Fire Matt Williams! (2015) - Standard Decision.

[HalfSmokes]

We have a better lineup than the Mets when we're healthy.

But we're never healthy, and thanks to the werth and Zimmerman extensions, probably won't be until they're gone

[NatsAllThe Way]

But we're never healthy, and thanks to the werth and Zimmerman extensions, probably won't be until they're gone

Touche

[Ray D]

It just makes no sense to me that we as fans know better than a guy who spent his whole career in the sport

Makes plenty of sense: we're smarter.

[GburgNatsFan]

Since the ASB, of the games we lost, haven't we been leading in most of them, and hasn't the bullpen (or mismanagement thereof) been the reason we lost most of them? Maybe I'm mind facting. I'm not sure how to look it up. But I remember two against the Mets and two against the Rockies.

Other than Span we have had the lineup together for a couple of weeks and during that time we have lost ground.  It doesn't matter what guys did before. They are not doing it this year. Desmond, Ramos and Werth are killing us.   And yet the manager pencils in their names all the time. Matt has no feel for the lineup or the bullpen
Longer term the team seems to be in a bind with lack of left handed hitting regulars (assuming Span does not return). Werth and Zimmerman are not movable contracts so they seem to be stuck. That part is on Rizzo.

[Natsinpwc]

Since the ASB, of the games we lost, haven't we been leading in most of them, and hasn't the bullpen (or mismanagement thereof) been the reason we lost most of them? Maybe I'm mind facting. I'm not sure how to look it up. But I remember two against the Mets and two against the Rockies.

I don't think we were leading late in any of the Mets losses; the Friday night game we were trailing and tied it.  I believe one other one we were leading early. I am too lazy of course to look it up!

[tomterp]

So here's the 64 dollar question. Are Knorr and McCatty NOT suggesting these things or are they and being overruled consistently? In either case, I would argue that it isn't an issue with MW simply not pushing the right buttons, but fundamental systemic flaw in the organizational management.

I spoke to a certain knowledgeable insider last week and specifically asked about his preparedness to make tactical in-game decisions.  He said that Matt has TONS of data available to him before every game, and that he studies it extensively, to a fault.  He has all the data available to make the right decision. 

He did not address my query about why he didn't listen to Knorr, I put in in a run-on question.     

However, he said that Matt makes decisions based on his own players' roles and compentencies, and essentially (completely, apparently) discounts the other teams' players' competencies.  That's why this:

But Carlos Gonzalez doesn’t exist in a vacuum. He exists in the real world, where he mashes the living hell out of right-handed pitching, to the tune of a .318/.376/1.026 line with 24 of his 26 home runs this year. Against lefties, he’s far less than merely mortal, slashing just .170/.218/.245, an OPS+ of 32. He has three extra-base hits in 102 plate appearances with 27 strikeouts.  It doesn’t matter how good Storen has been. It matters how bad Gonzalez has been against lefties. The only reasonable conclusion when looking at those splits — which are printed in the stat packs dropped on the manager’s desk every morning — is that a left-handed pitcher needed to be in the game. There wasn’t even anyone warming in the home bullpen as Gonzalez mashed a grand slam off its back wall, the final scores of a 5-4 Rockies victory.

I think what you are seeing here is that Matt is the manager of the team, and he almost certainly creates an environment around him that does NOT encourage his coaches to provide meaningful input.  We've seen him in heated arguments with McCatty lately.  I say this is on Matt.  He is in charge and he is going to do things his way and be damned with what anyone else suggests. 

[Natsinpwc]

I spoke to a certain knowledgeable insider last week and specifically asked about his preparedness to make tactical in-game decisions.  He said that Matt has TONS of data available to him before every game, and that he studies it extensively, to a fault.  He has all the data available to make the right decision. 

He did not address my query about why he didn't listen to Knorr, I put in in a run-on question.     

However, he said that Matt makes decisions based on his own players' roles and compentencies, and essentially (completely, apparently) discounts the other teams' players' competencies.  That's why this:

I think what you are seeing here is that Matt is the manager of the team, and he almost certainly creates an environment around him that does NOT encourage his coaches to provide meaningful input.  We've seen him in heated arguments with McCatty lately.  I say this is on Matt.  He is in charge and he is going to do things his way and be damned with what anyone else suggests.

Dead man walking.

[tomterp]

Dead man walking.

 

[welch]

It looks like Williams knows all the details, especially the stats and advanced stats, but isn't a good manager. The team doesn't run, doesn't steal bases, doesn't hit-and-run even though they often give up double plays. Williams hardly ever seems fired up and neither does the team.

Counter examples:

- Bucky Harris. Three-time Washington manager. A favorite of Clark Griffith, but not Calvin the Creep. Toward the end, a reporter was trying to record the names of players who had survived Spring Training. "There's Sacka...what's his name?" Bucy answered, "Sacka S[**]t"

- Ben Chapman, Yankees CF and yes, the racist Ben Chapman from the Jackie Robinson movie: kept spiking Buddy Myer, Nats 2B, and Chapman was about two inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. Buddy finally told reporters, "If Chapman spikes me again, I'm going to step on his face". Chapman did, running about ten feet toward the mound to get Buddy, knocking Buddy Myer into the air. Myer landed and kicked Chapman in the head a half dozen times, then punched it out with the big guy until both teams swarmed the field and a general war broke out.

Bryce Harper seems to be the only player with that sort of fire. OK, it's unorthodox: fire Williams and make Harper the player-manager. He's onlyy 22, but Bucky was only 27 when he became manager.

(Otherwise, I think the team misses Denard Span. Badly. There is something Span adds that for more than the 60 points advantage he has over Taylor in batting average. Whatever it is, the Nats need it.)

[tomterp]

(Otherwise, I think the team misses Denard Span. Badly. There is something Span adds that for more than the 60 points advantage he has over Taylor in batting average. Whatever it is, the Nats need it.)

Le pourcentage de base

[NatsAllThe Way]

Le pourcentage de base

Vive les Expos!

[whytev]

It just makes no sense to me that we as fans know better than a guy who spent his whole career in the sport and now gets paid millions of dollars to manage a MLB team.  Are we missing something, or would most of us actually be better MLB managers than his?  Something tells me we aren't as good at managing a ball team as this guy is.

I think die hard fans spent more time than him (when he was playing) worrying about who should pitch next.

A lot of players are very smart. I'm not sure who else read this or if it came up, but Span said after Strasburg got good again (1st DL stint) that he was tipping his pitches to the extent that Span knew what was coming from CF. Span is smart.

I think F.P. would be an excellent manager. He's a goofball, but he thought his way into the league and schemed his way into any edge he could grasp. He wasn't good enough and he knew it. He has to defend M.W., but he finds subtle and not so subtle ways to call him out.

Matt? Always mashed except for half a season once. Always fielded well. Whatever. Who is pitching? Who cares!? MASH!

[mimontero88]

3.5 games back now.  And Williams still has a job.  How is this possible?  Even Bryce Harper looks like he doesn't care anymore.  It's very obvious after back-to-back shutouts that Williams has lost the clubhouse.  For the first time this year, I think there are better than 50/50 odds that Matt Williams doesn't survive the season.  I'm not convinced he'll be managing tomorrow night.  Something has to change and I think that is as readily apparent as it can possibly be at this point.  Williams is just not a good manager.

[tomwvr]

Matt needs to be sent home. This team won't make the playoffs if he is here for the next series because they will be 5 games out heading home if he is still here

[Natsinpwc]

Team sucks   
Manager sucks.
Can't fire the whole team so Matt must go. Can't hurt.

[mimontero88]

Team sucks   
Manager sucks.
Can't fire the whole team so Matt must go. Can't hurt.

I still don't think the team is bad.  If getting shut out by back to back pitchers is ever not shameful I think Greinke and Kershaw would be the time it isn't.  Those kind of losses happen.  But think about how many games bad bullpen management has cost us this season not to even mention how many bad lineups Williams tossed out and the fact that he hasn't been able to pick one consistent one all season.  If there were WAR for managers Matt Williams would be far into the negatives.  I think Matt Williams is so bad that the grades for the rest of the team have to be "Incomplete."

[Dschmiel]

I still don't think the team is bad.  If getting shut out by back to back pitchers is ever not shameful I think Greinke and Kershaw would be the time it isn't.  Those kind of losses happen.  But think about how many games bad bullpen management has cost us this season not to even mention how many bad lineups Williams tossed out and the fact that he hasn't been able to pick one consistent one all season.  If there were WAR for managers Matt Williams would be far into the negatives.  I think Matt Williams is so bad that the grades for the rest of the team have to be "Incomplete."

Actually with most of the "regulars" in now, he has been very consistent with the lineup.  When Span/Zimmerman/Rendon/Werth were out, he had to make do with Robinson/Den Dekker/Moore/etc, and he even started Uggla on occasion out of necessity.  And there was another poster here who said that he didn't like that MW was so rigid in his lineup construction and that he needed to be more flexible.  So which is it?  Ultimately the players have to play and perform. 

[spidernat]

I still don't think the team is bad.

  No this team is championship caliber. It's Schu's fault.

[Lintyfresh85]

Loved Matt playing the matchup game after going down 3-0 in the eighth!

[More of #34]

The injuries ruined us through the All Star Break.  When all of the regulars came back with the exception of Span, I thought we'd show HUGE improvement.   While Zimmerman has hit, Werth and Rendon have struggled.  Rendon is hitting hard line drives - unfortunately they land in a fielder's glove.  Werth looks lost.  Strasburg pitched very well in his return - it will be interesting to see if he can duplicate that first performance.  The bullpen has been mismanaged.  I don't think it's a co-incidence that Storen has struggled after being yanked from the closer position.  Papelbon has been rendered mute since we don't have leads to hand to him.  Desmond has struggled mightily all year although he looks slightly better now.  And with the funk we're in, even Bryce seems down.

Bottom line.....we look flat, we play flat, we are flat.  Would a change in manager help?  One would think a fiery one would but I don't think Rizzo is going to do anything. 

[OldChelsea]

[...]Bottom line.....we look flat, we play flat, we are flat.  Would a change in manager help?  One would think a fiery one would but I don't think Rizzo is going to do anything. 

They might make a move if the STH renewal rate is lower than expected.

[More of #34]

Good point!

[PebbleBall]

Matt's not a good manager.  I think the biggest problem is that if this was the powerhouse franchise they thought they had built, he'd be perfect because his faults (being slow to react, being an anti-tactician, looking forward to a fault) would be attributes because his minimal interference would help the ship glide home while his glumness would keep the players grounded.  So again, the biggest problem is they aren't the team Rizzo thought they were, and they need a manager that can eke out a few wins through shrewdness. 

[Kevrock]

I spoke to a certain knowledgeable insider last week

Tell InsaneBoast hello for me

[tomterp]

Actually with most of the "regulars" in now, he has been very consistent with the lineup.  When Span/Zimmerman/Rendon/Werth were out, he had to make do with Robinson/Den Dekker/Moore/etc, and he even started Uggla on occasion out of necessity.  And there was another poster here who said that he didn't like that MW was so rigid in his lineup construction and that he needed to be more flexible.  So which is it?  Ultimately the players have to play and perform.

He's given Michael Taylor something like 25 starts leading off.  I'm pretty sure Michael's exceeded expectations this year already, but is never going to be an on-base guy like you need at the top of the lineup.