In my opinion, between the 8 teams in the baseball playoffs, the World Series Trophy is pretty up for grabs. Sure, the Phillies were the powerhouse favorite coming in, but they are playing the hottest team entering the tourney in the form of the Cardinals. Plus the Brewers are the resident "sexy" pick in the NL. In the AL, Texas has been called the most complete team, the Yankees are the Yankees, the Tigers have Verlander, and the Rays (behind their starting pitching) have emerged as the consensus nobody-wants-to-face-them team.
The point to all of this, of course, is to say that had the Giants made the playoffs, they would have had a decent chance to dominate the field as they did a year ago. And the question on everybody's mind is, "Can we blame Bruce Bochy for any of this?" Baseball is America's Pastime; criticizing Bochy is the cynical Giants fan's pastime.
I've been going back and forth on this. For every point, there is a counterpoint. Here's the conversation that's been going on in my head:
Pro-Bochy Point: "You can't blame Bochy for this year. He was dealt too tough of a hand. The injuries, the poor performances, etc."
Anti-Bochy Counterpoint: "But in baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, the role of the manager is to get the most out of what he has. Did he really squeeze all he could out of that line-up?"
Point: "He certainly gave it his best. He pretty much tried everything."
Counterpoint: "Yeah. And none of it worked."
Point: "But at some point you have to blame Cody Ross for Cody Ross's poor performance. Simply put, these guys were a suck machine fueled by what must have been Tommy Lasorda's armpit sweat."
Counterpoint: "Well that was not simply put at all, but I know what you mean. They were terrible. Given that, don't you think he should have given some of the younger guys a shot?"
Point: "Oh because they really shined when they were out there. Crawford was clearly overmatched (.584 OPS) and Belt's numbers only look as good as they do (and they don't look great) because of a few outlying productive games."
Counterpoint: "Still, it's the manager's job to keep these guys motivated, and mentally ready. These hitters were obviously in their own heads. They hit .219 with runners in scoring position. That number drops to .173 with 2 out. It wasn't until they were all-but-mathematically eliminated when they started to hit and rattle off a season high 8-game-win streak."
Point: "Well then look at the pitching staff. It'd be pretty hard to say he didn't handle them well. Everybody knew their role. Nobody was overused. And they had their fair share of injuries as well."
Counterpoint: "Easy enough when all your starters go deep and your bullpen is nasty all the way through. Plus he got lucky with Vogelsong. The Zito and Sanchez situations were a mess."
Point: "Well now you're just throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks. I would like to see another manager win 86 games with this team. He was just dealt too tough of a hand."
And that's where it ends. He generally did a pretty good job. The players seem to like him, and that should not be looked over. Yes, some of his line-ups frustrated me. And some of his in-game decisions (Ex: Orlando Cabrera NOT bunting with a man on second and no outs, in what would eventually become a 1-0 loss. Bochy's explaination, "You got a professional hitter up there" DRIVES ME NUTS). And let's not forget what a dud he is when he speaks to the public. But overall, I'd say he was more right than wrong. Things could have been done differently, but with the talent he had, I think 86 wins was more than appropriate. You and me, Boch, we're cool.
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