Washington Nationals: How Does Baker Fit With NL East Managers?
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals Manager Dusty Baker starts his second year in the dugout in DC. How does he stack up with his colleagues in 2017?
The National League East is chock full of good managers going into 2017, including Washington Nationals skipper Dusty Baker.
Gone are the likes of Fredi Gonzalez and Matt Williams. In a division creeping closer to parity, the five men running the bench are as solid a unit as you find. The gap in talent is narrow.
As we start this year’s rankings of where the division sits by player position, sorting out who is the best in leading their squad of 25 is a difficult task. Some teams do not have the talent of others. Others dealt with a difficult offseason. Baker has to rally his own troops after last season’s playoff disappointment and no closer.
We know one thing for sure, the Nats will not race through the NL East 20 games over .500 as they did last year. If they repeat as division champions, the challenge is a notch or two higher.
The modern manager is misunderstood. His job is not to set the lineup and win. Today’s skippers need to balance playing times. Without the designated hitter, they need to plan their game plan with higher precision and then improvise when the starter is bombed in the second inning.
A good manager is a parent to his club, helping players navigate any issue from a slump to a crumbling marriage. Most of their best work remains unseen and off the Internet. They never get proper credit when things go right, but plenty of blame when things go south.
Heading into the 2017 campaign, here is how the chess players stack up.
PETE MACKANIN – PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
A better fit for the Phillies than Ryne Sandberg, it is hard to say anything bad about Pete Mackanin.
Hamstrung with handling a rebuilding project at its beginning, Mackanin is not in a true position to show his talent. He guided the Fighting Phillies out of the basement in 2016, but mustered a winning percentage of .438. His style helps Philadelphia more than it hurts.
His players vouching for Mackanin last offseason to stay as manager helps his cause. They like playing for him. Something you can say for every manager on this list. He is the right man for the job.
Because the quality of managers is so high in the division, his rank of fifth is not a slap on his abilities, but speaks to the depth of talent in the NL East. Whether the player talent is there or not, you never get the sense watching the Phillies they are not prepared and professional. That goes back to Mackanin and his staff.
With full replay, he challenged 46 calls in 2016 and could overturn 26. Not a bad record.
This season will be a struggle in Philadelphia. A bad stumble out of the gate will warm Mackanin’s seat quickly. He deserves a full year to see if the Phillies can rebound in the right direction.
DON MATTINGLY – MIAMI MARLINS
Perhaps the biggest player’s manager in the division, Don Mattingly’s first season in Miami saw him and his team survive the ultimate challenge.
Still hanging on to Wild Card hopes late in the season, the unexpected death of Jose Fernandez in a boating accident turned baseball into simply a game. Mattingly’s job this year is more than mere wins and losses, but molding a team united in grief after a long offseason. His people skills, his greatest strength, are on full display.
Considered by some in Los Angeles as over his head during five seasons with the Dodgers, Mattingly has finished three times in the top five for NL Manager of the Year including a fifth-place finish in 2016. We may understate how good he is.
With replay challenges, he won 34 of 53 in 2016. A good sense of judgment.
As the Marlins debate upstairs how hard they want to compete for the playoffs, Mattingly faces his toughest test this year. As the grief dissipates, it is his job to keep Miami focused on the field while juggling expectations. Giancarlo Stanton remaining healthy would help.
Unless the bottom drops for the Marlins, Mattingly’s job is safe heading into 2018.
BRIAN SNITKER – ATLANTA BRAVES
The shortest-tenured manager in the division, what Brian Snitker got out of the Atlanta Braves last year is outstanding.
Long after the Braves and Nationals positions in the standings were settled in September, Washington rolled in for a late-season weekend series at Turner Field. Despite playing out the string, and the ballpark, Atlanta came out in full force, battling every game as if the two teams were in a playoff battle.
For a team virtually eliminated in April, Snitker’s effect on his kids speaks volumes on his managerial ability. No wonder his players asked for the interim tag to go.
If there is a surprise team heading into 2017, look no further than the Braves. With a new park, a revamped rotation, and a cast of hungry prospects, Atlanta is the X-factor in the division.
Whatever Snitker is selling, his players are buying. By itself, that will win a few games they have no right to.
Snitker made 33 replay challenges last year, winning 18. A winning decision, for sure.
Although the Braves are a year or two away from contending, they have the talent and the manager to decide who wins the division. One bad weekend from Washington may tip the balance.
TERRY COLLINS – NEW YORK METS
There were times last year when the veteran Terry Collins looked tired. Injuries ravished the New York Mets. Matt Harvey, Lucas Duda and David Wright missed large portions of the season. The Mets looked bored.
Then, in August, Collins played a card unique to New York. He called out their effort in a press conference ensuring his words would splash all over the back pages of the tabloids. It worked as the Mets hosted the NL Wild Card game before running into Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants.
As they came off their first World Series trip in a generation, you can understand why the Mets played tired most of the year. With a shortened offseason full of obligations, it is hard to get the mental rest needed to go through the grind again.
Collins, facing the same challenges, rose his game, stuck his neck out, and shoved his team back to the playoffs.
For the record, Collins challenged only 28 calls, winning 18. Barely one a week.
The last two years, he has earned top fives in the NL Manager of the Year vote. In his six years with the Amazins’, New York went from cellar-dwellers to pennant winners. Collins is poised for another run this year and will do what he has to do to get there.
DUSTY BAKER – WASHINGTON NATIONALS
When Dusty Baker grabbed the helm of the Washington Nationals, he was not their first choice. By the time the champagne and beer flowed in Pittsburgh, he was the best choice.
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As you know, unity was not a team idea in 2015. Matt Williams was destined to go long before Jonathan Papelbon tried to choke Bryce Harper in the dugout.
Baker, who came to the job with a reputation of overworking starting pitching and the inability to win the big game, put the Nats back on track. Whatever problems were happening behind the scenes stayed there. By September, the division was not in doubt. The team played as one.
You can blame Baker for what happened in the NL Divisional Series, but no Stephen Strasburg and Wilson Ramos doomed the team from the start. Remember, they pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers into using Clayton Kershaw on one-day of rest to in the series.
With replay, his success rate was not good, winning 19 of 47. As a fan, you want a relaxed and professional manner instead. After a few seasons away, he guided the Nats to the playoffs and finished third in the NL Manager of the Year vote.
Not a bad first season back.
