Coaching Shakeup: Hitting Coach Mitchell Page To Minors

[Senators2005]

Nationals Reassign Two Coaches to Minors
By Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 1, 2006; E10
LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103101100.html

The Washington Nationals announced yesterday that two major league coaches had been reassigned to the minors, saying the incoming manager -- whenever he is hired -- should have the most input on his coaching staff.

Mitchell Page, the hitting coach in 2006, has been reassigned to his former position of minor league hitting coordinator, a job he held in 2005. Randy Knorr, who served as the bullpen coach for the final three months of the season, has been reassigned to manage Class A Potomac, the job he held before he replaced John Wetteland, who was fired in June.

"Mitchell and Randy both did excellent jobs," General Manager Jim Bowden said. "We think it's important that the new manager have input on his staff. That's the ideal situation, that he makes his choices, and they're the right choices."

Bowden said Page and Knorr could be considered for jobs on the new manager's staff. Pitching coach Randy St. Claire is the only member of Frank Robinson's staff who has been rehired already.

"I know I can do the job," Page, who was the hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2001 to 2004, said by telephone yesterday. "I know I'm good at what I do. I'm an organizational guy, and if they want me to go to the minors, I can do that. But I would like the new manager to look at what I've done with different guys."

Tony Beasley, the third base coach, was offered the job managing Class AA Harrisburg. He said three days after the season, he asked Bowden for more time to consider his options, but he was told that he couldn't have it. He has accepted a job as an infield coordinator in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system.

"I wanted to explore my options before making a hasty decision," Beasley said by phone. "I told them I needed time, and Jim said: 'You're turning down the job. I'm going to give it to someone else.'

"That's fine. That's no problem with me. I definitely wasn't going to make a quick decision. They made me a nice offer. It was very fair. But I thought it ought to be right and fair to me to have the opportunity to explore options."

[Senators2005]

Nationals must fill five coaching positions
By Mark Zuckerman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
November 1, 2006
LINK: http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20061101-120007-8450r.htm

The Washington Nationals' new manager will have a revamped coaching staff, with only one member of last season's staff -- pitching coach Randy St. Claire -- being asked to return for next season.  The team announced yesterday that hitting coach Mitchell Page, bullpen coach Randy Knorr and third base coach Tony Beasley will not be retained on the major league staff, though Page and Knorr will remain with the organization on the minor league level. General manager Jim Bowden said bench coach Eddie Rodriguez will not be back, either.  First base coach Davey Lopes left the organization two weeks ago to take the same position with the Philadelphia Phillies, so each member of former manager Frank Robinson's staff now has learned his fate.
 
    Yesterday's announcements came on the day all of the coaches' contracts expired, and none was particularly surprising. Bowden said two weeks ago the new manager would have the authority to hire his own staff with the exception of St. Claire, who was rehired for his fifth season with the team.
 
    "That has not changed at all," Bowden said yesterday. "We're a loyal organization, and when the new manager's in place, if he and the organization decide to go in a different direction with coaches, we didn't want to have them sitting out there without a job. That's why out of respect to the three, we offered them positions within the organization so they knew they had stability for their family."

    Page and Knorr each accepted offers to work in the Nationals' farm system, Page as minor league hitting coordinator (the same job he held in 2005) and Knorr as manager at Class A Potomac (the job he held last spring before getting promoted to the major league staff after bullpen coach John Wetteland was fired).  Beasley also was offered a job -- manager at Class AA Harrisburg -- shortly after the season ended but said he informed Bowden he wanted time to explore other options before making a decision. Bowden said the team couldn't wait.

    "Tony declined and said he wanted to shop his opportunities to other clubs," Bowden said. "At that point, we told him we needed to fill the position, but we respected where he was coming from."

    "I never declined or said I would not accept," Beasley said yesterday. "I asked for time, and obviously I didn't have time. But I never refused anything. ... Last year was great. I learned a lot. It was a good experience for me. I guess it's just time to move on."
 
    Beasley said he has accepted a position with the Pittsburgh Pirates as their minor league roving infield instructor.
 
    Bowden did not reveal anything about Rodriguez, who had been the franchise's bench coach since 2004, other than to say: "He will not be returning with us."
 
    Rodriguez has been talking with several organizations about minor league jobs and is expected to accept one soon.  

    Despite the coaching announcements, the Nationals do not appear to be any closer to announcing the name of their new manager.
    "We hope to have a manager in place by the winter meetings [Dec. 4-7]," Bowden said. "Besides that, I don't have any other comment."
 
    Washington has interviewed eight candidates to date and will meet with Phillies Class AAA manager John Russell this week. Of those who already have gone through formal interviews, only New York Mets third base coach Manny Acta, New York Yankees first base coach Tony Pena and former Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker have not been ruled out.

[Kenz aFan]

The Nats, by taking their sweet time to find the "right person" are gonna end up losing out on getting quality coaches. Why, because they'll have all been hired by other teams already. This is one case, where taking your time is not the right way to go. By waiting, they will in effect tie the new managers hands, leaving him with nothing but cast offs or what's already in the system. That's not fair to whoever they hire as manager, it also shows a lack of leadership on the part of the Nats (see note below). The Nats lost out on getting Girardi because they were too dumb to make him even a preliminary offer.

By focusing the team's priorities on finding and hiring a manager, they will, as a result fall behind and possibly completely out of the picture where free agents are concerned, be they minor or major league free agents. The same holds true when it comes to talking to other teams about certain players. I can understand taking two or three weeks, but to possibly wait until the Winter Meetings to hire a manager? Please, doing that closes too many doors that otherwise might have been open to the Nats had they gotten the task of hiring a manager out of the way. Waiting does nothing to improve the quality of who's available.

Note: Something is not Kosher if "Hollywood" Jim Bowden is always "unavailable" for comment. I find it highly suspicious that Jimbo is nowhere to be seen, and hasn't been since September 30th. I don't trust anyone who hides behind a closed door.

[Senators2005]

Problem is: all the good managers were courted but said "No Thanks".  Not a good sign.   :oops:

[nats2playoffs]

... General manager Jim Bowden said bench coach Eddie Rodriguez will not be back, either...Bowden did not reveal anything about Rodriguez, who had been the franchise's bench coach since 2004, other than to say: "He will not be returning with us."...

I recall reading an article in 2005 that said that Frank had delegated the preparation of the daily lineup card to the bench coach.  It said that Frank gave general guidelines and sometimes looked them over, but pretty much let him do it.  I thought lousy lineups were a key component to losing many games in 2006.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

While I am not any expert at hiring MLB managers, I am beginning to agree that this "waiting" is shooting us in the foot.  The winter meetings?  Ridiculous that you would wait that long and bring the team to a near stand still until then when there is so much work to be done.

OMG...you know what this is beginning to remind me of?  Selig and looking for the Nats owner!  We hope by the all-star break, we hope after the WS, we hope by the Winter Meetings, we think it's going to be just before the season starts....

[Minty Fresh]

OMG...you know what this is beginning to remind me of?  Selig and looking for the Nats owner!  We hope by the all-star break, we hope after the WS, we hope by the Winter Meetings, we think it's going to be just before the season starts....

Actually, I've heard that the Nats expect to name an owner, "sometime next week."

                 

[2k6nats]

OMG...you know what this is beginning to remind me of?  Selig and looking for the Nats owner!  We hope by the all-star break, we hope after the WS, we hope by the Winter Meetings, we think it's going to be just before the season starts....

It's not quite at that point yet, although it's annoying me that all the candidates have said "Thanks, but no thanks."  Makes you wonder...

[PC]

Ahem...


 

[nats2playoffs]

The Nationals needed to wait for the World Series to end to see if the Tigers were going to fire Jim Leyland.

Washington has interviewed eight candidates to date and will meet with Phillies Class AAA manager John Russell this week.

So let them conduct the interview already.  Rome didn't burn for a day, or whatever...