Is Dusty Baker the dumbest manager in MLB history?

[PickWinnerAllDay]

And if you say no, please, show me one who would not intentionally walk a guy who is 4-9 against the opposing pitcher with 2 outs late in the game, when the next hitter is 0-5 against opposing pitcher, and the NEXT batter is 0-10 against the opposing pitcher.

Out of the 30 current managers, 29 of them would walk the batter there with first base open. So to find one dumber than Dusty Baker, we would need to go back through history. Anyone have a name?

[Wilfred]

Bobby Valentine

[rm18]

Whoever is the White Sox manager is the dumbest why do you hit adam dunn 3 hole against lefities when he hits like .100 against them lol

[jagaf22]

Matheny! MLB is no place to learn on the fly.

[Killer_Demo]

he cant be worse than ron washington

[HoulihansTX]

Jim Tracy. He manages his pitching rotation, and bullpen with IQ of a Gold medal winner in the Special Olympics.

Besides are the Reds down 5 runs? Who is going to intentionally walk batters when the game is not competitive? And why would you put more players on base just to face more batters? 0-10? 0-5? Those numbers are fairly meaningless, as all of those outs could have been balls in play. Did he have 15 combined SO's vs those batters?

[PickWinnerAllDay]

Jim Tracy. He manages his pitching rotation, and bullpen with IQ of a Gold medal winner in the Special Olympics.

Besides are the Reds down 5 runs? Who is going to intentionally walk batters when the game is not competitive? And why would you put more players on base just to face more batters? 0-10? 0-5? Those numbers are fairly meaningless, as all of those outs could have been balls in play. Did he have 15 combined SO's vs those batters?

number 1 - the score was 5-2 when the decision was made... so sure, you can say, oh, its 7-2, who cares? Seems stupid to say because it was 5-2 when he chose not to make the decision. Down 5-2 at home is not a lost cause in the 7th.

Also, Matt Holliday is a better hitter than Allen Craig... He also hits Marshall better than Allen Craig... the situation definitely called for an IBB, there really is no disputing that.

[Samfourteen]

I agree, still think he lost that world series for the giants ..

[HoulihansTX]

Facing Cards lineup, I'm going to safely say there are no easy outs. Intentionally walking to face another batter, especially one the caliber of Craig, only inceases the chances of runs being scored. If you want to prevent runs, find a better reliever. Micro managing works when you are keeping guys of the bases. For example shifting the defense, or switching relievers vs batters with poor platoon splits.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

Facing Cards lineup, I'm going to safely say there are no easy outs. Intentionally walking to face another batter, especially one the caliber of Craig, only inceases the chances of runs being scored. If you want to prevent runs, find a better reliever. Micro managing works when you are keeping guys of the bases. For example shifting the defense, or switching relievers vs batters with poor platoon splits.

Holliday > Craig in general
Hollida > Craig vs Marshall

With first base open, that 6th run is the key anyway... keeping the game at 5-2 is the ultimate goal, so walking Holliday has no effect on that. It was a bad decision by Baker to leave Marshall in and not IBB. In order, these were the smartest decisions statistically.

IBB - Let Marshall face Craig
Take out Marshall
Leave Marshall in and pitch to Holliday

[mynameismud]

i remember 10 years ago jt snow saved dusty baker's son from getting run over and crushed by a guy coming home.

http://catindigamajig.tumblr.com/post/16810590843/j-t-snow-snatches-dusty-bakers-son-darren-from

[HoulihansTX]

So the premise of your arg is that Holliday is better than Craig?

Craig is hitting .380 vs lefties this year.
Holliday .331 vs lefties.

This best option was to switch relievers from a lefty to a righty.

[MUHerd37]

A Dusty Baker question? Sounds like a question for Baskets to answer.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

So the premise of your arg is that Holliday is better than Craig?

Craig is hitting .380 vs lefties this year.
Holliday .331 vs lefties.

This best option was to switch relievers from a lefty to a righty.

So we agree that Dusty Baker had 3 options in front of him and went with by far the shittiest? Then let's end the discussion there.

Besides, one move doesn't make a manager. You'll find that Baker consistently chooses the worst decision by the statistics though and then prays for the best.

[HoulihansTX]

The worst option is intentionally walking to get to the better hitter. Bakers issue, which HigherElement touched on, was not swithing relievers. Baker is not a top flight in-game manager which we can agree on.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

The worst option is intentionally walking to get to the better hitter. Bakers issue, which HigherElement touched on, was not swithing relievers. Baker is not a top flight in-game manager which we can agree on.

Nah, the worst option was allowing Marshall to face a guy who crushes lefties and crushes him. That is pretty clear. You say Craig hits lefties better than Holliday, but the reality is, every pitcher is different and Craig was 0-5 against Marshall for a reason.

[lunchbawks]

baker has the youngest team in baseball 25 games over .500

i just dont see it PWAD

[PickWinnerAllDay]

baker has the youngest team in baseball 25 games over .500

i just dont see it PWAD

In the worst division in baseball. You don't have to 'see' it because the reality is a manager has a lot less effect on a game than you really think. But when Baker is given options to help or hurt his team, he always chooses the latter.

[Mantle7]

It's almost as if he's progressively getting worse. Calls that a Single A Manager would be on top of just over Dusty's head. It has arrived to the point where he is so bad that I refuse to bet on the Reds or play any kind of total on a Cincy game. He is the ONLY Manager that manages a team that I will not bet on. Somebody said something in a thread along the lines of "well you know Dusty manages the the team and you knew that before you placed your bet" and he was right. He has the pen in the league and just doesn't know how to utilize it. I never thought I wouldn't bet a team because of the Manager. He's fukked me out of way too much money this year and I'm over it.

[Holtgetsback]

i have been saying this for years

people give me the argument "he's a players manager"

give me a fukkin break

I find mostly liberals are fans of Dusty

[baskets]

i'z beez an intelligence an sheet

[baskets]

Is she turning in her grave?

[Mantle7]

And if you say no, please, show me one who would not intentionally walk a guy who is 4-9 against the opposing pitcher with 2 outs late in the game, when the next hitter is 0-5 against opposing pitcher, and the NEXT batter is 0-10 against the opposing pitcher.

Out of the 30 current managers, 29 of them would walk the batter there with first base open. So to find one dumber than Dusty Baker, we would need to go back through history. Anyone have a name?

He didn't necessarily need to intentionally walk him but he definitely should of pitched around him. See if he could get him to chase some hard to hit pitches out of the strike zone. To throw pitches down Broadway with a batter that's hitting .533 is just stupid when you have batters behind him hitting .000. It's his lack of common sense that's so frustrating.

[No coincidences]

Take it you were on the under.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

Take it you were on the under.

50% homer bailey, 50% dusty baker ... bet looked good early.