Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais isn’t terrible

Chris Phillips   |  

Sep 4, 2020

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Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur via Flickr)

The job

There is always so much that goes into being the head guy for a ball club. Every move that made during a game gets viewed as an all or nothing decision. Consider the following examples:

1. The manager pulls a pitcher who has gotten himself into a jam and brought in a reliever to get out of it.
2. The reliever fails, so the manager looks like an idiot for a) pulling the starter b) bringing in the wrong reliever.

or

1. A Starting pitcher’s pitch count has gotten high but is still in line for the win.
2. The manager pulls the starter for a reliever.
3. The reliever comes in and cough’s up the lead, so the manager looks like an idiot a) pulling the starter b) bringing in the wrong reliever.

There are a few things to consider about these moves. Hitters get paid to hit and score runs. Not every time a pitcher takes the mound, does he have his best stuff. The elite pitchers know how to get outs when they don’t have their best stuff. Think the current version of Clayton Kershaw; his velocity is down, so he has to make pitches and not just rely on his power to get hitters out. Young pitchers have to learn that.

Sometimes the batter was just better that day. It happens, and that’s what the game is all about.

Don’t forget among other duties, he also has to manage personalities, instruct on fundamentals, keep up morale, and deal with the media.

Next: Page 3 – Raising an entire team

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