One step up and two steps back

There is a player on the Phillies that just drives me insane.  I won’t name him because I’m not into bashing players from afar.  It’s a very hard game and anyone who makes it to the major league level is more talented than I ever was.  That being said, he still drives me nuts.  I guarantee he drives the Phillies organization nuts as well.

I remember watching the MLB Channel one night and Harold Reynolds was talking about another player who had been traded to another team during the off-season.  This player was wearing out pitching all season and many wondered why on earth his former team would get rid of him?  Did they fail to see his talent?  Reynold’s answer was informative to fans and young players alike.  His answer went something like this (paraphrased)…

Big League managers sometimes get tired of all the minor mistakes some guys make.  No matter how good a player is, little things that aren’t done drive managers nuts.  They will put up with it for a while but even if the player is productive, a manager may get to the point where he says ‘I can’t stand it anymore.  He’s got to go.’

To many outsiders, production numbers are all that matter.  However, when a manager compiles a team, he has to not only consider production but also chemistry.  Even productive players can wear down a team over the long haul.  Missing cutoff men from the outfield,  failing to take an extra base when able to, swinging at the first pitch when the previous batter walked on four pitches, consistently popping the ball up when the guy can fly, and getting picked off are just some of the many ways this type of player can get under a manager’s skin.  Of course, none of those hair-pulling mistakes show up in the stats.  When outsiders see “one step forward” based on home runs or RBI’s, managers often see the “two steps back” the player caused the team to go in with the numerous mistakes mentioned above.

The Phillies may eventually lose the player I had in mind when writing this post.  If they do, I won’t lose a second of sleep.  I suspect Charlie Manual might sleep a little better as well.