Jose Molina not returning, more changes coming?

[arch stanton]

At this point we probably all agree he'd make a better coach than player, for what that's worth

[Inside Pitch]

Catching is the one position where I truly believe if a guy was bad at it, he will be a bad coach, in part because so much of what they do goes beyond the physical stuff you often see coaches working on guys with. 

Suzuki started his career as a plus plus defender (as far as his catch and throw work went), so I'm pretty certain he gets that crap, and could teach it.  I don't know enough about his work with pitchers and the sort to have an opinion but there is no question he's caught "talented" staffs in the past, both in Oakland and Washington. I do believe (as I said previously), that he's a good clubhouse guy.  Guys don't get everyday gigs as catchers for as long as he did unless they are.  The biggest knock on him has always been framing and robot umps could make that part of the game an irrelevant aspect of any future catching coaches.

But I seriously would view a culture hire as an indication the wrong guy is calling the shots and an example of a team spinning it's wheels when it comes to addressing its actual needs.  Jose Molina was a culture guy that also happened to excel at coaching catching, he also had a penchant for being brutally honest and sometimes that doesn't go over well with egomaniacs trying to control the "vibe".

I have my concerns about the team, they go beyond casually viewing baseball on TV.  But like all things Angels, it's not like stressing is going to change anything so ....

[T.G.]

17 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Catching is the one position where I truly believe if a guy was bad at it, he will be a bad coach, in part because so much of what they do goes beyond the physical stuff you often see coaches working on guys with. 

Suzuki started his career as a plus plus defender (as far as his catch and throw work went), so I'm pretty certain he gets that crap, and could teach it.  I don't know enough about his work with pitchers and the sort to have an opinion but there is no question he's caught "talented" staffs in the past, both in Oakland and Washington. I do believe (as I said previously), that he's a good clubhouse guy.  Guys don't get everyday gigs as catchers for as long as he did unless they are.  The biggest knock on him has always been framing and robot umps could make that part of the game an irrelevant aspect of any future catching coaches.

But I seriously would view a culture hire as an indication the wrong guy is calling the shots and an example of a team spinning it's wheels when it comes to addressing its actual needs.  Jose Molina was a culture guy that also happened to excel at coaching catching, he also had a penchant for being brutally honest and sometimes that doesn't go over well with egomaniacs trying to control the "vibe".

I have my concerns about the team, they go beyond casually viewing baseball on TV.  But like all things Angels, it's not like stressing is going to change anything so ....

That's a great post. You gave me a lot to think about. 

This whole "culture" thing is interesting, especially if this front office views that at the same level as "talent."

We have to remember, Suzuki hasn't been hired yet.

Our frustration has lead us to focus on every single move, real or imagined.

[Make Angels Great Again]

27 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Jose Molina was a culture guy that also happened to excel at coaching catching, he also had a penchant for being brutally honest and sometimes that doesn't go over well with egomaniacs trying to control the "vibe".

 

I have to ask, how exactly do you know this? Do you have inside sources in the clubhouse or something?

[Inside Pitch]

20 minutes ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

I have to ask, how exactly do you know this? Do you have inside sources in the clubhouse or something?

Which part?  If you're asking about Molina's coaching ability there is enough info out there and quotes from actual catchers to put greater importance on what they have to say than anyone on the internet, regardless of whether or not they have insight into the clubhouse -- Martin Maldonado is probably a good a place to start for that.  If you are asking about Molina being a brutally honest guy -- that's both something that's been written about and something that's been relayed to me.  Dude is very genuine.

And to be clear - I've not been told that Molina or anyone was actively poo-pooing stuff.