Effects of management

[ChampN252]

So I'm playing 2K7 using the Nationals. Bad team. Got new everything, coaches and all. Teams gets better and better everyday. How much effect does management have on an actually teams in reality? I read thats a big problem with the Pirates. I would think the way the team performed would be more about the players wanting to be their best and less about the staff around them.

[Graphik]

Re: Effects of management

Suprised no one took this question on. My thoughts are that a manager is faced with making the decisions that will make or break a ball club. You're pretty much responsible for putting the best lineup on the field day in and day out.

When a player starts to slump and they all do, when is a good time to sit him or move him down in the lineup? Who do you get to replace that spot? Who will bat lead off and more importantly, how do you fill the 7, 8 and 9 spots in the order? Do you pull a pitcher or tough it out and let him finish the inning? Which in turn can have dramatic effects on a players morale and confidence. Its pretty much all about matchups with a manager.

And when the team loses by 1 point, they dont point to your best player going 0-4 with 3 K's. They dont even point to the pitcher responsible for giving the run up. It all falls in the hands of the manager. Why didn't he pull the best player after he was having a terrible game? Why did you or didn't you pull a pitcher after he walked the bases loaded? Why do you keep bringing in a closer who cant close the game out? Why do you keep leading off a .232 hitter?

I cant even count how many times I've lost a baseball video game due to bad manager decisions.

[Wang Chung]

Re: Effects of management

Yeah, Ive seen numerous stat geeks question how important managers actually are. They're hugely important. One of the problems with these stat geeks is that they take macro-level data that are derived from micro-level decisions. This is problematic. The decisions of the manager requires more than macor level assessments. As was mentioned above, they need to know why a player has excelled against a particular pitcher. Say for example, if a certain hitter has only faced a particular pitcher during a couple of different slumps and so he's 0/7, does the manager make a decision based on the 0/7 or does he also factor in he was in a slump during every one of those 7 at bats. So, what happens if that batter is no longer in a slump and has to face that pitcher? And then what about the kinds of pitches he throws and varying arm angles?

Plus on top of that, the manager is the leader. He doesnt merely fill out a lineup card. Part of being a manager is managing men with different personalities. Its a long season with a lot of ups and downs and there are a lot of instances of trying to integrate various people into the lineups and rotations.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Effects of management

I think about it this way. MLB managers are like professional chess players. They're really smart and know how to play the game quite well.

Now, imagine what would happen if one professional chess player had an extra queen or two to work with instead of pawns. Who do you think would win the chess match?