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3 comments

1. philk

   March 30, 2018 09:30 AM

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   Oh boy, here I go……Since this article is about awards, I want to give my award to the worst managing debut in baseball history to Gabe Kapler. Before talking about this I want to qualify what I say with three items: 1. One of the beauties of baseball is that it is 162 games long and that everyone will have ample chances for redemption and that I shouldn’t get so misplaced after one game, one incident, 2. It is a positive testament to Gabe that he has confidence in his bullpen until shown otherwise, and, 3 I think sabermetrics and the minute analyzing of all things baseball is very important. Now – If I may, I think Gabe Kapler took Aaron Nola out of his opening day start yesterday because of sabermetrics. Nola felt fine and wondered why?? I have to cast a vote here – I vote for talking to your pitcher: I vote for a manger balancing their gut with their brain: I vote for a manager also becoming a student of why some ‘old school’ (I know this is a hot button word) managers were very successful. I see this as a portent of things to come – for instance – because of a 100 pitch obsession taking a guy out with two outs in the eighth while pitching a perfect game. Isn’t the spirit of the human and the clubhouse, TEAM CHEMISTRY as, or more, important and a contributing factor in a decision. . In closing, to reiterate, I believe in sabermetrics, but in the trenches, for the assistant whispering the good facts into the manager’s ear – but when it comes to the manager that I want to see on the field I want an integration of all things baseball not some absolute frame of reference that dwindles away a 5 – 0 lead with a stat that comes up from punching in a real life scenario into a computer. Sorry Gabe this is how I saw and see your debut yesterday and the overall picture of baseball decisions from stats over….well….reality. GO PHILLIES and GO Gabe!

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   • Chris S

     March 30, 2018 01:16 PM

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     From Bill Baer himself:
     mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/03/29/gabe-kapler-draws-criticism-with-quick-hook-of-aaron-nola/

     Good article and well worth a read.

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   • Ryan

     March 30, 2018 03:07 PM

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     Sabremetrics don’t support this decision. The only stats that I’ve seen that support it are surface level stats mostly due to small sample size. Considering on pitches 51-75 he has an OPS against of 0.610 the stats seem to suggest he was at his best at this time and that taking him out is a bad idea. Also Hoby Milner had a good season last year, except it was almost all luck and looking at sabremetrics and stats beyond ERA would have told Kapler this.

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