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That didn't take long. The second managerial change of the day takes place in Los Angeles.

Jim Tracy and the Dodgers have come to a "mutual agreement" - Tracy wanted to return, and his current deal ran through next year. However, Tracy and GM Paul DePodesta had "philosophical differences" and it was evidently made clear that Tracy was not going to get an extension and that he would be a lame duck on a short leash if he did return.

The Dodgers were the defending division champs, and came charging out of the gate this year, winning 12 of their first 14 games. The team was decimated by injuries to most of the lineup after that - the entire outfield was out at one point, three of the four infielders at another, and Eric Gagne missed most of the season.

Tracy, in my opinion, didn't help matters much by sticking with Cesar Izturis as his leadoff hitter. Izturis got off to a very fine start, hitting .314 and scoring 33 runs over the first two months. Alas, from June 1 onward, he was astonishingly bad - he batted just .173 the rest of the way, with a .211 On-Base percentage, and scored the grand total of 15 runs before injuries cut short in season in late August.

You may also be unimpressed by the way he buried Hee-Seop Choi on his bench, giving him just 102 at bats after the All-Star Break...

Dodgers and Jim Tracy Part Company | 3 comments | Create New Account
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Elijah - Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 03:48 AM EDT (#129580) #
The biggest complaint here in Dodgerland (well, not the LA Times' columnists section of Dodgerland) was not that Choi was on the bench. Saenz was very productive most of the season. The problem was that Choi was on the bench for Jason Phillips. He couldn't hit as a catcher and then Tracy had the idea of moving him to first after the Dodgers promoted Navarro and he hit even worse. That, for many Dodger fans and perhaps DePodesta, was the last straw.

Izturis hit the way the Blue Jays always thought he hit but he missed much of the last couple months anyway. That being said, there were no reasonable alternatives. Antonio Perez may have played there but then you still had to fill third base and Oscar Robles wasn't exactly the second coming of Chad Fonville.

Questionable lineup and personnel decisions and the failure to accept any blame (he blamed the injuries, personnel, and worst, his players) were Tracy's downfall.

The Dodgers do have some offensive help on the way. Willy Aybar had a Spenceresque September and Andy LaRoche and Joel Guzman will probably be up sometime next season or in 2007.

They will have to figure out what to do with the outfield. They like what they got from Jose Cruz the last two months and there are rumblings that Milton Bradley is gone. If they keep him, an outfield of Cruz, Drew and Bradley isn't horrible so long as it remains healthy, a big question mark to be sure.

The next manager will likely be given the order to play Choi every day or at least, every game against a right handed starter. When Tracy and DePodesta talk about not seeing eye-to-eye, the handling of Choi is likely a large chunk of it.
smarch - Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:13 PM EDT (#129609) #
it seems that the trend is most teams like what they see out of Jose Cruz Jr., then they play him regularly, and, then not so much
Gerry - Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:57 PM EDT (#129611) #
Tracy and DePo were not on the same page and, in a disappointing season, Tracy blamed the roster for the poor season, implicitly blaming the GM, and earning his ticket out of town.

DePo has taken some flak this season for ignoring clubhouse chemistry in his roster construction. Now chemistry is always a debatable point, but the Dodgers appear to have a few special cases. Milton Bradley, JD Drew and Jeff Kent all have unique personalities. If there had been no injuries there might have been no problems but stress brings the cracks to the forefront.

So IMO, Tracy is gone but DePo is not a winner in this either.
Dodgers and Jim Tracy Part Company | 3 comments | Create New Account
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