Should Dave Magadan be fired?

by Dex on May 1, 2006 1:03 PM PDT in News

Within the Ducksnorts April Review, Geoff defends Dave Magadan and gives us some questions that we should ask ourselves before ordering Mags be rended limb from limb. In this post, I offer my rebuttal.

If a hitting coach wields a significant amount of influence over the performance of his charges -- particularly veterans who have a track record and presumably understand what their job entails and how to do it -- then why isn't he paid as much as the hitters he is supposed to be coaching?

For exactly the same reason that a writer or a director doesn't make as much money as an actor. As much influence as they may have on the performance, in the end the performers are the ones performing and should be making the money. While the effect of talent is huge, the writer and the director can do a lot towards how well the film turns out, particularly if it turns out poorly.

If the hitting coach's presence is not such a significant factor, then why aren't the players held accountable for their own performance? Shouldn't they be fired for not performing to expectations?

Two words: Players Union. Two more words: Guaranteed Contracts.

If the hitting coach must be fired, then who will replace him? You can't just fire someone without having a plan to improve things. I mean, you can -- it happens all the time; but there's a word for that. Hint: it starts with "s" and rhymes with "tupid."

Tim Flannery can be the hitting coach. He has coaching experience. Players love him. If he's not really going to affect how the players hit then all that matters is we get somebody friendly in there.

How long would any new hitting coach be given to "make the players perform" (as if he could "make" them do anything) before meeting the same fate as his predecessor?

Here's the trouble with Magadan, as I see it. Others might see it differently. I don't read in the papers that any of the players are particularly enamoured with whatever philosophy he's trying to implement. I may be wrong, but I feel like I read enough of the blurbs and articles that come out. It seems like the only people going to bat for him are other coaches and the front office. Remember when Tony was on the team and he would always talk about Merv Rettenmund? You kinda got the feeling that Merv could be credited with something even if it was seemingly minor.

What gets me is the idea that Dave Magadan won't have any effect on the hitting at all. If this is the case, then get rid of the position. We don't need a hitting coach. If a hitting coach really can't have any effect on the outcome of the game, then it's an extra person that doesn't need to be in the dugout.

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Comments

They fire coaches all the time

Look at Lopes and Picciolo, I can't really point to one thing that they did wrong. They just weren't getting results. That's pretty much what it comes down to with Magadan. Is he getting results?

In my opinion he is not.

His job is to improve the team's hitting. He has failed.

Where did Merv go? Has he retired?

by jbox on May 1, 2006 2:16 PM PDT reply actions

Baserunning

What about all the baserunning blunders last year? I think that Lopes was deemed in charge of that area. Probably Piccolo took a lot of heat as well. I cannot speak to whether they SHOULD have been held accountable, but I think that everyone was pretty open about how embarassingly inept we were on the basepaths last year. Something that we seem to have turned around so far anyway.

Christina

by Christina on May 1, 2006 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Two quick points

The players don't need to be enamored with the Padres' organizational hitting philosophy, they just need to follow it.
Magadan probably has an effect on the hitting but I think it's overstated. I can't imgaine, for example, that replacing Magadan will magically get Dave Roberts out of his slump.

We don't need a scapegoat, we need a solution. Unless a better option is available to replace him, firing Magadan doesn't make much sense to me.

Geoff @ Ducksnorts

by Geoff on May 1, 2006 7:36 PM PDT reply actions

Points taken

But I don't think Magadan would just be a scapegoat. Ballplayers are, after all, superstitious. It could be something as simple as Mags isn't a very good communicator. You have to figure, these are guys who know how to succeed, They just need to reminded how every now and then.

Also, what if Mags' hitting philosophy is really weird? It's possible that an organization's philosophy can screw up hitters. I know that in the minors, they'll sometimes implement a strategy by fining hitters who swing at pitches in certain counts. Or they'll tinker with swings that don't need tinkering. It's entirely possible that this sort of thing happens in the majors as well. I definitely think there's more to the hitting coach than people give credit for.

by Dex on May 1, 2006 7:48 PM PDT up reply actions

The thing is...

...it's not Magadan's philosophy, it's the organization's philosophy. If that screws up hitters, we've got a real big problem, because I don't see Alderson & co. changing it anytime soon.

Also, who is available that would do a better job than Magadan? Firing a guy isn't a solution, hiring someone is.

Geoff @ Ducksnorts

by Geoff on May 1, 2006 7:58 PM PDT reply actions

I see what you are saying

I don't know hitting coaches well enough to be able to offer a suggestion. There have got be guys out there though. You know how sometimes guys need a change of scenery to get themselves going. Maybe we just need to mix it up by getting a new coach. Also it will send a little message to the players.

Then again, the Padres are hitting so well tonight that they should give Mags a 10 year guaranteed contract.

by jbox on May 1, 2006 8:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Or maybe...

...they just need to face Jamey Wright more often. ;-)

Geoff @ Ducksnorts

by Geoff on May 1, 2006 8:47 PM PDT up reply actions

I vote Rob Deer.

Friar Faithful

by Richard Wade on May 4, 2006 8:17 AM PDT up reply actions

Also

if you can't fire a hitting coach for a team's poor hitting, what can you fire him for?

In High School we had a great teacher and every year he'd have the seniors sell three bean soup. Every year the huge profits would fund a trip to Long Beach Harbor. Don't ask me why you'd want to go there. When Dex, Kev and I got into that class we sold like 2 and were complete failures. It wasn't that the teacher wasn't good anymore, it's that he couldn't get us to be good. He wasn't fired or anything though, we just got lectured and didn't go to the LBC.

by jbox on May 1, 2006 8:50 PM PDT reply actions

Bean soup

The original trip was going to be Washington D.C. It was switched to Long Beach for us cause early on, everybody could tell we obviously weren't going to get to D.C.

by Dex on May 1, 2006 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions