Espada doesn’t engage in f-ckery when determining playing time and putting together the lineup. That is far more important than to me than how Espada sounds on camera. (Jury is still out on Espada’s in game decisions). Same thing with Dana Brown’s scouting, talent evaluation, trades, and FA signings. I care a lot more about his ability to find the next Blanco or trade for the next Cam than I do with his sometimes bombastic statements before the media. I think Hinch was so popular because he was a superior communicator and had a good blend of analytics vs feel, notwithstanding not using Cole in 2019.
I'll never forget being around in Hinch during the summer of 2015. I was a summer intern for KPRC sports department after my sophomore year of college. Got to be in the clubhouse a handful of times and around Hinch. He was extremely impressive as a communicator and how he interacted with people and handled himself. Learned shortly later that he was a psychology major at Stanford. It all made sense. The way he communicated with different personalities and handled all the various situations that came his way as a manager really reflected a deep understanding of the psychological dynamic with pro athletes. Take away his baseball management decisions, I think that ability was enough, and will continue to be enough, for him to always be at least an above average MLB manager.
