knocked out of the playoffs this year, the lineup was almost comically lacking in offensive firepower. Rallies were repeatedly killed by guys who felt like automatic outs as the Dodgers tried to get any kind of momentum going.

The bullpen? Yeah, we’ll just say that was less than ideal outside of Kenley Jansen and Chris Hatcher.

This isn’t to overlook any blame Mattingly had. I’ll get to that in a second. It would simply be unfair to fail to acknowledge some of the difficulties that came along with this position — and that will likely remain for whoever takes over for Mattingly.

From my perspective, the most legitimate criticism throughout Mattingly’s tenure was his in-game management. He had an uncanny ability to dial up the wrong choice whether it be offensively or defensively. Much of that is luck, but his guffaws became impossible to overlook near the end of his time in Los Angeles, especially come playoff-time. Oh, and there were those double switches, which turned into a drinking game as the years went on.

He also struggled to adapt to the analytics evolution for most of his tenure. Given the front office’s importance placed on the numbers game, that was never going to end well. This season, it was widely reported how he and Andrew Friedman’s staff started working together a little more effectively, which was nice to hear, but it appears to have been too little, too late.

Culturally, Mattingly always felt a little too “old school” for the direction baseball is going in. “Donnie Baseball” as a moniker felt like a sarcastic criticism from those who appreciate a good bat flip occasionally, and it appears that style isn’t going anywhere. No relationship better exemplifies this than how he handled Yasiel Puig.

I’m not letting Puig off the hook here, either. He is incredibly immature, based on stories from on and off the field. Mattingly rarely seemed interested in bridging that gap, which is almost unforgivable, given how Puig remains one of the most talented players on the roster.

Whoever follows Mattingly atop those managerial steps in the dugout will certainly have plenty of questions to answer. Names have been thrown out there, and there will be plenty of time to speculate. For now, though, I’d just like to wish Mattingly well on wherever he ends up.

Three straight trips to the playoffs and seasons with more than 90 wins will never be something to scoff at. The exciting thing for fans, however, is that this isn’t seen as enough success. This organization has something it simply hasn’t had up until recently: expectations.

 

in other words, buh bye...

Dodgers coaching staff told they are free to look elsewhere for jobs
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 2 hours ago

LOS ANGELES -- We are still in the early stages of this process, but with Don Mattingly out as manager by mutual agreement, the bulk of the coaching staff could be overhauled as well.

"We talked to them this morning. Obviously we wish that we had more answers to provide but we don't. This process is just getting underway," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Thursday. "We told them they are free to look elsewhere."

Friedman said the contracts for the entire coaching staff expired at the end of the season, and that the new Dodgers manager will have a lot of input in the coaching staff.

"To the extent that something lines up for [current Dodgers coaches] and their family, we understand," Friedman said. "To the extent that they're still available when we hire a manager, that will be a conversation we'll have with the new manager at that time."

Rick Honeycutt has been the pitching coach for 10 years, Mark McGwire the hitting coach for five years. Davey Lopes has been first base coach for five years, and Tim Wallach has been on the staff for five years, including the last two as bench coach, to name a few on the staff. Wallach has reportedly interviewed for the vacant Nationals job.

Friedman said having managerial experience wouldn't necessarily be a factor in picking the Dodgers' next manager, someone he expects to have in place "definitely" by the winter meetings from Dec. 7-10 in Nashville.

"We'll have candidates who have managerial experience and others who don't. For us to cast as wide as a net as we want to, we're going to go into it with an open mind," Friedman said. "Different guys have different skill sets, and we're going to keep an open mind about who is the best fit. Whatever we perceive to not be that person's strengths we'll look to fill that out around him, and figure out ways to help make [the staff] as well rounded as possible."

Neither Friedman nor general manager Farhan Zaidi would mention any specific managerial candidates, saying it was still early in the process.​

 

Hallelujah. It had to happen. Winning division titles isn't good enough when you play in a bad division and have a huge advantage payroll wise.

 

6 reasons why managing Dodgers is one of most attractive jobs in MLB
By Matt Snyder | CBS Sports Baseball Writer — 3 hours ago

With the seeming inevitability -- Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly "parting ways" -- in the rearview, the three-time defending NL West champions begin their search for a new skipper. You can bet it'll be a new-school manager to fit with the Andrew Friedman front office.

Another item: This is an incredibly attractive job opening. There are only 30 of these jobs in the world, so each is at least relatively attractive, but this beauty is a smoke show. Let's look at some reasons why many candidates would jump at the opportunity to manage this club.

1. Clayton Kershaw.

First of all, there's Clayton Kershaw. In the last five years, Kershaw has won three Cy Young Awards, finished second once and figures to finish third this season (with a 2.13 ERA and 301 strikeouts). He's still only 27, too.

Who wouldn't love to take over a team with this ace?

2. No need for a rebuild in LA.

Next up, the Dodgers are the three-time defending NL West champs. Many managerial openings come with a team that is either coming off a greatly disappointing season or is in the midst of a rebuild. There's neither here. These guys are built to win now.

3. Dodgers' front office can outspend any club.

To piggyback on that point, the Dodgers have the ability to outspend anyone in baseball, even the Yankees. If the front office wants a free agent, they should be able to land him. This isn't like taking over the cash-strapped Rays.

4. Young core, plus talented farm system.

The Dodgers aren't just a free-agent laden roster, though. They have plenty of talented youth. Yasiel Puig will be 25 next season while Joc Pederson will be 24. Corey Seager will be 22. The Dodgers have a fine minor-league foundation in place, too, with likely frontline starter Julio Urias.

In looking specifically at the likes of Puig and Seager, there's room for improvement, too. We know Puig is better than he played this season because we've seen it. Pederson could easily take a big step forward next season and we saw his power upside in the first half. Seager has the tools to be a superstar. Yasmani Grandal was great before dealing with a shoulder injury for the last few months.

5. Let's not forget the veteran presence.

We haven't even mentioned talented veteran holdovers like Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner or Kenley Jansen, either.

6. Sunny California.

Finally, there's the Los Angeles weather (thinking baseball-wise), managing a marquee franchise and playing in Dodger Stadium. All of those things are very favorable.

No, the Dodgers roster as currently constructed isn't complete. Zack Greinke's departure via free agency would hurt, but there's an entire offseason for the talented front office to fill holes. One of those holes happens to be manager, and the Dodgers will have the pick of the litter.

 

Why? Honestly, who is a better one?

I don't know how much a hitting coach actually affects the players, maybe not at all and it's about the talent, but as far as hitting goes, the team has done fine in the big picture. Obviously want the offense to be better, want the pitching to be better too, but for the most part the hitting got better since he came and players have hit as well as you could expect them to if not better in many occasions. Idk how else to judge him, other then I'm sure most will dislike him just cause we always want more offense. I won't think we're doomed if he's gone, maybe someone great is out there, but I feel as if Mac and Honeycutt have succeeded here as far as we can tell

 

What's next for Dodgers? Analyzing possible manager candidates
by David Brown | CBS Sports Baseball Writer — 3 hours ago

Now that the Dodgers and Don Mattingly have decided they're not right for each other anymore, what will team brass do for a manager? They missed out on Joe Maddon this past offseason, as the timing of his availability from the Rays -- where he worked with Andrew Friedman -- wasn't ideal, and Maddon instead went to the Cubs. But now -- with the Mattingly divorce now official as CBS MLB Insider Jon Heyman reported earlier on Thursday -- Friedman, general manager Farhan Zaidi and team chairman Mark Walter have a chance to pick "their guy" to be skipper.

He doesn't have a lot of managerial experience, but Gabe Kapler, the team's director of player development, just might be the guy. Widely considered to be one of the brighter young minds in the game, Kapler was hired away from being a Fox Sports analyst in November to direct the organization's farm system. Kapler played in the majors for 12 seasons, including two with Tampa Bay when Friedman was GM, and he managed for a season in the minors for the Boston Red Sox.

Who else? Other reported candidates include in-house possibilities such as bench coach Tim Wallach, who reportedly has interviewed for manager of the Nationals, and Ron Roenicke, the team's third-base coach. A former Dodgers player, Roenicke was manager of the Brewers from 2011 until May 4 before hooking on with L.A.

The best "free-agent" manager on the market probably is Bud Black, who managed the Padres from 2007 to June 15, when he was fired.

Charlie Montoyo, who managed the Triple-A Durham Bulls (a Rays affiliate) for eight seasons before being promoted to the majors to coach third base in 2015, probably will get a look, having worked for Friedman. Another apprentice, Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, has extensive coaching experience but none as a manager. He also was Joe Maddon's bench coach with the Rays. Phil Nevin, a former major league player with minor-league managerial experience, reportedly has interviewed with for the Marlins (twice), Padres, and Nationals openings.

Another candidate, directly from TV: Alex Cora, who works for ESPN, had an extensive playing career, and is widely respected in the industry, but has zero experience as a coach in the majors or minors. He has served as a manager/general manager for a winter league team in Puerto Rico.

Kapler would be a risk because he has never managed in a major-league dugout, but clubs have been bucking that trend in recent seasons. Kevin Cash with the Rays, Jeff Banister with the Rangers, Craig Counsell with the Brewers and Robin Ventura with the White Sox are among few examples.

Considered to have a strong personality with good communication skills, Kapler is said to have embraced analytics (which makes sense, given Friedman's and Zaidi's backgrounds). He recently turned 40 and, with his playing career having ended in 2010, probably could relate well to modern players (another reason, no doubt, why the Dodgers hired him for player development).

Kapler actually announced his retirement as a baseball player in late 2006 and immediately became a minor-league manager with the Greenville (S.C.) Drive of the Class A South Atlantic League. Josh Reddick and Felix Doubront were among his players. Kapler lasted one season as a manager, going 58-81, before starting his playing career over.