We complain a lot about Jim Tracy on this blog, and I’m sure that sometimes it seems like we are unfairly picking on him. At times, I have even wondered if maybe I just target Tracy because that’s the simple and easy thing to do. When a team plays awful, it’s always easy to place a large chunk of the blame on the manager, and doing so is not always entirely fair. Last night, however, Tracy did something that I’m sure went rather unnoticed by many baseball fans, and yet it perfectly encapsulated what makes Tracy such a bad manager.
In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Rockies found themselves down by two runs. They had runners on first and third with nobody out, and Dexter Fowler was set to come up to bat in the eight hole. The pitcher was due up after him.
Jim Tracy decided that the best way to handle this situation would be to pinch hit Jason Giambi for Dexter Fowler, and then pinch hit Eric Young Jr. for the pitcher in the next at bat. To keep things simple, let’s just run through all of the bullet points about how awful of an idea this was.
- Dexter Fowler owns the second highest OBP (.349) on the team. Let’s ignore how asinine it is that he was hitting 8th in the first place, and think about how fortunate the Rockies were to have a guy who is good at getting on base coming up to bat in that situation
- If Fowler had gotten on base with either a walk or a hit, he would have set the table nicely for Giambi to come up next as a pinch hitter with either the bases loaded or the tying run in scoring position. That would have been neat!
- Dexter Fowler is currently hitting .364 with runners in scoring position
- No matter what Giambi did in his at-bat, Tracy was going to pinch hit for the pitcher in the next at bat, thus burning two bench players
- If Giambi would have reached base, he would have most likely been pinch run for by Alex White, who is a pitcher and doesn’t really know how to run the bases very well
- With Fowler out of the game and Eric Young Jr. pinch hitting in the next at-bat, Tracy had no choice but to double switch and play Young in center field for the rest of the game. Young is not very good at playing center field.
- By using Giambi and Young as pinch hitters in the same inning, Ramon Hernandez became the only position player left on the bench
- Fowler’s speed makes him far less likely than Giambi to ground into a double play in that situation
- If Fowler were to have come to the plate and made an out, Tracy still could have pinch hit Giambi in the next at bat and given him the opportunity to bat in the exact same situation that he would have faced hitting in the eight hole, and Tracy wouldn’t have had to burn an extra position player
In short, there was no logical reason for Tracy to pinch hit Giambi for Fowler in that situation. It did absolutely nothing improve his team’s chances to win, and only served to potentially weaken the line up if the game had continued into extra innings.
This one moment from yesterday’s game is a perfect example of Tracy’s virulent incompetence as a manager. Instead of thinking critically about the situation and doing what he should have done to put his team in the best position possible to win the game, he seems to have been seduced by the image of Giambi hitting another dramatic, late inning home run. His thought process seems to have gone something like, “GIAMBI HIT HOME RUNS. FOWLER SKINNY. MUST PINCH HIT GIAMBI NOW FOR MAXIMUM HOME RUNS.” That is the thought process of a manager who is not very good at his job.
So, the next time you feel hesitant to lambast Tracy for his deficiencies as a manager, just remember this moment from last night’s game, and then go watch a few Lars Von Trier movies because that will probably be a more uplifting experience than thinking about this Rockies team for any extended period of time.
Update: As an astute commenter has pointed out below, it appears that Fowler rolled his ankle in the dugout, which may have contributed to Tracy’s decision to pinch hit for him. Still, the Giambi for Fowler pinch hit is a move that Tracy has already made on other occasions, and is one that he will likely make again.
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17 comments
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Pat
May 23, 2012 at 7:54 AM (UTC -6)
Rockies fan since the start. Hoping Tracy gets fired!
Kevin Kroh
May 23, 2012 at 8:34 AM (UTC -6)
Thought I saw von Trier on the streets here in Copenhagen yesterday. Should’ve asked him to help me finance a far bleaker film than the depressed Dane himself is capable of imagining…
O’Dowd Why Art Thou?
music by: Tracy and the Rox
produced by: The Monfort Brothers.
Guess this might be more up the Coen bros alley.
Logan Burdine
May 23, 2012 at 8:53 AM (UTC -6)
Dex’s OPS is in the mid-800s! What the eff is going on? I really just don’t know what to say anymore.
Riles
May 23, 2012 at 9:11 AM (UTC -6)
I don’t like Tracy, but was he really thinking NEED MAX HOME RUNS? If that’s his thinking, he doesn’t pinch-hit EY Jr.
I think he figured Giambi was more likely to hit a ball out of the infield, thus scoring the run from third. Plus, he clearly doesn’t like Dex that much.
Shake Weight
May 23, 2012 at 9:30 AM (UTC -6)
Agreed, that was a weird move. But c’mon, you get a lead-off double by pacheco in the 9th and cargo, tulo, and helton can’t bring him in? pathetic. that one got me more riled up. nicasio was also terrible.
Jerry
May 23, 2012 at 11:38 AM (UTC -6)
Incredibly impressive, Tom, re your reference to Lars von Trier in a baseball blog. And, kudos to Kevin’s clever cinematic take-off. What ISN’T impressive, of course, is the the Dowd-Tracy-Apodaca “Three Stooges In Denver” movie. Maybe it’ should be the Four Stooges to now include Montfort given his recent assinine comments.
Tinto
December 14, 2012 at 8:22 AM (UTC -6)
Thanks for the correction guys. Wish I could find last years aretlcis about Tulo’s off seaon. Maybe I’m just too pessimistic. If he indeed worked with Arenado and Wheeler then good job, but I didn’t think he did.
Eric Garcia
May 23, 2012 at 11:45 AM (UTC -6)
Perfect example of why I hope Tracy goes before Dex is offered up as trade bait. Hopefully a new regime will recognize his value and potential.
Travis: the idea that watching _Dogville_ after another Rockies loss as an upper is, depressingly and alarmingly, not a bad idea.
Kevin: if you happen by Lars von Trier again, you should let him know that the Rockies organization is the perfect situation in which to adapt Eugene Ionesco’s _The Lesson_. It would be an absurdist conversation between Jim Tracy, the teacher, and Dan O’Dowd, the pupil. It would involve Tracy justifying his value to O’Dowd by acting as a great baseball mind by going through baseball related non-sequiters about game situations and baseball history, thus causing Dan O’Dowd to believe he has a painful and debilitating pulled groin. It could be called _Dinger_ and would definitely be directed by Darren Aronofsky. The entire movie would take place in the most claustrophobic part of the hallway between the dugout and the clubhouse.
Eric Garcia
May 23, 2012 at 11:46 AM (UTC -6)
I meant Tom, not Travis.
Seth
May 23, 2012 at 12:04 PM (UTC -6)
Last nights game pretty much sums up the entire season, bad pitching, bad hitting, bad coaching, and bad defense. I don’t know why he would pinch hit for Fowler, not only does Fowler have a better on base percentage but he would have been hitting lefty at the time and we all know Fowler is a 10 times better hitter hitting lefty and has more power, plus with his speed it would be hard to double him up on a ground ball unless he hit it extremely hard right at someone. Terrible coaching by Tracy. Also, there were three time last night where we had a leadoff double, twice by Cuddyer and once by Pacheco. Both times Cuddyer hit lead off doubles he never touched third base, he didnt move an inch. That is unacceptable, all you have to do is make contact and hit it to the right side of the infield to get him to third base and then hit a grounder or in the outfield and you easily have a run while providing two outs as well, SIMPLE FUNDAMENTAL BASEBALL that is not executed by the players. This falls on both the shoulders of the players for not executing and not being able to do this and the coaches (tracy and Lansford) as well for either not teaching the players to do this or just being plain idiots (which they are). Lets see how the Rockies find a way to lose tonight…
Chris
May 23, 2012 at 12:43 PM (UTC -6)
I had a bad feeling going into this season…so I decided to bail on getting the 15 game pack this year.
I have lost total interest in the Rockies after spending many days and nights over the last 5 or so years watching this team. How is it that Dan O’Dowd still has a job? That to me is the person most responsible for this mess (outside of Monforts for hiring him). Yes, Tracy is not doing a very good job, but look at what O’Dowd has assembled…awful pitching and only a few worthy players. I can’t take it anymore and I do not plan on going to anymore games until something changes. This will continue to go on as long as people show up for the games. The only way for change at this point is to not put money in the Monfort’s pockets. I still can’t get over the stupid comments that Dick has made about O’Dowd…are you kidding me? Get a clue Dick! I will miss baseball, but at least I won’t be watching such a horrible product…that is…for now.
Simone
May 23, 2012 at 2:15 PM (UTC -6)
Last year I went to about 10+ road games to watch the Rockies (I live in NYC and therefore try to go to the East Coast games) and a couple games at Coors Field.
This is my pledge (for anyone in the Rockies organization reading this):
I will NOT spend 1 more dime on traveling to Rockies games, Rockies tickets, or Rockies merchandise until DOD and Tracy are gone.
How much is my buck worth to you?
Bucket
May 23, 2012 at 3:44 PM (UTC -6)
Unfortunately…the only way the Monforts will be moved is to see the absence of butts in the seats at Coors Field, and that is criminal. I’m sure that DOD has a silver tongue and has the Monforts buffaloed about what a great job he’s doing and “give him a chance to prove it”…how many years has that crap been going on? They ain’t getting any better! It’s actually worse…
I live in Wyo and usually make 3 or 4 games a year with my kids and grandkids. We all love to see big league ball but the only interest we have this year is watchin the Angels and Chris Iannetta come back and wreak havoc on the Rockies. He was treated extremely poorly by Tracy last year towards the end of the season with the idea that Rosario would get more playing time and get “better”. That idea has failed miserably too.
Very disappointing…
R17
May 24, 2012 at 12:06 AM (UTC -6)
I absolutely hated pinch-hitting GIambi for Fowler at the time, and I recall screaming at the TV how terrible it was for all the reasons stated above.
But it appears now that we all jumped down Tracy’s back unfairly:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/2012/05/23/rockies-fowler-sprained-ankle-lemahieu-joins-club-de-la-rosa-pitch-sunday/12044/
“I got it pretty good. They taped me up as fast as they could so I could go up and hit. But it got worse as the game wore on,” said Fowler, explaining why Jason Giambi pinch-hit for him late in Tuesday’s loss. “I should be OK by Friday.”
Troyf
May 24, 2012 at 7:19 AM (UTC -6)
Maybe, but it still doesn’t excuse the fact he is hitting 8th to begin with. Seriously, you would think a major league team woud have a basic understanding of OBP, SLG and OPS. This is not 1982. The metrics are there. If anyone should be hitting 8th, it s Scutaro.
R17
May 24, 2012 at 9:38 AM (UTC -6)
I completely agree – no excuse to bat Dexter 8th except maybe the fact that he “seems more comfortable there”… (at least according to Drew a couple nights ago).
Scutaro has been terrible, so our leadoff struggles have been augmented, but I also think Tracy hasn’t understood the two-hole for the last 3 years. Studies in batting order suggest you put your BEST hitter there, and Tracy often puts people like Johnny Herrera there… At least Pacheco has been hitting well there lately.
JD
May 30, 2012 at 3:30 PM (UTC -6)
Tracy did it again on Memorial Day night against Houston. After the 9th, he double-switched, inserting pitcher Josh Roenicke into the 7 hole in place of Tyler Colvin while putting Cuddyer 9th and into right field. This left us with only a backup catcher on the bench, but we still had three relief pitchers after Roenicke.
Think about this. If Tracy had not double-switched, then after pitching the top of the 10th, Roenicke would have to be pinch-hit for in the bottom of the 10th (due up second). But we could use Cuddyer as the pinch-hitter there. Then we’d still have Colvin in the outfield, and we wouldn’t have a pitcher batting until the next time the 9-hole came around. The ONLY disadvantage to this approach is that Roenicke can only pitch one inning instead of possibly going longer. But we had three more relievers available, and an off-day the next day, and Houston had only its closer left so they were going to run out of pitchers long before us!
With the double-switch, we had a lesser defender in right field (Cuddyer for Colvin) AND we would have had the pitcher hitting the next time around in the 7 hole instead of the 9 hole. In other words, we have a pitcher batting sooner.
WHY downgrade the defense in right AND put a pitcher in a less advantageous spot in the order just to allow Roenicke (who gave up two hits in the 10th) to possibly go two innings when we had plenty of pitchers left before our off day?
I’ll tell you why. Because “DOUBLE SWITCH” is one of those cool-sounding managerial thingies that smart managers are supposed to do, and Tracy just couldn’t resist.
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