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Originally Posted by jettio
Brainiac is right that he deserves some credit for the Royals having good team chemistry and a good clubhouse.
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I actually agree with this. This is Yost's strength.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jettio
Another factor that deserves consideration is how Kansas City has a lot of fans who like to think they are much smarter than the dumbazz manager.
Ned Yost has a talent for pulling enough genuine headscratchers to keep those folks proud.
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Every fanbase in America second-guesses its baseball managers. I think Royals fans are actually more forgiving of managers than in other places. Low expectations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jettio
Players have to play when they have a chance to make the difference.
Last night, Hochevar gives up back-to-back dingers to blow a two-run lead and Wade Davis has a great relief appearance to stop a walk-off victory for the Mariners.
The thing about baseball is you can make the consensus move and it is up to the player to make it work.
Louis Coleman might give up walks, hits and runs the next time he pitches in a crucial situation no matter how great the second-guessers think he is.
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Was there consternation in this thread about going to Hochevar when he did?
Yost's strengths (team unity, chemistry, development of young players) have started being outweighed by his weaknesses (poor tactical decisions, inconsistent tactical decisions, extreme loyalty to struggling players) this year.
Yost's yo-yo tendencies for strategies are my biggest problem with him. He's like the blackjack player who keeps changing his decision points on hit/stay. If you don't have a consistent approach, you run the risk of having the odds screw you more often than they should.
This team is going to go right down to the wire and probably fall a few Ws short. Ned Yost isn't atrocious or even the worst manager in baseball. But he is slightly below average (-1 or -2 a year). Swap him out with a good manager (Francona, Maddon, etc.) and you're looking at +3 or +4 instead. That's a big swing, big enough to put KC in the driver's seat for the WC.