Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure fired

[NEsportsnation]

It seemed like today was a good day to fire someone, and the Sox have, Bob McClure is gone and has been replaced by Randy Niemann for the rest of the season. Do you think this was a good idea?

 

(I can't post any links, but you can look it up on google news for more info, there are a few articles there)

[mvp 78]

I'd dump the entire coaching staff. Bring up Arnie in September when the PawSox are in hibernation.

[rhfil]

This guy needed to go. It seems to me that one of his responsibilities should have been to ensure that starting pitchers were going out to the mound ready and the results indicate that he was not doing that.

Also, there have been many calls to get rid of Beckett because of his attitude. The cost of doing that would be very expensive. It would be more productive to get rid of Beckett's attitude. Hopefully a new pitching coach could do that.

One consideration might be to figure out how much it would cost to trade Beckett - how much of his contract would they have to eat - and put that amount into incentive for Beckett.

[Palodios]

McClure is just a scapegoat for Saltalamacchia.

 

DFA Salty.

[Behindenemylines]

Good call with this one. Why they forced this hire on Bobby I don't know. A good pitching coach will go along way in fixing the pitching problem. We took for granted when Farrell was here.

[DocHolliday]

This guy needed to go. It seems to me that one of his responsibilities should have been to ensure that starting pitchers were going out to the mound ready and the results indicate that he was not doing that.

Also, there have been many calls to get rid of Beckett because of his attitude. The cost of doing that would be very expensive. It would be more productive to get rid of Beckett's attitude. Hopefully a new pitching coach could do that.

One consideration might be to figure out how much it would cost to trade Beckett - how much of his contract would they have to eat - and put that amount into incentive for Beckett.

 

4 pitching coaches in 2 years- countless pitching coaches over his baseball life. Could any of these guys change Beckett's attitude? He's always been this way. In his younger years, his talent was able to suppress this attitude that's simply who he is. Now, for the first time in his life, he is having to adjust his entire approach to pitching and the results aren't there.

 

I don't think it's too soon to say that he will never make the adjustment to being a crafty veteran pitcher. But I do think that it won't come in a Red Sox uniform. Think back to his days in Florida- he was all gas, approach was to try and blow guys away in each at bat. He comes to the AL East his first year and realizes that approach won't work and gives up the most home runs of his career to that point. He makes the adjustment to becoming more of a control power pitcher and has the greatest season of his career in 07. Has a few seasons riddled with injuries and off/on stretches to cover his final "prime" seasons. Currently, he's in the next stage of his transition as a pitcher.

 

The one constant with all of these transitions is that he not only needed a new pitching coach, but also a completely new environment to successfully make the transition. There is no doubt in my mind he can be successful again - but it won't happen here.

[SCM33]

McClure is just a scapegoat for Saltalamacchia.

 

DFA Salty.

 

I like the way you think.

 

Tony Mazz made a suggestion today that I absolutely love.

 

Mike Stanley for baseball manager......man I would love that. He was always regarded as a professional as well as a leader, and he knows the game. A former catcher who had a very good approach to hitting.

[Elktonnick]

McClure never should have been hired in the first place. He was originally hired to be a scout. His hiring seemed to have been a hasty move, done without much if any fore thought. Regardless of what any one thinks of BV, McClure has to take some responsibility for the Bard fiasco and the wholesale collapse of the starting rotation. After two failures in a row, lets see what Niemann can do. If I recall the pitching wasn't half bad while Mcclure was away from the club and Niemann was acting pitching coach.

[RedSoxNC84]

- how much of his contract would they have to eat -

 

Probably ALL of it.

[Thunder]

Little late, don't you think FO? Why don't we hire Brad Mills? :dunno:

[DocHolliday]

Probably ALL of it.

 

I bet they could get by eating $20 -$24 M of the remaining $ ($10 - $12M each year). Or they could wait until the trade deadline or next off season and hope he has increased his trade value by then.

 

We can all live with the fact that he will most likely turn things around elsewhere. He's done this throughout his whole career.

[jacksonianmarch]

I actually feel bad for Brad Mills, speaking of him. He went to a team on a nose-dive who gave up 3 yrs in a row and he's getting scapegoated for it

[SoxSport]

Let's see. Cherington hired McClure. Valentine hired Niemann. Lucchino's way of compromising, courtesy of the season ticket holders, etc. who pay the salaries. Obviously, they only needed one.

[SoxSport]

I actually feel bad for Brad Mills, speaking of him. He went to a team on a nose-dive who gave up 3 yrs in a row and he's getting scapegoated for it

 

Mills should immediately get his old job back as bench coach. The team fell apart when he left.

[jung]

There is a lot that is wrong with the Sox rotation and pitching in general and Salty is a disaster behind the plate. However I never got the feeling that McClure was as involved as he needed to be. The whole Pitching Coach thing seemed to be something of an issue as well. Should be interesting to see what happens for 2013 as far as Pitching Coach is concerned...maybe all the coaches for that matter...maybe the Manager for that matter.

[SoxSport]

I like the way you think.

 

Tony Mazz made a suggestion today that I absolutely love.

 

Mike Stanley for baseball manager......man I would love that. He was always regarded as a professional as well as a leader, and he knows the game. A former catcher who had a very good approach to hitting.

 

I don't think anyone good on the outside would want to manage this team right now--not after what Valentine has been through. There has to be changes upstairs first.

[InfernoOrangeSS]

I actually feel bad for Brad Mills, speaking of him. He went to a team on a nose-dive who gave up 3 yrs in a row and he's getting scapegoated for it

 

Did he go there involuntarily, or was that team's make-up kept hidden from him? He went in there knowing what he was getting into. I have no sympathy for Mills.

 

I think the firing of McClure was overdue, but I thought they would wait till this season was over to do it.

[jung]

The Sox management is so much about spin these days I think they dumped McClure now instead of waiting for effect. Sort of a nod in the direction of the fans that really know something about baseball and know the starting pitching issues are significant for this team. They really don't have many bullets in the "we hear ya' gun" as it relates to the starting pitching having done nothing with regard to player personnel. So they throw us a bone by throwing McClure under the bus. Certainly dumping a guy in season is more of statement than waiting to the end of the season.

 

It might be a nod to V as well though I doubt it since I don't think V will last past the end of this season.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Hi, I'm Bob McClure. You may remember me from such pitching disasters as "I'm Beckett You To End This" and "The Lester Know, The Better"!

[wetcamelfood]

So are they going to dump Sweet Caroline at Fenway and have Randy sing Short People in the bottom of the 8th? Oh wait...

[Elktonnick]

The Sox management is so much about spin these days I think they dumped McClure now instead of waiting for effect. Sort of a nod in the direction of the fans that really know something about baseball and know the starting pitching issues are significant for this team. They really don't have many bullets in the "we hear ya' gun" as it relates to the starting pitching having done nothing with regard to player personnel. So they throw us a bone by throwing McClure under the bus. Certainly dumping a guy in season is more of statement than waiting to the end of the season.

 

It might be a nod to V as well though I doubt it since I don't think V will last past the end of this season.

 

After reading Abraham"s column I've come to the following two conclusions. The first is that Cherrington is a total fool for sticking any incoming manager with hold over coaches and coaches he didn't hire. The second is that McClure is totally incompetent as a pitching coach. According to the article BV wanted Bard to pitch from the stretch McClure didn't. He apparently resisted BV's efforts in that regard as well as other matters. (Never mind that Hirshiser made the same sugggestion regarding Bard) McClure was clearly insubbordinate as well as incompetent.

[iortiz]

I wonder if this is the begining of the 2013 cleaning up

[kapsis21]

the worst of Mclure was when Aceves was closing in Yankee stadium and he walks out to talk to Aceves, his body language was nowhere near to what you would expect from a pitching coach.

he wasnt sure of what Aceves was going to do. it was hilarious but at the same time telling of Mclure and his future.

[Behindenemylines]

Moving Bard to rotation was a FO decision and I don't think Bobby V was really behind this one. Read somewhere that McClure had done it during his career and would be a big help to Bard going through the process. We saw how that turned out. Throw in the seasons that Beckett and Lester have had and McClure had to go. For McClure to not get one of those three back on track is the reason why he is playing golf the rest of the summer. The only way the Red Sox start the process of fixing this is to settle on a manager (Everyone behind the decision) and let that guy pick his own coaches that he is comfortable working with. Its a long season and a manager has to depend on his coaches for so much. Got to fix the head (Coaching staff) before you can fix the body (Players).

[kapsis21]

In a statement issued today the National Association of Pitching Practitioners of America ( NAPPA , based in California ) decried the premature sacking of McClure. NAPPA spokesperson Lobol No Wok, said that McClure has done a spectacular job at Fenway and that he was dismayed at the dismissal .

 

"Red Sox FO knew in September 2011 that they needed pitching and instead of supplementing their SR they band-aided the whole process. McClure is sacrificial for the fault of others and the man who held the Royals pitching together for years had to go to protect FO.. He worked with headcases , prima donnas, head hunters , second raters, and psychologically damaged men who couldn't handle bad calls.Closers wanted to be starters and bullpen men wanted to be closers and ace starters wanted to be somewhere else. McClure will not contest the decision , and quoting Ortiz' comment "there is just too much drama here " took the first available flight out of Boston.

 

Beckett was on the golf course and unavailable for comment

 

[Elktonnick]

Moving Bard to rotation was a FO decision and I don't think Bobby V was really behind this one. Read somewhere that McClure had done it during his career and would be a big help to Bard going through the process. We saw how that turned out. Throw in the seasons that Beckett and Lester have had and McClure had to go. For McClure to not get one of those three back on track is the reason why he is playing golf the rest of the summer. The only way the Red Sox start the process of fixing this is to settle on a manager (Everyone behind the decision) and let that guy pick his own coaches that he is comfortable working with. Its a long season and a manager has to depend on his coaches for so much. Got to fix the head (Coaching staff) before you can fix the body (Players).

 

BV as well as every competent baseball guy was opposed to Bard becoming a starter. It was Cherrington and Bard himself who wanted to make the move. (I'd fire Cherrington for that call alone)

[Behindenemylines]

What is Lobol No Wok a $pankees fan. If that is the case then to him McClure did a great job for the Sox. Don't you always here coaches say you play with the players you have and it is a waste of time hoping for this player or that player.

[kapsis21]

What is Lobol No Wok a $pankees fan. If that is the case then to him McClure did a great job for the Sox. Don't you always here coaches say you play with the players you have and it is a waste of time hoping for this player or that player.

 

that was just a joke ..

[a700hitter]

BV as well as every competent baseball guy was opposed to Bard becoming a starter. It was Cherrington and Bard himself who wanted to make the move. (I'd fire Cherrington for that call alone)

Yep. Even if Bard had become a decent starter, the move blew a hole open in the late inning pen that needed to be plugged. It made no sense that he took a guy who was a high performer in qa certain role and moved him to another role where he had no track record of success to fill that hole while creating a need in the pen. We needed a starter. He should have obtained a starter. If Bard had been terrible in the bullpen as DLowe had been in his last season as closer, I could see him getting moved to the rotation as a last ditch effort to save his career. He was building a good career in the bull pen, but the FO made a last ditch effort to ruin his career, and they succeeded.