Fire Matt Williams! (2015) - Standard Decision.

[Mathguy]

Well said Beltway.  Interesting take on MW & Bryce being better this year

Bittersweet watching this team play right now, they're playing great just like they were prior to the Mets series, just like they were prior to the Cardinals series. So, so, so many lost opportunities. I truly feel with a different manager there would have been a much different result, I don't care that this isn't all Matt William's fault, I think a different manager still would have had this team win ~95 games even with all the injuries.

I know the manager ultimately makes negligible difference according to all kinds of analysis, but there's a reason Connie Mack could tear down and rebuild World Series winning teams at whim, there's a reason Earl Weaver's teams always finished first or second, and there's a reason Joe Maddon's Cubs are guaranteed a Wild Card spot and still contending for the division, with one of the best records in baseball. And it ain't just the talent of the roster. Those damn Cubs are not at all the stellar team they appear to be, they have a worse bullpen than we do yet they have fewer bullpen losses (mindfact, feel free to correct me).

It's ultimately up to the players to choke, but this season wasn't only lost in that early August stretch where the injured guys were getting back, and it wasn't lost in the handful of, iconic as they were, games Drew personally blew. It was lost every time Michael Taylor batted lead off, every time a starter or reliever (like Drew) was left in there too long, every time Ian Desmond was in the lineup for about four months and every time Danny sat, every time Blake Treinen, Rafael Martin, or who the hell knows took the mound in the 8th in April because "Eh, it's early, let's experiment," and every time a matchup was botched. A team can usually overcome one or another, injuries and poor play or managerial malfunction. But I don't know of any that can overcome both, and really, the only one you can control is the latter. Player health, hot and cold streaks, they vary from year to year. A manager's acumen shouldn't.

At this point I don't know that it's appropriate to keep him around. If only he could stay on as hitting instructor, I don't know that Schu has ever done anything than just try to boost confidence and keep guys loose. Matt has been talking philosophy, plate discipline etc with Bryce and I think it's fair to say has single-handedly turned Bryce's career around. We can always be grateful to him for that. If this team can hold on to Bryce and win a WS with him, or anoint a new Home Run King in the capital, this year will have been well worth it.

[PC]

This isn’t just a Matt Williams problem but an organizational problem. Matt is just the ugly focus of the problem.

It was the Marlins who played this game like they had dying playoff hopes and have to win every game just to keep those hopes alive.  They are a team that’s 20 games under 500 but they are the team that brought their closer in for a four out save!  They cared enough about winning this game that they brought their closer in early.  From the Marlins perspective, that’s bizarre.  From the Nationals perspective, it’s embarrassing, that the team that’s 20 games under 500 is more desperate to win the game than they are.

This next part, though, is a Matt Williams is a terrible manager problem.   The fifth inning was the start of Roark’s 3rd time through the Marlins lineup. That tends to be a bad time for pitchers, especially shaky ones like Roark (who’s been shaky all season, tbh) and especially when the offense isn’t scoring. They can’t hit Cosart for some reason….even though they faced him last week and tonight.  It looked like it was the first time they’d ever seen him.   That’s the Jim Zorn in Matt Williams.  Complete and inexplicable lack of preparation by his team.

Getting back to the 3rd time through the lineup, the Marlins faced Roark last week so they had information from that start plus tonight’s game and Roark only last 4 2/3 innings in that last start.  Why would Williams try to get more from him in this start?  If Williams has just pulled Roark from the game after he’d gone through the lineup twice, he’d just given up 2 runs (with a runner on 3rd and one out)  Instead, Matt kept him in the game…for four more batters and 4 more runs allowed and the game was essentially over.  Remember the bottom of the 6th?  That was the Nationals' 3rd time through the lineup against Cosart and they started to hit him but the Marlins manager had more leeway because the Marlins were leading by those four runs that Roark gave up on his 3rd time through their lineup.  The Nationals ended up not scoring (SHOCK!!!) and Cosart was out for the next inning.

[BrandonK]

Matty is such a joke. Bryce is going to save his ass, though, so we'll be hearing about this all next year.

[Ray D]

Bittersweet watching this team play right now, they're playing great just like they were prior to the Mets series, just like they were prior to the Cardinals series. So, so, so many lost opportunities. I truly feel with a different manager there would have been a much different result, I don't care that this isn't all Matt William's fault, I think a different manager still would have had this team win ~95 games even with all the injuries.

I know the manager ultimately makes negligible difference according to all kinds of analysis, but there's a reason Connie Mack could tear down and rebuild World Series winning teams at whim, there's a reason Earl Weaver's teams always finished first or second,

I completely agree and I believe it is hogwash, the theory that the manager doesn't make much difference.  A manager can make the difference between a very good team and a mediocre team, and there is no better example than Matt Williams and the 2015 Nationals.  The 2012 version of Davey Johnson would have won 96 games. And as I recall, he had to deal with quite a load of injuries, at least early on, during 2012.

[aspenbubba]

Matty is such a joke. Bryce is going to save his ass, though, so we'll be hearing about this all next year.

Should we start the 2016 thread now?

[BrandonK]

Should we start the 2016 thread now?

Start it up

[PC]

If Williams is back next season, I'm going to start a website where the sole purpose is to what I did in the my previous post, delineate his decision making mistakes and there are plenty of them.  He's not a bad manager because of the results which Boswell tried to hide in his blowing column on Williams last week.  He's a bad manager because of his horrible, HORRIBLE in game decision making.

He has 100% control over his decision making.  He has 0% control over the results so I'm going to focus over what he can control.  Last night, for example, it wasn't his fault that Roark gave up those four runs in the fifth inning.  It was his fault, however, that Roark was still in the game in the fifth inning.

[Natsinpwc]

If Williams is back next season, I'm going to start a website where the sole purpose is to what I did in the my previous post, delineate his decision making mistakes and there are plenty of them.  He's not a bad manager because of the results which Boswell tried to hide in his blowing column on Williams last week.  He's a bad manager because of his horrible, HORRIBLE in game decision making.

He has 100% control over his decision making.  He has 0% control over the results so I'm going to focus over what he can control.  Last night, for example, it wasn't his fault that Roark gave up those four runs in the fifth inning.  It was his fault, however, that Roark was still in the game in the fifth inning.

Agree on the decision making but he has also failed to motivate the team; it's evident from their lack of fire all year.  Despite the recent dugout hugs this is true. He let the team use the injuries as an excuse.

 They either need a firey guy or someone who is a good old boy and can motivate by getting the guys to relax.  He seems in between those approached which would not be bad if he was not such an idiot for his game decisions and especially handling the pitching staff.

[whytev]

If Williams is back next season, I'm going to start a website where the sole purpose is to what I did in the my previous post, delineate his decision making mistakes and there are plenty of them.  He's not a bad manager because of the results which Boswell tried to hide in his blowing column on Williams last week.  He's a bad manager because of his horrible, HORRIBLE in game decision making.

He has 100% control over his decision making.  He has 0% control over the results so I'm going to focus over what he can control.  Last night, for example, it wasn't his fault that Roark gave up those four runs in the fifth inning.  It was his fault, however, that Roark was still in the game in the fifth inning.

I'm in. whatdidmattwilliamsdo.tumblr.com?

[Mattionals]

Well PC, if you think last week's Boswell column was bad, today's may send you through the roof.

Another issue - is the real problem with Steve McCatty and MW not getting good pitching advice ?  Many errors I've picked up on were relief pitching decisions.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-Ultimate-Drinking-Water-Filtration-System-HDGMBS4/205641823?keyword=HDGMBS4

I'm sure that PC will need some "Ultimate Drinking Water" to cool himself off whenever this magical article presents itself.

[shoeshineboy]

I'm sure that PC will need some "Ultimate Drinking Water" to cool himself off whenever this magical article presents itself.

I'm kind of disappointed that the link posted in error from the clipboard is a product page from Home Depot and not pictures.

[HattoriHanzo]

The Boswell column is pretty depressing.  Seems like the nats will have to choose between Harper and Williams or none of them.  It also really made it sound like MW is better off as a hitting coach rather than a manager and maybe he is better suited for that role as he seems over his head with his in game decisions.

[BeltwayBaseball]

Watching Matt and Scherzer get into it on the mound was great, I'm sure it fired Max up. Then when asked about Clint Robinson's hitting, he had a genuine answer. More and more I want Matt to stick around for his hitting coaching and his clubhouse management, keeping the guys motivated, firing them up. He had a great philosophy last year about the guys making a commitment to themselves and he'll hold 'em to it. This year every time they had a "closed door meeting" they would play .600 or better baseball for the next week or two.

But his bullpen management and pitching management in general is so absolutely terrible it calls for his head. His lineup construction isn't great either. Ugh.

[imref]

Maybe he needs a new pitching or bench coach?

[BeltwayBaseball]

Maybe he needs a new pitching or bench coach?

If that guy is basically calling all the shots then we're in business, but how likely is that to happen? Is Matt the type to basically defer any and all questions to his pitching coach? And that doesn't fix his decisions like putting Desi in every day or slotting MAT leadoff.

[pazzo83]

Could Matt be learning?  He handled the BP ok tonight.  I mean Jennings made it easier with having like 3-4 lefties followed by 3-4 righties, etc, but still.

[pazzo83]

Watching Matt and Scherzer get into it on the mound was great, I'm sure it fired Max up. Then when asked about Clint Robinson's hitting, he had a genuine answer. More and more I want Matt to stick around for his hitting coaching and his clubhouse management, keeping the guys motivated, firing them up. He had a great philosophy last year about the guys making a commitment to themselves and he'll hold 'em to it. This year every time they had a "closed door meeting" they would play .600 or better baseball for the next week or two.

But his bullpen management and pitching management in general is so absolutely terrible it calls for his head. His lineup construction isn't great either. Ugh.

I pretty much feel the same as you do

[skippy1999]

I missed this because I was watching the Marlins feed but this shows Max coming off the field after the 7th giving Matt an absolute death stare as he ignores Matt's attempt to fist bump him, he was as annoyed with Matt as some of us have been throughout this year

https://instagram.com/p/7zI4TKA7Pu/

[mitlen]

I missed this because I was watching the Marlins feed but this shows Max coming off the field after the 7th giving Matt an absolute death stare as he ignores Matt's attempt to fist bump him, he was as annoyed with Matt as some of us have been throughout this year

https://instagram.com/p/7zI4TKA7Pu/

Good picture for quotes:     "How dare you break my rhythm for this bullcrap." 

The one yesterday about Matt's brilliance was great.   Natsinpwc:

"you sir are a brilliant strategist but you need to reconsider."

[Natsinpwc]

Good picture for quotes:     "How dare you break my rhythm for this bullcrap." 

The one yesterday about Matt's brilliance was great.   Natsinpwc:

"you sir are a brilliant strategist but you need to reconsider."

Everyone knows of his brilliance. Common knowledge.

[mitlen]

Everyone knows of his brilliance. Common knowledge.

Shouldn't that be standard knowledge?     

[mitlen]

Lovin' the video with the story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2015/09/19/max-scherzer-uses-colorful-language-during-matt-williamss-mound-visit/

[varoadking]

Lovin' the video with the story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2015/09/19/max-scherzer-uses-colorful-language-during-matt-williamss-mound-visit/

He asked Scherzer one question: “You want him?” Williams said he “wanted to make sure I looked him in the eye.”

Which one, I wonder?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Could Matt be learning?  He handled the BP ok tonight.  I mean Jennings made it easier with having like 3-4 lefties followed by 3-4 righties, etc, but still.

I think he's managed differently down the stretch.  I don't know if someone talked to him and said you need to be more flexible and less role driven when we are chasing the Mets, or whether he realized it on his own, but it would only be surprising that he is still learning if you believe he is so rigid he learns nothing from experience.   Key will be if he's listening to others in the organization - his coaches, his analytical guys, his med staff, etc...  If he isn't, then he has to go.  If he does not trust Davey's guys and that is making him not listen to them, then they have to go.

[Natsinpwc]

I think he's managed differently down the stretch.  I don't know if someone talked to him and said you need to be more flexible and less role driven when we are chasing the Mets, or whether he realized it on his own, but it would only be surprising that he is still learning if you believe he is so rigid he learns nothing from experience.   Key will be if he's listening to others in the organization - his coaches, his analytical guys, his med staff, etc...  If he isn't, then he has to go.  If he does not trust Davey's guys and that is making him not listen to them, then they have to go.

If Janssen had come in and blown it like he usually does it would have been the same old stuff.  He has managed it poorly but let's face it the bullpen is a disaster and that's largely on Rizzo.