"Which teams, specifically, did Bloomquist play for? And did they IN FACT manifest the improved work environments advertised by his apologists?"
It's a great question. However, simply adding up the playoff appearances / >.500 seasons for his teams, that would not be the right way to answer it.
(Are we going to evaluate Ken Griffey Jr. by postseason appearances? When James takes a stab at a player's effect on his teams, he starts with pre-season win expectations, and then compares the manager/player's results against that expectation. Not simply counting >.500 seasons; after all, Willie didn't come up in the Yankee organization.)
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Since we're on the subject, Veteran Willie was added to two franchises in his career:
The 2009 Royals, where he joined Trey Hillman mid-stream, and made no discernible difference in the Royals' fortunes.
The 2011-13 Diamondbacks, where he joined Kirk Gibson's revolution and the D-Backs went from 97 losses to 94 wins (+29 victories) in Willie's first season there.
I don't say that's conclusive, either.
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What it looks like, is that Kansas City added Bloomquist for his baseball skills, and accomplished nothing. And that Arizona added Bloomquist as part of a culture change -- which occurred to the tune of +29 wins.
Not sure that Willie's resume contradicts the idea that he can -- if other factors are in place -- be an important part of turning around a team's attitude.
If such a skill exists, it would be useful for about four months, and then the objective would be accomplished. The year-3 records of the player's teams wouldn't be the issue here.
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