Bobby Valentine: These Guys Could Use a 600-lb Gorilla (2)
Q. OK, so what were these big successes?
A2. Well, we're not talking Mike Scioscia here. But he was handed challenges and he came out the winner. There are a whale of a lot of guys who didn't.
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In 1985, Valentine was handed a 99-loss Rangers team in midseason. Would you have wanted this 1985 Rangers team?
93 OPS+, yuk. 91 ERA+, double yuk. You know what was much worse? 30-somethings Toby Harrah, Buddy Bell, Cliff Johnson ... Burt Hooton, Frank Tanana ... a roster crammed with Entitled Vets.
The next year, did the Rangers lose 99 with that roster full of 100-loss Entitled Vets? They won 87 games!, and you tell me if you can figure out how.
I don't say that it's a miracle, but I do say that it counts in Valentine's favor.
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Q. The 1987-91 Rangers didn't blossom too well -- they played .500.
A. Yeah, we're not saying that Valentine was Bobby Cox in his first go-round. But in 1987-88 you could easily argue that the dry rot was simply impossible to overcome, and in 1989 forward they got better, not worse.
Grade B for the young Valentine's Rangers experience.
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Q. What were these big successes?
A2. In 1996, Valentine was handed another weak, 91-loss team, this time with just a month to go.
In 1997, did the Mets lose 90+ again? No, he won 88 games with them -- essentially, he had Don Wakamatsu's 2009 season.
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But in his 2nd full year with the Mets, things didn't fall apart like they did for Don: he won another 88 in year two, consolidating gains.
And then in year 3? He won 97 games! Not with overwhelming talent, either: the 1999 Mets had a 103 offense and 104 pitching. They didn't get Pythag-lucky -- Bobby V scored them a +142 run differential with that average-solid pitching and hitting. That's a manager's job, I'd say.
He was kept out of the World Series only by a glorious 1990's Braves team.
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In year 4, he won 94 games again...
In year 5, it spiralled down.
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Q. Does the year-5 Mets disappointment speak badly about Bobby V?
A. Most high-energy guys don't wear well on players, over the course a decade. But that's exactly what I want for the next Mariner manager: a Big Name, high credibility, short-shelf guy who will transition these young players for us.
Valentine is what, close to 60 now. You're not looking for a young Walter Alston (which we thought maybe Wakamatsu was). We need to win and Now. For that, you want a Godzilla manager.
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But, you know what ... if Valentine did become annoying after several years in New York ... his time in uber-correct Japan might have filed off the edges anyway. It's not unpossible that Valentine could have his longest run in Seattle. It's just that he wouldn't need to.
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