re: DAT: Offseason Thread - Spring Training THIS WEEK!

You are dead wrong.

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Maybe I’m just a contrarian, or maybe you are, but don’t you wonder just how much Cora meant to Hinch last year?

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Not really. I think most vastly overestimate the importance of managers and bench coaches at the major league level.

And to answer your question it seems like “not much” from Cora’s quote

Roberts is the only one who’s been managing the last few postseasons that I think really does hold his team back. The constant platooning is insane to me.

I’m not saying it doesn’t matter at all, but I don’t think it matters to the degree each decision is microanalyzed by fans and media (Unless you’re doing something crazy like leaving Zach Britton in your bullpen or throwing Brandon Morrow every single game in the postseason)

Ultimately players have to perform and ours simply didn’t this October and Boston’s did. I don’t really lay that on Hinch.

Definitely not fair to dump the outcome all in Hinch’s lap.

Boston lineup showed up. MUCH tougher outs at the plate. How much of that was coaching vs roster talent? No way to know.

They hit our pitching better than we could hit theirs, and we had the added degree of difficulty in trying to repeat, with the health of our best players in question.

I probably just share more in common with Cora’s philosophy than Hinch’s. And I am concerned Hinch won’t be able to overcome that difference.

Of course, that’s presuming I am right. And I’m not the luckiest guy around.

I think the worst thing that happened in hindsight was gattis showing signs of life toward the last month of the season and the 1 month high that white was on. We all thought, and I’m sure management did too that between those two guys our DH issue was fine. Turned out it was fool’s gold for both.

The pitching also picked the absolute worst time to flounder. And it started with game 2. We had every bit of momentum in that series until Jackie Bradley Junior hit that 2-1 pitch off the wall in left field. We never recovered.

That was the most crucial moment in hindsight.

The moment was too big for Cole. He struggled with control, heart beating out of his chest, unforced throwing error, and greeting his outfield in the dugout patting his chest after they were forced to chase down warning track flyballs with their backs against the wall.

I thought it was obvious Cole had been hit hard enough and struggled with his control to the point Hinch should have pulled him. Gave up 2 hard hits and walked a man to load bases. Normally light hitting JBJ could only be a problem if you get behind in the count. Missed first 2 pitches badly, then I think he swung at ball 3, prior to getting the only location I think JBJ could hurt him on that 2-1 delivery.

Our relief pitching was so bad in retrospect that who knows what would have happened, but Rondon and Smith would not have been the call at that point. James or McHugh, I suppose.

Our pitchers missed the edges, either catching too much of the plate and getting hit or being too far outside to get hitters to chase. I’ve never seen us pitch from behind as much as we did, hem being fearful of their bats we nibbled and missed and gave away too many free passes. Keuchel hsd our second best start in that series...let that sink in to tell you how bad it was.

I hadn’t heard, seen, or noticed that we had more QABs than Boston in those 5 games, but I’m sure that didn’t hold true in the last 4.

If so, then Hinch deserves more criticism than he’s getting. I know we had more walks, but if we had higher OBP and SLG, you would have to think we had lineup issues, and we did. Hinch was all over the place in that regard.

Still, I feel like Boston had a much better overall approach at the plate, facing better pitching

Drayton really f*cked us on that deal.

I hope he didn’t collect all the money that he would have collected if he would have just renewed a deal with Fox Sports SW.

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For at least a few more hours, your Houston Astros are still reigning World Champs. Enjoy.

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