Wednesday, June 23, 2004
With All Deliberate Speed - Part 3. Getting Deeply Insinuated
In the second post in this series I reviewed the Mariners deliberateness as shown in their unwillingness to promote minor leaguers from Tacoma. Now I want to mention some other areas where the Mariners' deliberateness shows, so that we can see that this philosophy is deeply insinuated inside the organization, and isn't just a peculiarity in handling minor leaguers.This appears to be an area in which operations changed significantly after Gillick became GM. Woodward was prone to making panicky moves, whereas Gillick instilled a decidedly more cautious, deliberate attitude. The outgrowth, of course, was no significant deadline trades, but also no Varitek-Lowe for Slocumb types of disasters, either.
This is the obverse of the Mariners deliberateness in approaching roster decision points. The doggedness shows in acquiring certain desired players (Ibañez or Spiezio) or exiling players that the organization no longer wants (Guillen). It also showed in the Cirillo situation, where Bavasi persisted in trying to work out a trade instead of simply releasing Cirillo to clear roster space. In all cases we see that, while the team might take plenty of time to make a decision about a player, the plan is followed resolutely once the course is set.
In both cases the Mariners approached the task very methodically, conducted extensive interviews with the candidates in which they were interested, and made the hire. The Mariners also made sure that the only candidates seriously being considered were candidates who fit the organizational mold. The interviewing process was methodical and proceeded at its own pace. The team was oblivious to comments or criticisms that the hiring processes were taking too much time.
Also note that many of the 2004 roster moves were already planned before Bavasi joined the team, and those plans continued apace with Bavasi's concurrence. This again, reflects the Mariners commitment to operating within defined plans. Even the hiring a new GM does not delay or sidetrack a plan; rather the new GM is expected to assimilate into the greater colony.
I discussed Melvin's game management approach in more detail a couple of days ago, so I won't repeat the details. Suffice it to say that Melvin's identification of player roles and use of players in those roles is the outcome of the same type of deliberate management style. Melvin will tweak the lineup here and there, but is absolutely unwilling to do even mildly radical rethinking of roles and strategies (moving Ichiro to centerfield, reconsidering use of sacrifice bunts, changing bullpen roles to ensure that Guardado pitchers more of the significant innings).
I discussed this in the first post in this series. Lincoln's statements are as close to panic mode as I think you will ever see from current Mariners ownership. Lincoln believes changes are needed, but making those changes will only happen in due course. Juxtapose Lincoln's comments with the Oakland philosophy in which the first third of the season is used to identify roster adjustments that need to be made. The flexible Oakland model specifically anticipates dealing to upgrade the roster, and assumes the risks that sometimes it won't always work out. The Mariners model specifically limits wheeling and dealing, and minimizes the attendant risks.
Regular readers know that I regularly discuss the Mariners medical practices. For purposes of this post, I will simply note that the Mariners are as reluctant and slow to change or revise team medical practices as they are most other aspects of the baseball operations. Not seeing a need to make a change, they are certainly not going to make a change just for the sake of changing. I think that deliberateness and adhering to operating plans are the lenspiece to the kaleidoscope that is the Mariners operations. Remove that eyepiece, and the operations are pretty much a jumble, similar to the view inside a kaleidoscope with the eyepiece removed. Viewed through that eyepiece, though, a measure of logic and order in the team's operations can be discerned.
Again, I reiterate that I'm only reporting what I observe, with the intent of understanding what and how the team is operated. I'm not defending the team's selected management approach; to the contrary, I don't think it is a model that maximizes the chances of winning a championship. I leave it to the reader to decide which kaleidoscope perspective is the more accurate – the one made through the eyepiece or the one made with the eyepiece removed.
My last post in the series will give my assessment of Bavasi's status with the team.
Links to all four With All Deliberate Speed posts:
- Part 1. Talk, Talk
- Part 2. Don't Bucky the Odds - Resistance is Futile
- Part 3. Getting Deeply Insinuated
- Part 4. Whither Bavasi?
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