MESA, Ariz. – It was a beautiful moment. David Ross was talking at a press conference last week, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer were on either side of him and, even though there were no windows in the room, it was warm and sunny.
Ross, the new Cubs manager, was taking a bat to the spinning raffle drum that Joe Maddon used to make out his daily lineup.
“I don’t see a whole lot of moving guys around,’’ Ross said of his lineup philosophy. “If we need to have a guy move to left field for defensive purposes or fill in with a guy that may fill in a little better against lefties or righties, sure I’m going to look at all the numbers and (plug) that in … and make my own decision.
“There will be a little bit of movement, but traditionally I like a standard lineup as much as I possibly can. I think the flow of a normal, consistent lineup is important to some of the players. It’s a real thing, as much as we don’t measure it. Finding a balance there is one of the things I’m focused on.’’
To those of us who had to be treated for vertigo while trying to keep up with Maddon’s need for change in the batting order and in the field, there is only one word: Hallelujah. And I’d like to upgrade that period to an exclamation point. Watching Maddon work a game was like watching a math problem. Pitchers came in and out early and often . Players switched positions. It looked like 7-Eleven door traffic. Or an ant farm. Taking in a baseball game is supposed to be fun. This wasn’t fun.
Ross, four years removed from his days as a catcher, knows that many baseball players like routine. Cubs players made their dislike for Maddon’s ever-changing lineups known, but it was like talking to a bag of baseballs. For all of his flexibility with lineups, Maddon could be very inflexible in some of this thinking. He wanted to tinker.
Ross doesn’t, at least not yet.
“No (pitchers) playing left field, that’s for sure,’’ he said, laughing. “Unless we have to.’’
I mentioned the seating arrangement at the opening-of-camp press conference. Ross was between Epstein, the Cubs president, and Hoyer, the team’s general manager. The dynamic between front offices and managers has changed markedly in the past five years, with more and more front-office types using their analytics departments to decide lineups for their managers. Whether Ross will be able to do everything in the dugout that he wants to do is a legitimate question.
But the fact that Ross, with his bosses next to him, said he wants a fairly set lineup at least offers hope he might have that power. If he doesn’t, if this is some cruel joke, then I apologize for getting my fellow traditionalists all riled up.
Epstein said today’s managers have input into what the analytics department gives them each day. And then it’s game time.
“The manager has to set up his coaching staff in a way that in-game he can get the information he needs from them, bounce opinions off of them, ultimately make the decision himself on when to take out a pitcher, when to leave in a pitcher, who to pinch hit,’’ Epstein said. “Everything is his responsibility. How we align our defense, the running game, late-game strategy. Everything that happens in the field is a result of his execution, armed with information that’s an organizational-wide effort.
“But it’s ultimately on the manager. I think there are a lot of wins out there to go grab. We talked … about the wins that are right out in front of you, to be prepared and go execute and grab those wins. The best managers can do that.’’
Ross did mention Anthony Rizzo (27 homers in 2019) as a possibility for the leadoff spot. That would back up the popular opinion that the Cubs don’t have a leadoff hitter.
“There’s a handful of guys you can speculate on,’’ Ross said. “I think Rizz is definitely a viable option if I want to go with a professional at-bat to lead it off.’’
In an ESPN.com story last week, Maddon, now the Angels manager, bemoaned how analytics had taken over baseball. That’s like Dr. Frankenstein complaining about his creature’s shoe size.
”I think somebody’s got to stand up for our game and the way it is and (how) it should be played, and what should be tinkered with and what should not,” he said. “My conclusion is analytics and technology are slightly responsible for putting the game in a position where it’s not as attractive to fans.”
Isn’t that rich?
It’s very possible that Ross is going to do what he’s told regarding the lineups. Or perhaps he’ll realize that the Cubs’ roster isn’t as strong as he thought and that more lineup movement will be required.
But let’s hold on to this strand of hope while we can. It’s something, for now.
