When trying to compete in games and contend for division crowns, a good, quality manager is just as important as the players he manages. With talks of a pending extension for Terry Collins, let’s take a look at what I believe makes a good manager and if Terry Collins lives up to those stands. Now, this isn’t everything that a manager has to do, just some of things that are crucial to being a successful manager.
1) Lineup Construction: Those at home thing that they can construct a lineup, but it is much harder than it seems. Finding match ups that work for the team and putting players in positions to succeed is crucial to have a consistent offense. Murphy, a quality hitter seems more suited in the # 3 spot, with Wright behind him at #4. Placing Eric Young and Lagares in front of those two provides a quality 1-4 to the lineup. Travis d’Arnaud needs to be higher up the order. One of the better hitting prospects in the game is hitting 7th everyday and sometimes finds himself behind guys like Quintanilla, Baxter and den Dekker. Collins struggles to place in guys in positions to succeed and seems to construct the lineup in a way that doesn’t maximize the talent that it has.
2) Bullpen Use/Pitcher Management: A good manager is able to gauge his pitcher’s energy and what a pitcher has left in the tank. He also knows when to go to the bullpen or when to leave his starter in for another batter/out/inning. Multiple times during the year, it seems that Collins didn’t have a gauge on the pitcher on the mound that night. On a number of occasions he has done his to Dillon Gee, leaving him one batter too long or pulling him too early. This inability to gauge his starters, it compromises the bullpen. Sometimes he uses them too early, forcing guys to pitch to one batter to many, or playing the match ups a bit too much causing games to be lost in the later innings. Having a handle on the pitching staff is a huge part of being able to stay in ball games and win them. Now part of this falls on the pitching coach, but ultimately it’s the manager that walks out there to talk to ball from his pitcher. When he walks out there, he needs to be making the right decision.
3) Standing Up for the Players: A manager who isn’t afraid to get ejected to make a point and defend a player, is one that most players want to play for. Now this doesn’t mean a manager (or Terry Collins) needs to lead the league in ejections, but when a player is wronged or a manager feels his team was just cheated they need to state their case. Collins, time after time, can be seen in the dugout chewing on his pen rather than defending players and his team by arguing a little. A manager that argues shows that he has the players backs and cares just as much as they do about winning. It’s also a show of leadership, taking one for the team in order to make a point. That time of energy can spread through a ball club and can create an attitude and environment that leads to wins on the field, just ask Bobby Cox.
Now there are a number of things that can be talked about that make a good manager, but these are three qualities that a manager must have to be successful. These qualities can win games, can keep spirits high, and make players want to play harder and more aggressively. While the team has holes at long list of positions, its glaring hole at the manager position could keep them from making that jump back into contention. A two year extension for Terry Collins means he is going to manage a team that the front office thinks will compete for a playoff berth. Is Terry Collins the manager that takes the Mets to October baseball? This answer might be the key to success for the Mets. A wrong decision could set this team back and could derail all progress that has been made. One man could be the answer to the Mets struggles, Alderson and Co. need to make sure it’s the right man.
Sorry Joe but I disagree about your assessment on 1-4 hitters being set. Lagares and Young have terrible OBP in the lead off spot. Both don’t walk enough, So that’s an F there for Terry. Bull pen and LOOGY are just an inefficient way to use a bull pen. That’s an F there. Sticking up for his players is very subjective so I will take a pass and score it incomplete. As for his pitching coach throwing his pitchers under the bus when they don’t execute well that doesn’t help team moral. If Harvey is to be a question mark then I can see TC getting a new contract though I think I’m starting to feel sick about that.
Terry is not the right man for this team to go forward, he is not a good in field manager! I could name several bad choices he’s made over the last three years but I don’t have the room or the time!
I have written a long article on why Collins is a bad manager. I have read other articles, shorter and longer, on why Collins is a bad manager. It has been said that he didn’t have a good team to manage, thus never getting a real chance. But, my argument is what has he done well with what he has?
To this day I have not read a single paragraph that enlightens me on to the positives of Collins being the Mets manager; not a single article, anywhere.
He’s cheap and very affordable.
And he does what he’s told
I feel like we’re talking about a family pet sometimes and not a human being. How sad.
Ive said it before, and more convinced now than ever. He’s a field commander that takes and follows orders carefully. He is a conduit from the front office to the field that either fully believes and so easily employs Alderson’s wishes, or just follows orders no matter his beliefs. What we get is that Sandy is the mouthpiece for Alderson. General Alderson has a Plan, and Colonel Collins enacts it. in that regard he is valuable to the FO and team by extension. We all easily confuse on field decisions and leadership, along with Ws and Ls, as a measure of the skipper. Maybe that is true in some or even alot of organizations. Not this one. As of the other day Alderson made it clear that his on field performance in terms of production is not a measure of the man. Of course not. Collins NEVER bad mouths the tripe he’s been given. Here’s another plate of crap TC…eat it. And he does without a flinch. He’s loyal and loved by his superiors. We fans are the end of the chain, we see things from the bottom up, but those decisions are made top down. Line-ups, bull pen management, Xs and Os are clearly not part of his evaluation.
You place a lot more importance on the manager than most do, that’s for sure.
Chris, I’m also not a Collins fan and would like to see someone else in the dugout but I can’t agree with your reasons #1 and #3. Lineup construction as you constituted it would not want me to hire you as a manager. (Don’t feel bad, I would probably do just as bad and TC is not very good either). Collins sticks with his players longer then I would, so your point #3 is hollow in my eyes as this is covering a players back more than an argument. In defense of Teflon Terry, he is a good soldier and loyal to the Mets. He can handle the media, which is important in NY. I read an interesting piece that explains his success as a manager by use of WAR and the pythagorean record in the paragraph by Dan Haefeli, Staff Writer:
http://risingapple.com/2013/09/23/rising-apple-weighs-potential-terry-collins-extension/
I feel the Mets have become too stagnant and need a new pair of eyes to evaluate the players so I don’t want TC back.