FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Steelercooz said 08/15, 07:53 PM
Congratulations to Manny Acta and the seemingly overachieving Washington Nationals. Because of his tireless work, he took a team no one really cared about, and will make them finish 10 games below .500 instead of 15.

But have you forgotten where Arizona finished last year? Ten games below .500. Did he get a vote for Manager of the Year? No (well, I don???t think he did, anyway).

Considering how young their team is, manager Bob Melvin has done far more than any other manager in the NL, and, unlike Acta, he actually wins, not just provide a symbolic "little engine that could" story.

Melvin wins with a very young bullpen. He wins with patch-work starting pitchers like the ancient Livan Hernandez. He wins with Byung-Hyun Kim logging innings for him, for cripessake! While Acta may have had to piece together his roster from scrap, Melvin didn???t have much more to work with, and Melvin's the guy starting to sniff the post-season. Which one of them has done more to say they are the best in the league? The one who has made people quote Major League, and say "These guys ain???t so f**kin??? bad," or the manager who is a few weeks away from an improbable division title?

Bob Melvin.

Steelercooz said 08/15, 08:51 PM
Melvin has given the DBacks the ideal leadership and management to make a young team compete for a pennant. Acta has done a great job helping a floundering franchise tread water. Acta keeps his job, that's reward enough.

Kim pitched for them this year, didn't he? They won with him logging innings, right?

Melvin took a very young team and improved them 20 games, maybe more. That???s more of an impressive job than taking a team the media believed would be 120 game losers and have them only lose 90. One is fact, one is prediction.

Managing a team is about balancing the roster, and knowing which guys to keep in what spots in order to maximize their ability. Unlike most others, baseball is a game that relies more on experience than youth. It takes a while for a kid to develop the ability to play every day in the majors, and to win with as many young guys as Melvin is doing is truly an amazing accomplishment.

He isn't just winning, he???s got the second-best record in the National League. Yes, having a legitimate ace like B-Webb helps, but it's the guys at the bottom of your rotation and your bullpen that get you winning streaks. Melvin's best work is right there.

Steelercooz said 08/15, 09:48 PM
This is very simple. If the Nats continue at .454 baseball, which is what they were going into tonight, they'll finish 74-88. That???s three games better than last year. The Manager of the Year is not the guy who improved his team three games, I don???t care if they put ME on their roster.

If the D-Backs stay at .558 ball, they finish 90-72, which is 14 games better. Fourteen is a lot of games, Coletrain, even for the IRON CURTAIN.

Keep in mind, there are several other NL managers who have taken their teams to new levels, unlike Acta. Ned Yost is looking at a 10-game improvement in Milwaukee. Plus, his name is Ned. Lou Piniella is looking at a 16 game difference, and that was with a horrendous start in Chicago.

I understand it can be said Acta did more with less. But that's an arbitrary opinion. The fact is, he got less, and he lost with less. Because he didn't lose as much as some thought he would isn't enough to move him ahead of someone who improved his team a considerable amount.

Acta is worthy of respect, but not of the award.