OK, back to the fire Eric Wedge thing ... I hate to beat a dead horse. Wedge probably isn't going anywhere, but if I were running the team, before I did fire him, my thought process would probably go something like this:
Here are 10 questions about the Indians' managerial situation (apologies to Terry Pluto).
1. You shouldn't fire a manager unless you know who is going to replace him and, for that matter, why you want the new guy. To do otherwise is making a change for change's sake and signals to the team and its fans a lack of direction. So, if the Indians were to fire Wedge, who should replace him? There's actually a simple answer, that's almost too easy. Mike Hargrove. He is not managing in the big leagues, and has said he'd like another go-around before he retires for good.
2. Why would Hargrove be an improvement over Wedge? Well, for starters, Hargrove always had good bullpens. He did tend to let some pitchers languish without enough work, and he did tend also to get a little crazy with lefty-righty match-ups for my taste, but the team always seemed to have solid relievers who put up good numbers year after year. Eric Plunk, Paul Assenmacher, Paul Shuey, Mike Jackson, Ricardo Rincon, Jose Mesa (sometimes) and others were fairly consistent under Hargrove. For that matter, Hargrove is a veteran manager who has managed both good team (Indians) and bad teams (Orioles and Mariners). He certainly brings some perspective with him. Besides, he'd be a very popular pick with the fans of Cleveland, who, I think, still love him. It would be nice to hear the late-night Cleveland sports talk show calls from "Mike from Strongsville" defending his moves in the game.
3. OK, Hargrove had good bullpens, but does the Indians current staff have as much talent on it as Hargrove's did? Yes, and maybe more. Hargrove never had a closer as good as Kerry Wood. Joe Smith, Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez both have tremendous stuff, as does Jensen Lewis. Hargrove would probably be able to sort out one or two pitchers from the cast of thousands surrounding those guys.
4. What would it take to settle down the bullpen? I'd say regular work, few one batter appearances and the elimination of slavish adherence to strict roles. (And I am recommending Hargrove? Well, he made it work regardless of whether he did those things or not.)
5. Why do I think those three items are important? Well regular work, but not overwork, would keep the relievers sharp and rested. The problem with one-batter appearances (this point ties perfectly in with its predecessor) is that a pitcher may throw only five or fewer pitches a night. How does one build up muscle memory and maintain a consistent delivery when throwing so few pitches? The third point fits in nicely here: the more pitchers you use, the more likely you are to find someone who is having a bad day. Therefore, maybe it's not prudent to pull a reliever after the seventh inning just because someone else is "supposed" to pitch the eighth inning. I'd probably err on the side of leaving relievers in or using my closer for long saves rather than parading five guys out there every night. Odds are, eventually, one guy just won't have it.
6. Do I really think Eric Wedge has to go? I don't know, but, as Bill Parcells says, you are what your record says you are. Wedge's teams perpetually get off to bad starts. Further, in only two of his seven years has he had a good bullpen. So, he is what his record says: a manager whose teams have been unprepared to start the season and who has not patched together a struggling bullpen.
7. What would the Indians lose if they fired Wedge? In terms of leadership, I have no idea. I am not in the clubhouse. They would, however, lose a manager who has done a good job of producing offense and who also has done a remarkable job of developing starting pitchers and keeping them healthy. Under Wedge, the Indians had two straight Cy Young award winners. Many managers never even have one.
8. Hargrove has said he wants to manage one more season in his independent league before coming back to the majors. What do you do for the rest of the season? Well, if the team tanks, does it really matter who manages them? At this point, the team has sunk so low, it's almost impossible for them to get back into contention, even though their division is weak. Ten games below .500 seems more like 50 games below .500 with these guys.
9. What could Wedge do now to help the pitching staff? One thing he is already doing is putting a better defense on the field. He has started playing Asdurbal Cabrera at short and Luis Valbuena at second, which is a better combination than Cabrera at second and Jhonny Perlata at short. Peralta belongs at at third or DH. I'd also consider putting Matt LaPorta at first and bringing Trevor Crowe back up to play left. LaPorta is a natural first baseman and Crowe is a better outfielder than LaPorta or Ben Francisco.
10. What to do with the players this move would displace? I'd bet that from the likes of Kelly Shoppach, Mark DeRosa, Ben Francisco and Ryan Garko, the Indians could bring in a couple of players who would really help next year's team.
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