Fredi Gonzalez Named 2011 Braves Manager... By Fiat Of All Sports Writers
by gondeee on Jun 23, 2010 11:29 AM EDT
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PrintIt's been less than an hour since the Marlins dismissed their most recent manager, but already some prominent sports writers are pretty much declaring him the Braves next manager. Here is a roundup of the Tweet storm:
To reiterate my oft-expressed view, if Fredi Gonzalez is available, he immediately moves to top of the list of potential Cox replacements.
A possible replacement for Bobby Cox is now available. Florida Marlins fire manager Fredi Gonzalez.
fredi gonzalez deserved award for standing up to hanley, not firing he got. owner's expectations too high there.
and:
fredi is the heavy early favorite to replace legendary bobby cox. marlins favored to keep ridiculously low payroll.
Fredi Gonzalez now has the path cleared to become the #Braves next manager after being fired by the #Marlins.
Gonzalez now available to serve as Cox's successor. Will he join the Braves organization soon?
Certainly the writers have their choice to replace Bobby, but we'll have to wait until after the season to see what Frank Wren does. Bowman brings up an interesting point:
With Gonzalez currently available, there's reason to wonder if the Braves will attempt to immediately add him to their organization as an advisor or possibly even make room for him to join their current coaching staff.
I don't know if that's the Braves' style. They may let Fredi know they're interested, but a major league job? I could see them adding him as a roving instructor, then bringing him up in September when the team is allowed to add an extra coach.
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I was thinking the same thing
It’s clear that he is an option and the front-runner right now, but they act as if there is no other manager the Braves would be interested in. This is a move that everyone expected, the Marlins firing Fredi that is, but just not so soon.
Twitter: @Ben_Duronio
Another awesome picture & caption...
You’re on a roll.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
Am I the only one who wants chipper for manager?
The poster formerly known as: SidKotchman
by SidGlaus on Jun 23, 2010 11:56 AM EDT reply actions
probably
no coaching experience and I’d bet that once he hangs them up he’s going to want to spend some time with his family before getting back into baseball.
R.I.P Jazz #6
I expect him to go spend time with his family..
but not sure a player like Chipper would really require coaching experience..
The poster formerly known as: SidKotchman
by SidGlaus on Jun 23, 2010 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree with that
he’s a great and knowledgeable player but in this day and age everyone needs coaching experience to become a manager.
R.I.P Jazz #6
Except AJ Hinch apparently.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I've got to assume he held a baseball-related position after playing
the point I’m getting at is that players don’t go straight from playing to managing.
R.I.P Jazz #6
He did, he was the head of player development for the Diamondbacks, for about a year and a half, after being a scout for a year. He had very little time between the end of his career and becoming a ML manager.
But still, working in the front office and coaching/managing a team are very different. I’m not saying that doesn’t make him qualified, I’m just saying it doesn’t fit toward your original point that “everyone needs coaching experience to be a manager”.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I'm sure they hired him in that capacity to groom him as a manager
my original point was that chipper won’t move right from player to manager, so yes, this still goes with my original point.
R.I.P Jazz #6
that'd be great i'd rather have him as hitting coach though
by bravesfan1047 on Jun 23, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Does anyone buy into the theory that people that are great at something, or that come by it more naturally, have problems teaching others with less “natural ability” how to do it?
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I approve of this awesome picture.
The birth of Jason Heyward was God’s punishment for the sins of the people in New York and Philly.
Just like shooting Fish in a barrel.
"I don't think there's any greater free-swinger in the game than Jeff Francoeur" - Tim McCarver, 4/17/2010
The SPCA is boycotting Fredi being hired…
j/k, btw
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Great picture, and I agree, I think he should be the #1 frontrunner to replace Bobby. I think Bobby will have a say in the matter, and I see Fredi being the manager (since he has managing experience) getting the nod over TP. Ned Yost would have been a good option too.
My two cents worth: Fredi over Ned by a fair margin.
"I don't think there's any greater free-swinger in the game than Jeff Francoeur" - Tim McCarver, 4/17/2010
oh for sure.
The poster formerly known as: SidKotchman
by SidGlaus on Jun 23, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Well said.
btw, contrary to my email, the last time I was at the Ted, the lens was seen, yet ok’d by a security guard. Go figure. But maybe it was just that guard, plus I was going through the season ticket holders line. idk
Do they ban long lenses now? 10 years ago it wasn’t a problem.
MUST RECONFIGURE STRIKEZONE PARAMETERS TO ACCOUNT FOR FALLIBLE HUMAN UMPIRE - CyborgHanson48
Is this a metaphor for something? ;-)
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions
They have for at least the past 2 seasons. It was an MLB rule, not an Atlanta Braves rule (as explained to me by the security guard who stopped me 2 years ago) that lenses longer than a ticket were not allowed in the park.
This is what the AB website states right now:
All cameras must be hand held and no longer than 5" in length. No tripods or monopods will be permitted. Hand-held video cameras and still cameras for personal use may be brought into the ballpark, provided no game action is recorded in accordance with Major League Baseball regulations. Please be courteous to those guests around you when taking pictures, the equipment may not obstruct the view of other guests. Camera cases must fit through the bag template and will be inspected prior to entrance into the ballpark.
Sorry about being silly earlier.
If this really is an MLB rule it wouldn’t surprise me too much since security has become so stringent in public areas where large crowds gather over the past 8+ years. But in every game during the White Sox series I saw a guy with a camera that clearly fell outside those guidlines sitting behind the Sox’ dugout. He looked to be a fan, not a credentialed photographer. So I don’t know if it’s an MLB rule or a rule at Turner Field. Still I wouldn’t risk taking expensive equipment that you’d have to leave in a vehicle during the game, or miss the game.
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 24, 2010 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t have anything specific against Fredi, but I’m not sure why he’s such an obvious choice to be the next Braves’ manager other than having previously been a coach for Bobby Cox.
Great temperment, experience in the organization, experience as a Manager at the ML level, and repeated success as a manager despite a terrible organization that penny-pinches at all times and utterly fails to provide sufficient resources to get to the next level.
In this case, we have to measure “success” carefully, for no, they haven’t made the playoffs or won a division. But they seem to be perennially acknowledged as a team “not to be ignored” and that could have perhaps competed for the division if the ownership had any inclination to get veteran help. All of their players have been either home-developed or obtained via trade of their best in exchange for new prospects. I would likewise put Joe Girardi in the same category for exactly the same reasons.
"I don't think there's any greater free-swinger in the game than Jeff Francoeur" - Tim McCarver, 4/17/2010
Plus he's worked within the Braves' organization before.
He knows the “Braves’ way” of doing things, obviously, so it make for a more smooth transition.
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Psh...
Wes Helms isn’t veteran help?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 23, 2010 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions
the way he coaches is just like bobby: keep switching pitchers until you find one the other team can hit
It's worked more often for Cox than all but three other managers all time.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 23, 2010 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not suprised he was fired
Marlins have high expectatations and Fredi wasn’t doing what they wanted. I thought he did a great job from what the FO was giving him. I t always thought he was the front runner to get the job even before he was fired. There are other options ,so he’s not the manager yet.
High expectations?
Maybe, but you have to have more than expectations to work with as a manager. It’s like the little signs you see at the beauty shop:
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
You’re absolutely right, of course. But how often has baseball ownership/management failed to use common sense or logic in these sorts of things? cough Steinbrenner cough
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Fredi's probably not surprised either
& is probably quite happy to have been fired.
A baseball diamond is, most simply, the intersecting of four 90-foot baselines, and, most powerfully, the intersecting of seemingly random lives.
High Expectations
Yup, they gave him the two things that an organization can give a manager to succeed- marquee free agents and enough payroll maintain arbitration eligible players. The Marlins have a long history of doing that!
I hate the Phillies so much...
by frozendesert on Jun 23, 2010 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Just wondering out loud but..wouldn't a pitching coach or former catcher
be better suited as the braves manager…considering we will and will always do it with great pitching.. whats your thoughts?
The poster formerly known as: SidKotchman
by SidGlaus on Jun 23, 2010 12:59 PM EDT reply actions
Fredi Gonzalez was a catcher. He played in the minors for the Yankees.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
As
Hanley Ramirez is so kind to remind us, he never played in the majors.
I hate the Phillies so much...
by frozendesert on Jun 23, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I was waiting for someone to say this!
Alone in the world of the little CatDog...
by bwellnjonesco on Jun 23, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Hell yes!
"Sharks have a week dedicated to Jason Heyward."
METS: My Entire Team Sucks.
by Scott Coleman on Jun 23, 2010 1:12 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
....Haithcock for bench coach?
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
Oh, Jeffrey Loria.
So the Marlins added zero veteran players this offseason and Loria expects the team to run away with the division. Hilarious. How about next time, you open up your pocketbook if you want to win? Oh well.
Fredi’s not perfect as a manager, but he’d be a pretty good choice. Way better than Ned Yost (who seems likely to keep the Royals job anyway). We’ll just have to wait and see what happens at the end of the season. Hopefully we’ll all be too excited from the World Series title to care much.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 23, 2010 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Not sold on adding Fredi now...
That would seem to be blatant disrespect towards our hitting coach. Even if we don’t think he deserves to manage the Braves (I think he’d be a good manager, but that’s just me), we at least owe it to him to keep him in on the hiring process after the season. 9 years is a lot of time.
Way too early to crown anybody yet.
Here is who I would like to see get interviewed:
Fredi, absolutely.
Chino Cadahia
Bobby Valentine
Dave Brundage
Eddie Perez
We’ll get a good manager out of that short-list, for sure.
"Brian McCann will be guest starring as Bizarro in Smallville this fall. See, he has to put his glasses on to become Superman." -by Rhyno18 on Aug 4, 2009 5:52 PM EDT
not my choice either
I say give Glavine or Maddux an interview
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
~Earl Wilson
They need
a good laugh, apparently.
I hate the Phillies so much...
by frozendesert on Jun 23, 2010 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Can't stand Valentine
I’m with all the above on this one.
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it'll be Fredi
but I’d love to see Eddie Perez managing. The players love him and he is just a generally great guy.
R.I.P Jazz #6
Bobby Valentine
revoking of Braves fan card for that! haha.
I'd love to hear the reason for all the Bobby Valentine hate here.
And please, no “cuz hes da sUx0rz” or any other such juvenile response (No, that isn’t directed at you jwrocks…coughcoughbullmancough). Sure, I understand that he managed the Mutts, a team we all love to hate, making it to the World Series one of those seasons. He has had great success in Japan in the past. Clearly he can manage, and he is damned cut above the guy that is probably going to get the job…Terry Pendleton.
My only knock on him is that he is 60 years old, and would most likely be a transitory option until the guy I would like to see get the job, Dave Brundage, is just a tad more seasoned.
"Brian McCann will be guest starring as Bizarro in Smallville this fall. See, he has to put his glasses on to become Superman." -by Rhyno18 on Aug 4, 2009 5:52 PM EDT
Bobby Valentine is actually one of the coolest coaches/managers I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and I love watching one of the games that he’s broadcasting. He’s a great baseball guy and I think he’d be a good choice. That being said, I’d rather it be somebody who already has ties to the Braves, and also someone younger.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I can give you
a few reasons off the top of my head, but these are personal observations that affect my view, therefore probably different from yours. I’ve seen his writing, mostly on ESPN.com, and it seems as if his head is completely stuck back in the nineteenth century. He makes no reference to statistics beyond win-loss records and ERA regarding pitchers and B.A. regarding batters. Instead, his writing focuses on more of the abstract and non-quantifiable characteristics of players. This is not a characteristic that I would want in a manager. Second, it seems as if (again, in my experience) he has a vendetta against the Braves and Bobby Cox. He rarely ever says anything positive. Third, as a manager, he was not that good. In 15 years in the majors, he made the playoffs twice (!) and has a .510 winning percentage. I don’t know exactly about payroll numbers during his tenure with the Rangers, but I’m going to guess that they were pretty high during his time with the Mets. Finally, I just don’t really like him. I’ve never met him, but he seems to be fake rather than a genuine guy (again, just my opinion).
I hate the Phillies so much...
by frozendesert on Jun 23, 2010 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The Braves have been great for 20 years because they've focused on makeup and intangibles, not Sabermetrics.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 23, 2010 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions
The ONLY problem with Eddie Perez...
is that I could see him calling for a “beanball” at least 4 times a game!
We would lead the league in bench clearing brawls!!
The comments on the Braves facebook fan page
Make me want to shoot all of them.
They’re starting a TP for manager campaign!
Kawakami - 1, Halladay - 0
+1
I don’t know if TP would be a good manager or not, but neither does anyone else. Whatever his strengths and weaknesses as a hitting coach, you can’t really infer too much from them regarding his potential as a manager. I don’t see any reason to fear him being named manager.
That said, he’d be (at best) 3rd on my list, behind at least Fredi and Eddie Perez.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 23, 2010 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm for TP, first and foremost.
Eddie second (and I want TP to retain him if he gets the job.)
I hate to pull the Old School card but I never thought I would see the day that Bobby motherfucking Valentine would be running more or less even with the guy who was the catalyst for this team learning and believing how good it was in 1991.
As could I
Chipper: "It has never been about money for me, and it never will be about money. It has always been about winning, comfort and playing for Bobby Cox."
Side topic:
Why isn’t Leo Mazzone employed as a manager or coach somewhere? Maybe I’m missing some backstory on him.
by KoKo the Monkey (T-Bone) on Jun 23, 2010 3:00 PM EDT reply actions
He’s too arrogant to accept a job as anything other than a Major League pitching coach, and after his time in Baltimore people are convinced he’s not as good of a coach as everyone thought he was in Atlanta. He doesn’t work very well with younger players because he destroys their confidence by riding them. He’d be fine on a great team with great veteran pitchers, but anything else probably wouldn’t work out well, which is why he doesn’t have a job as a coach.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Great insight. Thanks.
I’ve never been very impressed with his expert baseball opinions he shares on 680 the Fan, so I’m not jockeying for him to get a job with the Braves. Half of his commentary is on how bitter he still is about his experience in Baltimore.
by KoKo the Monkey (T-Bone) on Jun 23, 2010 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
And why shouldn't he be?
Awful organization to be a pert of.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 23, 2010 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve heard similar things about his coaching style. Never heard any direct criticsm or specifics, but I recall one or more former Braves’ pitchers that played under him basically saying he had a “my way or the highway” mentality. He didn’t listen to what the pitchers had to say, much less cared.
I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
by Old Braves' Fan on Jun 23, 2010 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Fredi Gonzalez.
I feel like he’s the front runner at this point. Frank Wren and Fredi do have a previous connection, as Frank was the director of scouting for Florida during the early to mid 90s while Fredi was a minor league manager in their system.
As much as I like Fredi, I wouldn’t discount someone like Brian Snitker. Brian had a great rapport with his players when he was coaching in the Braves minor league system. His experience level is not that different from Fredi’s when he got the Florida job.
http://soaringdownsouth.com/
Manny Acta
Call me crazy but I prefer Manny Acta to Fredi Gonzalez. I think if Acta was given a legitimate roster (aka not Washington or Cleveland) he would be a great manager.
Fredi has to be it
Really their are three opt’s for ATL to replace Cox on the bench after this season.
1 – T. Pendleton
2 – E. Perez
3- F. Gonzo
(no the order of the above mean nothing)
So with that posted above Freddie Gonzo has to be the favorite at this point; he knows the organization and the players and I think he did pretty well a couple of seasons ago for us.
E. Perez would be my second choice, just love the guy but he needs to be a manager at the minor league level before he takes on our MLB club. An Terry P is nowhere near ready to be a MLB manager although I have said all along that he is waiting around ATL for the at chance.
I vote Fredi for manager in 2011 ~ Go Braves.
by Holty_Panthers_Fan on Jun 23, 2010 10:30 PM EDT reply actions
Dont let Mr. Cox fool you
He will NOT be hanging it up after this year. Once he gets another WS ring, he will want to be back.
SOOoooo all this talk is pointless right now
I can't help but wonder if Fredi is going to be the one,
and the Marlins somehow found out and fired him. I say this because Bobby said Fredi called him at 8am the following morning to let him know he had been fired. I realize they are friends and all, but still….IDK, just a guess.
I would be happy with Fredi. I think it would be a smoother transition with someone that has worked with the Braves in the past. That said, I would not want TP for various reasons.
Chipper: "It has never been about money for me, and it never will be about money. It has always been about winning, comfort and playing for Bobby Cox."
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