Which hitter would the manager of your favorite team least like to face with the game on the line? Which ace would they most like to have on their side? And which manager do other managers respect the most?
With all 30 MLB skippers in attendance at last week’s winter meetings in Orlando, Florida, we took the opportunity to find out the answers to these questions, as well as get their thoughts on the state of the game, next year’s biggest rule change and much more.
Here are our favorite answers.
If you were commissioner for a day, what change would you make to MLB?
Craig Albernaz, Baltimore Orioles: That’s a great question. I wouldn’t make any changes. I love the game as it is.
Warren Schaeffer, Colorado Rockies: Every Monday free. Just like the minor leagues – every Monday off. At Coors, you can have a six-man rotation. You have a full day of preparation for the next opponent. Each week you get that rest and maybe filter the rest days between them.
Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers: Shadows? Eliminate shadows. Cannot have shadows – dangerous for players. Or devices to communicate between the acrobats, so that they don’t cross paths.
What do you think of MLB’s new ball/strike challenge system coming next season?
Albernaz: As with any situation where a new rule change occurs, you just have to see it and adapt to it. The strategy is coming, yes, we talked about it. We have some strategies for how this is going to work in real time. Luckily last year in Cleveland, our stadium was one of those Challenge System hubs, so we were able to get a first-hand look at it.
Craig Stammen, San Diego Padres: I think it will be exciting. It will be exciting for the fans. It’s going to be another piece of strategy that you bring into baseball that we’re going to have to dive into and think about how we’re going to use these two challenges, and when, where and who, so I think it’s going to be exciting.
Clayton McCullough, Miami Marlins: In spring training, they rolled it out a little bit…I think it brought a different level of engagement at different times of the game. By giving players the opportunity to have a say and highlight moments in the game, I can’t wait to see how this plays out.
And I will also say that for the officials who are out there, it’s a very difficult thing, 300 pitches a night with the kind of things they see. They do exceptional work. Major League Baseball has done a good job recently implementing some things that have improved the experience for our fans. And this is another one that has a chance of being well received.
Blake Butera, Washington Nationals: I’m really excited about it. I’ve obviously seen him in Triple-A for a while. One thing this does is you always hear the dugout chatter going after the umpires. It’s like, “Hey, challenge him. Let’s see what you got.”
I think what’s really good is that the referees in the big leagues are really good. They are really very good. It’s hard work, man. You have to lock for that many slots. And then you miss one, its borderline, you hear it from the dugout. It’s not an easy job. I think now the protest system, what it’s done, it’s like, okay, you don’t like it, challenge it.
Terry Francona, Cincinnati Reds: Last spring I didn’t want to do it because we weren’t going to use it. And then the guys from the league asked me – they were really great – they said, can you just do it please? ALL RIGHT. Actually, it didn’t bother me. I thought it was good and I thought the fans liked it. I didn’t stop the game much. Everyone was waiting for the scoreboard. I think it will be fine.
What was your biggest takeaway from this year’s exciting MLB playoffs?
Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies: How competitive it was. Even our series where we got beaten was really close. Obviously, the World Series was fascinating in the way it played out. The competition was really good.
Oliver Marmol, St. Louis Cardinals: It was one of the most exciting playoffs I’ve seen in a long time. It was a dynamic and fun environment. You wanted to watch the matches. There was electricity.
Murphy: It’s not like the regular season. It’s that every throw counts, that it’s all hands on deck. You know, the most important round is this. It’s great. I couldn’t get enough of it. You better have stamina. You better have stamina. Wow.
Albernaz: It was great. Just pure baseball.
Which opposing hitter would you least like to see in the game at stake?
Schaeffer: Shohei [Ohtani]. It looks pretty clutch.
Skip Schumaker, Texas Rangers: I’m going to say Freddie Freeman. He hits righties, hits lefties, stays inside the baseball, he’s a hitter, he uses the whole field, he swings at the right pitches, he’ll do his walk, so you’re not going to take him out coming out of the zone. He knows where the zone is, he doesn’t try to do too much and he’s going to put it in play. Ohtani is obviously the better hitter, but I don’t want to see Freddie.
Murphy: Freeman dominated us for years with the game on the line. He did it many times, he broke our hearts.
Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks: Freddie is going to be able to understand the pitcher, he’s going to adjust his approach, he’s going to put the ball in play. You need a double, he’s going to get a double. You only need one, he’ll find a way back to base.
McCullough: Kyle Schwarber. He hammers the speed. He has improved so much against southpaws. Every time he is in the box, I feel like the squad has become too small. And he is in our division. There is [Aaron] Judge, but we don’t see much of Judge.
Origin: One player, when I was a pitcher, that I always respected, who was always good at the plate and was a difficult person to play against, was Mookie Betts. He’s a good hitter.
Which pitcher – not on your team – would you most like to hand the ball to with the season on the line?
Origin: I think right now it’s probably Paul Skenes or Tarik Skubal. These guys are probably the two best pitchers in baseball. I would be good to give the ball to these guys. It’s fun being their managers right now.
Lovullo: Skenes is a promising young player and he’s had a lot of success, and there’s a reason for that. You talk about process, understanding the big picture and being able to go ahead and execute, never sitting still and wanting to improve – he’s the perfect example of that.
Schumacher: I would say Skubal. I think it would be hard not to say Skubal.
Murphy: I love that Giants guy, Logan Webb. But I like a lot of pitchers, man.
Schaeffer: I think [Webb] is an absolute bulldog. I like the way he goes about his business.
McCullough: Christopher Sanchez was so tough. You forget how hard he throws. But the ease with which he does it, the duration. The fastball-changeup combination. We tried different plans against him and there was always one problem: we couldn’t get him off the ground. A tough guy to hit, and he doesn’t walk people around.
Who is the best manager in MLB right now, besides yourself?
Murphy: I mean, besides me? I’m not even in the top 28. I’m not in the top 29. But I know Craig Counsell better than anyone, and I know how great he is.
Lovullo: I just watch [Counsell] on the other hand, he does it in a very thoughtful way. There’s a reason that everything, very process-oriented, has a knack for understanding what’s going to happen. I think projection in this game is a huge factor.
Schaeffer: AJ Hinch. I love what he gets out of his players in terms of the roles they accept on the team.
Schumacher: Before the World Series, I would say Hinch. I would probably stay with AJ. But what Doc [Dave Roberts] Was this playoffs super awesome. So I would give him a 1A and a 1B, because everyone talks about the rosters Doc has had, and yes, he has incredible talent. But what he’s done this postseason — and honestly the last one, too, with the way he handled that Padres series — I give him a whole ton of respect.
Origin: You have to go with the World Series champions. Dave Roberts proved he could take on a team of stars and win two World Series in a row. It’s quite impressive. You can do it, you have my vote. But another guy I think of is Tito Francona. I had him for spring training, 2016, but a ton of respect for him and the way he goes about his business.
McCullough: I think of Dave, his ability to communicate with all types of people. Managing such a prestigious group year after year, along with the expectations that come with it and the stability of Dave at all times of the season. Dave never hesitates. There is always a sense of urgency from those who work for him. We all know what is at stake and we have done it – I say we; I’m not here anymore. But I think Dave has a really steady hand and understands how to get through a season and then the playoffs. He is certainly masterful in bullpen moves.
