Author Topic: Fire Rick Eckstein (Read 14654 times)

KnorrForYourMoney · « **Reply #25:** September 11, 2011, 03:09:46 PM »

I'm tired of his refusal to instill plate discipline in our hitters. Be gone!

Sharp · « **Reply #26:** September 11, 2011, 04:32:03 PM »

Quote from: HalfSmokes on September 11, 2011, 02:20:36 PM

If that's all true, why even have a hitting coach?

Teams didn't used to have hitting coaches until relatively recently, IIRC, so your question isn't without merit.

NatsTheFats · « **Reply #27:** September 14, 2011, 02:28:58 AM »

I'm tired of watching mediocre pitchers tally up high strikeout counts against us.

Most recent case: Ted lilly giving us the Big Unit treatment. It makes me sick.

welch · « **Reply #28:** September 14, 2011, 06:58:35 AM »

Quote from: Sharp on September 11, 2011, 04:32:03 PM

Teams didn't used to have hitting coaches until relatively recently, IIRC, so your question isn't without merit.

Yes, Ted Williams acted as hitting coach, and the 1969 Senators ("Nats" for short...) hit much better. See Eddie Brinkman. Never had any sort of hitting coach. It would be nice to have Ted alive (young) and giving instructions. Probably better than not having a hitting coach.

Still, the coach can't re-wire a player's head, give them reflexes or baseball smarts. Some guys just can't hit.

This team won't be really good until Desmond and Espinosa hit like major league starters, or until they get replaced.

Evolution33 · « **Reply #29:** September 14, 2011, 07:55:03 AM »

Aside from Werth has any other hitter not hit the way they were suppossed to? I don't think Rick Eckstein was going to make Desmond into a great hitter or suddenly have Espinosa hit for a high average and not strike out. The only guy that hasn't hit to his scouting report is Werth and he is a veteran enough player that I don't know if a hitting coach does him much good.

I don't really care if Eckstein is replaced, but I also don't see what good it does and it could end up doing harm if the Nats end up with another Lenny Harris.

HalfSmokes · « **Reply #30:** September 14, 2011, 12:20:18 PM »

Quote from: Evolution33 on September 14, 2011, 07:55:03 AM

Aside from Werth has any other hitter not hit the way they were suppossed to? I don't think Rick Eckstein was going to make Desmond into a great hitter or suddenly have Espinosa hit for a high average and not strike out. The only guy that hasn't hit to his scouting report is Werth and he is a veteran enough player that I don't know if a hitting coach does him much good.

I don't really care if Eckstein is replaced, but I also don't see what good it does and it could end up doing harm if the Nats end up with another Lenny Harris.

what is a hitting coach's job? Our team, on the whole, has an absurdly high k rate. To me that seems like a team wide problem (with a couple of exceptions), either his job is to help guys adjust their approaches or not. If not, the please tell what his job actually is?

hammondsnats · « **Reply #31:** September 14, 2011, 12:23:58 PM »

rick eckstein is not a good hitting coach. end of discussion.

could the players have done a better job? of course. but it's time for a new approach.

Evolution33 · « **Reply #32:** September 14, 2011, 12:27:24 PM »

Quote from: HalfSmokes on September 14, 2011, 12:20:18 PM

what is a hitting coach's job? Our team, on the whole, has an absurdly high k rate. To me that seems like a team wide problem (with a couple of exceptions), either his job is to help guys adjust their approaches or not. If not, the please tell what his job actually is?

The Nats have a line-up with Danny Espinosa, Jayson Werth, Michael Morse, Ryan Zimmerman, and sometimes rick Ankiel and Laynce Nix. These are all guys that have struck out during their careers. If the Nationals have players like Placido Polanco and Orlando Cabrera striking out all the time it would be a different issue, but these players are who they are and part of that is a lot of K's.

In my opinion the hitting coaches job is to go over the match-ups against the pitchers and tell the hitters the best way to approach those pitchers and what pitches to look for in what counts and try and figure those types of things out. It is also to watch video on the hitters when they are in slumps to see if there is a difference between what they are doing when they are going well and what they are doing now and help them to get back into the proper form.

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #33:** September 14, 2011, 04:18:40 PM »

Along the lines of what Evol said, here are the career K rates (K%c) or projected 2011 K rates (K%p) for players not under Eckstein's tutelage last year v. their actual 2011 K rates this year. Actual 2011 and K%c are from fangraphs player page, projections are from fangraphs's collected player projections (linked). I used a cut of 300 PAs.

Espinosa - 23.6% - 29.8% (K%p); actual 2011 - 25%
Werth - 24.7% (K%c), actual 2011 - 24.3%
Ankiel - 24.1% (K%c), actual 2011 - 23.1%
Nix - 25.0% (K%c), actual 2011 - 23.7%
Ramos - 15.0% - 18.3% (K%p), actual 2011 - 17.8%

I don't see any evidence that guys are doing worse at striking out under Eckstein this year than they have been doing in their career (or were projected to do) based this data.

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #34:** September 14, 2011, 04:24:33 PM »

I'll add that the only player with over 300 PAs who is doing considerably worse in terms of K% vs his career among the guys who have been with Eckstein for a year or more is Desmond, who went from 19.0% in 2010 to 22.5%. Zimmerman is right on his career average and Morse is slightly above his career average (.5%).

aspenbubba · « **Reply #35:** September 14, 2011, 04:28:55 PM »

A couple of days ago I looked up Werths' numbers paticulatrly K's after one of his 3 K games. He is on par for strikeouts in a season of 157 . The same as he has always done or Dunn.

epic_phalanx · « **Reply #36:** September 14, 2011, 04:40:32 PM »

I don't get the Eckstein hate. Guys like Espinosa and Werth are going to strike out no matter what the hitting coach does. Young players are going to have bad at bats regardless. Could we do better? Probably. There's always someone better out there. But I don't think he deserves to be fired.

hammondsnats · « **Reply #37:** September 14, 2011, 05:00:33 PM »

i understand we have guys that have been prone to K's in their career. but just because a hitting coach doesn't help his guys cut down the strikeouts, doesn't make him a terrible hitting coach.

i think he's an awful hitting coach because he fails to make in-game adjustments and hasn't helped with the situational hitting. yes the walks are up under his watch, but most of the time the approach of some of our hitters is pathetic.

Mr Clean · « **Reply #38:** September 14, 2011, 05:02:57 PM »

This team has got to lead the league in 0-2 counts.

Tyler Durden · « **Reply #39:** September 14, 2011, 05:37:41 PM »

Quote from: Mr Clean on September 14, 2011, 05:02:57 PM

This team has got to lead the league in 0-2 counts.

Sweet - we lead the league in something!

spidernat · « **Reply #40:** September 14, 2011, 05:47:33 PM »

Eckstein is to Desmond what Kasten was to Lerner, i.e., insulator from blame. Funny how hammonds and PANatsFan are so similar.

hammondsnats · « **Reply #41:** September 14, 2011, 05:51:56 PM »

Quote from: spidernat on September 14, 2011, 05:47:33 PM

Eckstein is to Desmond what Kasten was to Lerner, i.e., insulator from blame. Funny how hammonds and PANatsFan are so similar.

are you that big of an idiot? i get tired of posting for the millionth time i am fine with trading desmond for a CF. i said that before the deadline and at the deadline. now is he playing better right now? yeah. but he has a lot of work to do if he wants to be the starting SS here next year.

when i have once blamed eckstein for desmond? as a whole eckstein has been bad with his coaching.

you're trying to pick a fight just to pick one. stop baiting dude, it's pathetic.

RobDibblesGhost · « **Reply #42:** March 22, 2012, 02:49:23 PM »

bump. I figure this is still a very valid topic.

Kevrock · « **Reply #43:** March 22, 2012, 02:51:19 PM »

Fire Belmont.

PC · « **Reply #44:** March 22, 2012, 02:53:00 PM »

Fire the medical/training staff.

GSW · « **Reply #45:** March 22, 2012, 02:56:09 PM »

Keep Rick Eckstein and fire Rizzo and Johnson

And get Rick some players

Evolution33 · « **Reply #46:** March 22, 2012, 02:58:03 PM »

Fire everyone the season is canceled.

spidernat · « **Reply #47:** March 22, 2012, 02:59:00 PM »

Fire hammondsnats.

blue911 · « **Reply #48:** March 22, 2012, 02:59:48 PM »

Fire when you see the whites of their eyes

Obed_Marsh · « **Reply #49:** March 22, 2012, 02:59:54 PM »

Fire MLB.TV! Stupid thing is making me miss out on wanting to fire everyone!