Chas was clearly head and shoulders above Meyers and Dubon last year. It wasn’t close. I don’t think anyone is saying it’s “personal”.
Yeah, there are plenty of people saying it was personal, just look at the last 2 pages and no he was not clearly head and shoulders above Majors laid out the actual numbers.
Last year. It wasn’t close. I still don’t see anyone saying it’s personal. Wasnt close last year though. No numbers say that it was.
Vs LHP he definitely sat Chas in favor of lesser players In the end it all worked out as we are the Champs! But it’s not even debatable vs LHP
The most heated arguments all year are going to be over the backup C and the backup CF... what a time to be alive.
I don't disagree with this, but it does not change what I posted, and we know Dusty likes to tinker or give guys the opportunity to figure things out.
This is a good point. I'm honestly still flabbergasted that they let Vazquez walk bc, allegedly, they want Maldy to make most of the starts. Vazquez checked off so many boxes, never mind the fact that he was already acclimated w the team and staff and could've been signed to a reasonable contract. Every time we see Maldy up to bat w a RISP and a .185 BA just remember Vazquez, for as "bad" as he was after he joined the team, still hit .272 last year. Oh well.
Doesn’t change what? You said people are saying it’s personal. They are not. You said that the numbers are close. They are not.
I know that Dusty Baker has done some questionable things over the last 30 years... but I can see why he had some issues with Click. First, Baker was right about Meyers. It was very clear early that Jake Meyers wasn't physically ready to be the starting centerfielder. His throws were poor, and he didn't look right at the plate either. Second, what Baker said about Contreras is right too. I think the mistake was that Click did not get him to DH and be the back-up catcher. Adding as a starting catcher to the Astros would have been a disaster. First, at least 60% of the rotation would want Contreras to start. Second, the Astros had arguably one of the top 5 pitching staffs in the last 25 years. Contreras SHOULD have been a trade target, but for DH and some first. Third, Gurriel looked DONE last season. Click didn't want Gurriel on the post season roster, and Baker wanted him on the roster and starting. Gurriel ended up playing a huge part in the Astros post season success. Fourth, Baker wanted Pena to hit in the two hole because he said it helped his confidence, even if it was a placebo situation. Well, Pena won World Series MVP. From what I have been able to dig up, Baker didn't really have any issues with Click personally. The issues were that Click (like Luhnow) wanted to control pitching changes, line ups and other clubhouse related issues. Baker agreed with some, but not others. When Baker disagreed and said he would not give on certain things, then Crane was called in. So, you add that up, and count Click not wanting Sterling Marte or wanting to make one last pitch to sign Verlander... and I can see where the owner could lose confidence in his GM. In fairness, I am sure some of this is luck or certainly cannot be scientifically validated.... but overall most of what Baker and Crane wanted to do last year worked out... and It was also confirmed to me that Crane did not like constantly having to get between Baker and Click and felt that they should have worked it out.
Yep. Letting him go was stupid. Although, I’m not sure he was gonna stay as the backup to someone he probably feels is not as good as him. I agree with his decision of going to a team that wants him more.
Good summary. They had 3 years together. That's plenty of time to realize what works, what doesn't work, and whether or not things will get even better in the future (or you end up repeating the same arguments all over again). Will be interesting to see where Bloom falls in regards to the Red Sox fan base if they continue on this current down-cycle with questionable personnel moves. Moneyball swinging back towards gut feeling/big spending GM's like Dombrowski? Doubtful... but certainly some of the Tampa practices are not being well adapted to bigger markets.
True. In all fairness, I thought he was hurt/covering for something when he blew that Yankees save... and then he went on to save like 149 games in a row or something, and most of them in dominant fashion.
They didn't really let Vazquez walk. He didn't really want to rejoin the Astros. He wanted to resign with the Red Sox first, and beyond that wanted to be on a team where he did not have to really share catching duties. With the Astros, he would have Maldonado looking over his shoulder, so short of the Astros trading or releasing Maldonado, it wasn't likely. Even with all that, the Astros still were a finalist to sign him. I don't quite get all the fascination with Vazquez. His career OPS+ is 85 and Maldonado has an OPS+ of 73. There isn't really a major difference, certainly not enough to mean getting rid of the starting catcher on your team. I can understand signing someone like Contreras or trading for someone like Murphy. FWIW had Maldonado and Vazquez wanted to play together, then I wouldn't have an issue with it - but that did not interest Vazquez.
Go look at his first week up in the Anaheim series where he went big fly deep a couple times against Anaheim to lose right center and both crushed- plus a triple off the wall in the gap. That was big boy ****. Once you see that you know it’s there (maybe unless you injure your labrum) and then want to see it more often.
The vibe I get from listening to broadcaster and players during celebrations and the like is that Chas is an utter and complete moron. Sometimes, reasonable people have a hard time giving responsibilities to morons, even if they are best for the job. Could be all it is.
Chas didn't play any more or less throughout the season - he got about 60-70 ABs per month, regardless of whether Dubon or Meyers were on the roster, except in June when he sucked and August for a few days when he was injured.
They didn't LET him walk. He didn't want to be here. HE said no. It's not like a TRADE where he has no choice.
