Do You Want Scioscia Back?

[Revad]

 

Spoiler

But make up sex

[Second Base]

The worst mistake Eppler made was when he tried to modernize the Angels by hiring Brad Ausmus as an assistant to sit and study data for an entire season, then hiring him as the manager to specifically integrate that data in a managerial role.

Also hiring Doug White to be the pitching coach, a man who had minimal coaching history, but studied Driveline hardcore. The Angeles had a collection of young pitchers that needed coaching and guidance and instead, they got computer analysis. 

When Maddon was brought in, it was a swing in the other direction, and looking back now, Arte must have stepped in and made personnel decisions over Eppler and that had to be the beginning of the end of Eppler's reign.

Maddon's history with scouting and coaching has given him a unique ability to help hitters tap into their potential, help players with the mental part of the game and help teams gel together. Carlos Pena credited Maddon with helping his career, as did Zobrist, as  did Jared Walsh, Taylor Ward, Matt Thaiss, and pretty much the entire Cubs team has echoed this. He makes a positive difference in the development of players and the cohesiveness of teams. All things that speculatively speaking, I'm not convinced Brad Ausmus did.

Mickey Callaway is probably the best pitching coach in baseball. Yeah, likes spin rate and velocity and movement just as much as the next guy, but the prominent difference between him and Doug White is Callaway actually knows how to help pitchers develop those skills, regardless of the presence of data. It's no coincidence that under his guidance, the Indians saw the development of Carrasco, Kluber and Clevinger. Bauer may have bumped heads with Callaway, but you can't ignore the growth that occurred under his guidance. It's no coincidence that Bundy broke out, Canning improved and Barria rediscovered whatever he lost, right after they started working with Callaway.

Now how does this all relate to Scioscia? He has connections with both Maddon and Callaway, as well as catching coach Jose Molina, and comes across really as a less quirky, more abrasive version of Maddon. Obviously, with Molina on hand, they don't need a catching coach. But if he came to Spring Training as a guest catching instructor and worked with the catchers for a week or so, there could be some value in it.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Second Base

[BTH]

44 minutes ago, Second Base said:

The worst mistake Eppler made was when he tried to modernize the Angels by hiring Brad Ausmus as an assistant to sit and study data for an entire season, then hiring him as the manager to specifically integrate that data in a managerial role.

Also hiring Doug White to be the pitching coach, a man who had minimal coaching history, but studied Driveline hardcore. The Angeles had a collection of young pitchers that needed coaching and guidance and instead, they got computer analysis. 

When Maddon was brought in, it was a swing in the other direction, and looking back now, Arte must have stepped in and made personnel decisions over Eppler and that had to be the beginning of the end of Eppler's reign.

Maddon's history with scouting and coaching has given him a unique ability to help hitters tap into their potential, help players with the mental part of the game and help teams gel together. Carlos Pena credited Maddon with helping his career, as did Zobrist, as  did Jared Walsh, Taylor Ward, Matt Thaiss, and pretty much the entire Cubs team has echoed this. He makes a positive difference in the development of players and the cohesiveness of teams. All things that speculatively speaking, I'm not convinced Brad Ausmus did.

Mickey Callaway is probably the best pitching coach in baseball. Yeah, likes spin rate and velocity and movement just as much as the next guy, but the prominent difference between him and Doug White is Callaway actually knows how to help pitchers develop those skills, regardless of the presence of data. It's no coincidence that under his guidance, the Indians saw the development of Carrasco, Kluber and Clevinger. Bauer may have bumped heads with Callaway, but you can't ignore the growth that occurred under his guidance. It's no coincidence that Bundy broke out, Canning improved and Barria rediscovered whatever he lost, right after they started working with Callaway.

Now how does this all relate to Scioscia? He has connections with both Maddon and Callaway, as well as catching coach Jose Molina, and comes across really as a less quirky, more abrasive version of Maddon. Obviously, with Molina on hand, they don't need a catching coach. But if he came to Spring Training as a guest catching instructor and worked with the catchers for a week or so, there could be some value in it.

The thing is, as crazy as it sounds, I think the Angels would've actually made the playoffs in 2020 if Ausmus was the manager.

I say this because Ausmus would've had greater knowledge of the 2020 roster than Maddon did coming into the season. In the early parts of the season we saw that Maddon was still adjusting and getting familiar with the Angels personnel. For example, he didn't use guys like Bedrosian, Buttrey, and Ramirez while instead turning to Barnes and Milner. Maddon eventually figured out who to trust, but it was too late in a short season. Ausmus could've turned a few loses into wins with proper bullpen management at the beginning of the season, and that would've allowed the Angels to sneak into the postseason.

The 2020 Angels had the talent to make the playoffs but didn't partially because the team was built to be managed by a Billy Eppler type manager (like Ausmus) instead of an old school manager like Maddon.

Having a GM and Manager who are on the same page (which hopefully Minasian and Maddon are) is critical for a team.

[T.G.]

I guess this is as good a way of ending 2020 for me as any other...

Some of you have no frickin' clue who Mike Scioscia was and what he meant to the Angels organization.  If you believe he would come back in some diminished role, you have a warped sense of reality.

When he was the manager, he was THE man.  He taught the organization how to win and more importantly how to prepare to win.  He changed the mind set of the entire organization.  He brought a culture of winning to the organization and instilled it throughout.  Every player, at every level knew what was expected of them.  He taught his players how to play baseball the right way.  He pushed the organization forward.

Prior to his arrival, winning was not an expectation. He elevated the expectation to one that was all about winning.  His fingerprints were everywhere in the organization.  He gave the franchise an identity and is probably the single most important person in the organization's history.

Was he perfect?  Heck no.  But he was the best manager this franchise ever saw and his impact was bigger than any other single person has ever had outside of Gene Autry.

He didn't want to leave.  He didn't want to stop managing.  He said this himself.  He still had that fire to manage.  Again, if anyone thinks he'd come back in some lesser role, they're delusional.

I'm not here to argue whether or not it was time for him to go.  That's over and done with.  But to think... to actually believe he'd come back as a special catching instructor or to help out at spring training is ludicrous. It's actually stupid. He's only 62.  He's not some 78 year old dude looking to hang on as long as he can.  Also - He's not going to come back in a role where it appears that he's looking over Maddon's shoulder.  Scioscia has more class than that. 

In my opinion, he might take a lesser role with some other organization, but not the Angels.  Not now.  And most likely, not ever. 

Quite frankly and with all due respect, the Angels don't deserve him any more.   

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by T.G.

[JustATroutFan]

Who? 

[Revad]

6 hours ago, T.G. said:

I guess this is as good a way of ending 2020 for me as any other...

Some of you have no frickin' clue who Mike Scioscia was and what he meant to the Angels organization.  If you believe he would come back in some diminished role, you have a warped sense of reality.

When he was the manager, he was THE man.  He taught the organization how to win and more importantly how to prepare to win.  He changed the mind set of the entire organization.  He brought a culture of winning to the organization and instilled it throughout.  Every player, at every level knew what was expected of them.  He taught his players how to play baseball the right way.  He pushed the organization forward.

Prior to his arrival, winning was not an expectation. He elevated the expectation to one that was all about winning.  His fingerprints were everywhere in the organization.  He gave the franchise an identity and is probably the single most important person in the organization's history.

Was he perfect?  Heck no.  But he was the best manager this franchise ever saw and his impact was bigger than any other single person has ever had outside of Gene Autry.

He didn't want to leave.  He didn't want to stop managing.  He said this himself.  He still had that fire to manage.  Again, if anyone thinks he'd come back in some lesser role, they're delusional.

I'm not here to argue whether or not it was time for him to go.  That's over and done with.  But to think... to actually believe he'd come back as a special catching instructor or to help out at spring training is ludicrous. It's actually stupid. He's only 62.  He's not some 78 year old dude looking to hang on as long as he can.  Also - He's not going to come back in a role where it appears that he's looking over Maddon's shoulder.  Scioscia has more class than that. 

In my opinion, he might take a lesser role with some other organization, but not the Angels.  Not now.  And most likely, not ever. 

Quite frankly and with all due respect, the Angels don't deserve him any more.   

 

I think he would take a diminished role if it was fun and he could hang out with his buddies, who I imagine can really talk baseball.  

[Angel Oracle]

Add Heaney to those aided by Callaway.   HRs allowed in 2020 was way down from 2019.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[Revad]

I should have added Calloway, but the point is Scioscia is a resource, I bet he’s a go to guy.  If I were making decisions I’d ask him for his opinion.

[Slegnaac]

Scioscia should have a job at the MLB level.  He should either be overseeing the Umpires or in charge of the Rules committee. 

He could even follow Joe Torres path and become the Chief Baseball Officer at some point.

I doubt he is coming back to the Angels org.

[Pancake Bear]

Ten years or so ago, he'd easily have found a new job. But with the new trend towards younger guys, he's kinda gotten left behind. I really don't know why: Guys like Maddon, Baker, and Showalter keep getting re-hired. It might be that he only has certain places he wants to manage, or that his asking price is prohibitive. 

[eligrba]

Can he pitch or play right field?

[Pancake Bear]

46 minutes ago, eligrba said:

Can he pitch or play right field?

Or both.

[Taylor]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:35 PM, T.G. said:

I guess this is as good a way of ending 2020 for me as any other...

Some of you have no frickin' clue who Mike Scioscia was and what he meant to the Angels organization.  If you believe he would come back in some diminished role, you have a warped sense of reality.

When he was the manager, he was THE man.  He taught the organization how to win and more importantly how to prepare to win.  He changed the mind set of the entire organization.  He brought a culture of winning to the organization and instilled it throughout.  Every player, at every level knew what was expected of them.  He taught his players how to play baseball the right way.  He pushed the organization forward.

Prior to his arrival, winning was not an expectation. He elevated the expectation to one that was all about winning.  His fingerprints were everywhere in the organization.  He gave the franchise an identity and is probably the single most important person in the organization's history.

Was he perfect?  Heck no.  But he was the best manager this franchise ever saw and his impact was bigger than any other single person has ever had outside of Gene Autry.

He didn't want to leave.  He didn't want to stop managing.  He said this himself.  He still had that fire to manage.  Again, if anyone thinks he'd come back in some lesser role, they're delusional.

I'm not here to argue whether or not it was time for him to go.  That's over and done with.  But to think... to actually believe he'd come back as a special catching instructor or to help out at spring training is ludicrous. It's actually stupid. He's only 62.  He's not some 78 year old dude looking to hang on as long as he can.  Also - He's not going to come back in a role where it appears that he's looking over Maddon's shoulder.  Scioscia has more class than that. 

In my opinion, he might take a lesser role with some other organization, but not the Angels.  Not now.  And most likely, not ever. 

Quite frankly and with all due respect, the Angels don't deserve him any more.   

 

Sir, this is a Wendy's.

 

 

Also, I agree.

[Mark68]

No.

 

Turn the page.

[eligrba4ever]

No. I suspect Mike has moved on. If he's not making the lineups and plotting game strategy, he's likely not enjoying himself.

[Revad]

5 hours ago, Taylor said:

Sir, this is a Wendy's.

 

 

Also, I agree.

Yes but extra pickles still means something