There’s been mumbling and grumbling about Dusty Baker since the day he was hired (Oct. 14, 2007, actually) to manage the Reds. Now, with the team backsliding and blood-thirsty fans looking for a new scapegoat since Junior Griffey was dispatched to the White Sox, the rumbling is starting to rise:
Will Dusty be fired?
There’s a new general manager in Uncle Walt Jocketty, who is expected to make changes in the front office, scouting and development departments, and likely the coaching staff. The team has underperformed to expectations while young established starters Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Phillips and Aaron Harang have regressed. The team plays awful fundamental baseball. And there are the usual head-scratching moments of Dusty in-game decisions and stubborn lineup permeations.
Additionally, we all know Uncle Walt has owner Bob Castellini’s trust and ear, and few really know what Jocketty thinks of Baker and the job he has done this year.
On the flip side, this is former GM Wayne Krivsky’s roster, not Baker’s, and the team has been decimated by injuries, inconsistency and a brutal first-half schedule. Baker has also bucked the Cubs stigma that he ruins arms and prefers veterans by giving youngsters Encarnacion, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Jared Burton a lot of playing time—and rope. We’ve also seen improvement from Bronson Arroyo’s pitching and Adam Dunn’s defense.
There’s also the issue of Baker being due $7 million over the next two years—no small consideration, or amount of cake.
And there’s the important need and perception of finding some stability in the front office and manager’s position. Jocketty is the fifth GM in five years; Baker is the fifth manager in that time.
So what happens? Just because you—the fan—may or may not like Baker is not the debate. What’s up for objective observation and discussion is whether Dusty will be fired, and whether he should be fired. What say you?
I think Dusty stays for at least one more year. Partly because of the money and partly because of the team he inherited. I think you will see some new coaches, probably Pole and Jacoby gone, that hopefully can help this team learn the basics of baseball. With all the changes in scouting, front office personnel, and probably players, I think they give him one more year to prove himself. If next year is a flop, then I think they eat the last year of his contract and move on.
ohioredsfan1As far as whether he should be fired this year, well I can say there have been moments that I thought so. Yet I do not have the knowledge and insight he has at each game. I do not have the reasons he made some of the decisions or put out some of the lineups he did. There is always two sides to every story. I would like to hear his, sometimes, just to be able to try and understand. The one negative that i do hold against Dusty is Patterson. He is Dusty's choice and I still do not believe it was a good choice.
So he stays for now but maybe with an understanding of greater expectations for next year.
10:46 AM EST