Darren Everson of the Wall Street Journal wonders aloud if former Yankees’ skipper Joe Torre is worth the money in Los Angeles.
In close games, in which a manager’s decisions in baserunning, pitching and substitutions tend to make the most difference, Mr. Torre’s teams have struggled in recent years. Over the past three seasons, his record in games tied after the sixth inning is 23-31 — a .426 winning percentage, compared with .588 in all games. Several of his peers, including Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins and Willie Randolph of the New York Mets, have performed better in close games.
There’s also some evidence that Mr. Torre negatively impacts the performance of his players. Last fall, David Gassko, a former major-league consultant and a contributor to the Hardball Times Web site, did a study of major-league managers through 2006, determining how many additional games a manager won or lost for his team per season. Of the 422 managers he studied, Mr. Torre’s score was the sixth-worst. The best manager ever, according to Mr. Gassko’s study, is Bobby Cox, the current manager of the Atlanta Braves.
Everson brings up some pretty interesting points, although he has to take into account how bad the chemistry is in L.A. For years the Dodgers have had the talent to win, but the harmony in the clubhouse hasn’t allowed them to reach their potential. Who knows if Torre is worth the big contract, but he’s well respected and will get the attention of every player in that clubhouse. He might not be that great of a game manager, but he should dramatically improve the team’s chemistry.
