Should Scioscia be retained at the end of the season?

[nate]

Assuming this team misses the playoffs for the fourth straight year.  Should he be retained?

[nate]

I of course thought he should have been fired after the last season.  I don't doubt that he is a very good manager but I think his time with this organization is worn out.  He is one of the longest tenured managers in the history of MLB.  There is a reason managers don't last that long.

[Tyler]

Yup. Dipoto on the other hand...

[AZMike]

Yup. Dipoto on the other hand...

 

you realize the most cost effective way for Moreno to get Scioscia off the field without having to buy out his contract would be to promote him to GM, right?

[katie]

This is a brand new idea that hasn't been argued about at all!

[AngelArcher]

Clean house. GM, manager and coaching staff. Trade Scioscia for whatever they can get.

[Bruce Nye]

Absolutely he should be fired, because we all know Ryne Sandberg could make Hamilton hit like his MVP year, Blanton pitch like Koufax, heal Pujols' foot, Madsen's and Burnett's arms. 

[steveuk]

Yes he should - no he wont.

[shellback]

not that it would make much difference, but its time for him to go.

[AZMike]

Clean house. GM, manager and coaching staff. Trade Scioscia for whatever they can get.

Scioscia for Donnie baseball and Carlos Marmol

[Angel Oracle]

Absolutely he should be fired, because we all know Ryne Sandberg could make Hamilton hit like his MVP year, Blanton pitch like Koufax, heal Pujols' foot, Madsen's and Burnett's arms. 

This is spot on (not Scioscia's fault).   The question though is, does Scioscia's style work anymore here after almost 14 years?

 

My thought is, give this team ONE healthy enough season (only say 8-10 DL stints in 2014 instead of probably 15-17 by the end of 2013) without crippling injuries, and then re-sign Vargas and acquire a righty starter to slot between Wilson and Vargas, and see where Pujols and Hamilton are in 2014.

If this STILL produces no post-season play (for a 5th straight season) 2014, then it is time for a change. 

[TroutAdell]

Totally agree with Nate. MS has had some excellent years with the Angels when he had Shields and Frankie in the pen. He, however, has not done a good job with this roster. He fills out the lineup card and should have gone to Dipoto and demanded that Albert go on the DL. Running Blanton and Williams out every fifth day instead of using Richards to replace one of them is reprehensible. His time managing the Halos has passed. He will have no problem getting another gig. Dipoto should go after Bud Black or Clint Hurdle.

[Troll Daddy]

It's a gamble ... be careful for what you ask. I would be surprised if Dipoto/Moreno fired him at season end.

[wopphil]

It is hard for me to find fault with Scioscia.  Take yesterday's game for example - could any manager on earth have obtained a different outcome?  So many games have been lost by 3 or more runs, due to such things as terrible starting pitching and the complete absence of Pujols/Hamilton.  How is any of that Scioscia's fault?  Scioscia didn't construct this team. 

 

Perhaps a better way of looking at things is like this: What moves has Scioscia made that you guys take issue with?  What, specifically, can you point to that he has done wrong?  I would agree that his bullpen management has been bad in a few of the games this year, but I am sure that is the case with all 30 managers in MLB.  Would moving Hamilton down in the lineup earlier in the year really changed where we are in the standings?  Would Conger's .744 OPS really have won more games than Ianetta's .702 OPS?  With how poorly Williams has pitched the last month, can any of you reasonably say that if he had replaced Blanton in the rotation, this team would be better off? 

 

You guys want a scape goat just because you think it will vindicate your dissatisfaction with this team.  But it won't.  Organizational success is cyclical, and we are now paying the price for some very bad free agents signings and some short-sighted trades, none of which are Scioscia's fault.  If Jerry does his job, in time the team will be good again.   

[Catwhoshatinthehat]

I don't think Mike should get as much blame as he does but if they don't make the playoffs I think it's time for some fresh blood in the managerial position.  There's no denying what he's done for the franchise but all good things must end and sometimes a change of direction is the way to go.  Anything we say about his demeanor or how he talks to players behind closed doors is speculation but if a company doesn't perform sooner or later the guy at the top needs to go.  You can't just sit around and focus on the good old days while flirting with mediocrity.  That said I don't envision him being let go.   

[CardsFanVegas]

If its the 4th straight year with no playoffs, it would be best to go another direction.

[Mudville]

I of course thought he should have been fired after the last season.  I don't doubt that he is a very good manager but I think his time with this organization is worn out.  He is one of the longest tenured managers in the history of MLB.  There is a reason managers don't last that long.

 

The reason managers don't last long is not tenure and since you don't doubt he is a very good manager then your whole argument is flawed.

[Homebrewer]

you realize the most cost effective way for Moreno to get Scioscia off the field without having to buy out his contract would be to promote him to GM, right?

Scioscia as GM??

LOL.

Didn't work out very well the first time.

[nate]

The reason managers don't last long is not tenure and since you don't doubt he is a very good manager then your whole argument is flawed.

 

The reason is that you can't succeed with one voice leading your organization for such a long time.  Change is necessary.  For the same reason that the most successful companies go through CEOs on a fairly regular basis.

[Mudville]

Bobby Cox.

[Homebrewer]

Scioscia could be the roving minor league intangibles coach.

[Reveille1984]

Wopphil pretty much summed it up perfectly.

 

I couldn't care less whether Scioscia stays or goes honestly.  No manager could have saved this trainwreck of a season.  We moved out all of our young talent for hopefully a few years of deep playoff runs and instead Pujols has crashed and burned, Hamilton is doing the same and the pitching has been patchwork for a couple years now.  Since everyone is locking up good young pitching and the free agent market gets thinner every year, we're really running out of options as Weaver and C.J. get older and we have zero arms to match up with them any time soon.  I could honestly see the Angels sucking for 4-5 years as they slowly replenish the farm and let some expensive contracts die out. 

 

Imagine how terrible things would be if Trout didn't develop into the best player in the game.... ugh.  This team would be an unmitigated disaster, even more so than it already is.  If we're on a downswing, at least it's happening while the Rangers and A's are having some of their best seasons in years. 

[robblin17]

Get him out of here. Should of been gone a long time ago. Unprepared, error prone, and underperforming go hand in hand with Scioscia these days.

[nando714]

Who would be manger candidates if he really is let go?

In before someone says Erstad

[WallyWorld]

Absolutely he should be fired, because we all know Ryne Sandberg could make Hamilton hit like his MVP year, Blanton pitch like Koufax, heal Pujols' foot, Madsen's and Burnett's arms. 

 

so there's been zero under-performance the past few years? it's just bad luck that the team has come out of the gate each of the past two seasons unprepared and looking like zombies?  bad luck that they have a team full of good defenders and are one of the worst defensive teams in baseball?  

 

Give me a break, Bruce.  How much failure do you need to see before you think it's good idea to change direction in managers?