The Future of the Braves (Manager Edition)

143 and counting, but in my mind, those will come to an end around 150.

I have to wonder if the Braves had any other manager, would he be fired. After three lackluster seasons in a row, most coaches would be gone. Then again, after all the great seasons he did have, it seems logical to think that the last three years haven't really been his fault. Is this true? Is this season Bobby Cox's fault? How much longer will (should) he be in Atlanta?

Is this season his fault? No, to a point. The injuries to the starting rotation have killed this team, and that in no way is the manager's fault. Bobby is always cautious with guys who have injuries or show signs of them. Smoltz's wasn't his fault. Glavine's wasn't his fault. Hampton's injuries are just freakish. Hudson's wasn't his fault. They weren't overused to the point of injury. When you have the top 4 guys in your rotation get hurt, you're in trouble no matter who you are. Second, I consider it more Pendleton's fault for not fixing Frenchy. He's the one who is supposed to handle the batting, and he really hasn't done it. Third, Tex started slow, and when the Braves needed him to make up for Jeff, he failed. Fourth, the back-end of the bullpen got hurt (Soriano, Moylan, Acosta), and all were supposed to be major contributors to the team. Acosta's 41 games were by around 30 more than the other two. You can't simply replace those guys with AAA people. This season was a lost cause, but should it have been this bad?

No again. Bobby, like other managers, has his faults. Number one has to be his bullpen usage. I know the whole righty-lefty matchups, but when your starter has only gone 4 or 5 innings, you can't keep going by those. Major league relievers need to be able to get hitters out, period. Trot them out for an inning. Make them pitch against guys from both sides. If you can get 6 or 7 innings consistently, then you can think more about doing that. The Braves did not get that much help from their rotation. That's exactly why Ohman and Boyer have so many appearances. You can't look at innings when going by relievers to determine their workload. They throw most of their pitches in the bullpen warming up, so throwing one pitch really isn't throwing one pitch. A reliever's job is pretty easy compared to the others in baseball, but when you trot them out every night, it will wear them down. Second, he kept throwing Frenchy out there even when he wasn't performing. I'm not for sending him down to the minors, but you have to give him days off. 162 games is tiring and frustrating, and not taking days off only makes it worse. Third, he has to give Chipper more days off. He's not as young and durable as he once was, and even if he demands to start every game, he just can't. Letting him play all those games in a row only aids in wearing him down. Fourth, at some point, the Braves have to more aggressive on the bases. I know they don't have a lot of speed (which is why I advocate the starting of Lillibridge, Anderson, and maybe Schafer next season), but the Braves can't afford to play base-to-base baseball when no one is hitting home runs. Take a chance.

Losing this season wasn't Bobby's fault. This many injuries, especially to key players (Soriano, Moylan, Smoltz, Glavine, Hudson, Chipper, Kotsay, Diaz), would kill anyone. Getting Bay would have been nice, but he wouldn't have made the Braves instant contenders, although the outlook for next year would have been much better. Were the Braves a 90-win team to start the season? There really wasn't too much debate that they were. Are they a 90-loss team now? No, but they certainly are playing like it. They still have talent, but they never seem to play with much heart. Even early on, I saw careless mistakes that just come from not being focused. Is that Bobby's fault? Yes for the majority of times. He has to keep the players in line and focused, and sometimes, Bobby seems to be a bit too laid back towards his players.

Regardless of how anyone feels, he is back next season, and I look forward to seeing him there. However, I think it might be best to part ways with him after next season. To me, it seems the Braves are stuck in the past. They remember the good ole' days of Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine, Chipper playing 150 games, Bobby in the dugout, and Leo rocking away. Yet, they aren't that team anymore. Eventually, the team must part ways, and although some fans may not like it, they really haven't supported their team through the tough times anyway. The real fans would understand. Smoltz and Glavine are icons in Atlanta, but they just aren't themselves anymore. Chipper needs more rest even as important to the lineup he is. It's time to let Jurrjens, McCann, and others take over. Force them to be the leaders because they still have some growing up to do. As for Cox, he is the least of the Braves problems, but it will soon come time to say good-bye to him as well.