Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s argument that players should do the playing, and GMs should do the GMing.
What defines a good team leader in sports? That’s a complex answer, but a component of the answer is the ability and willingness to say what needs to be said WHEN it needs to be said. That is precisely what Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun did last week when he demanded his general manager, Doug Melvin, make a trade to improve the team’s pitching… especially when the current pitching netted their team a 2-5 record going into the All-Star break.
But, this case is bigger than just Braun and Melvin. It is about baseball as a whole and the communication from the clubhouse to the front office and vice versa.
There has always been a bizarre communication system in baseball, especially as it relates to the press. Managers often do not hear the comments of their players, and players often do not hear what their manager tells the press. For example, the manager of a team may tell the press before a game that an everyday player is not in the starting lineup that day, but the player learns the news when the clubhouse manager tapes the game’s starting lineup to the wall. Harsh? Maybe. But, that’s the reality of professional baseball communication. How many opportunities does a player have to communicate directly with the GM to relay their opinions? Not many. And when that communication does happen, I’m sure the GM does not ask the player’s opinions about how the club is doing.
Braun, like many players, feels compelled to stick up for his team and push the front office for improvement. He is fully within his right to do that. In fact he SHOULD do it. Many baseball “leaders” are too passive and unwilling to light a fire under their teammates or members of the organization. Braun, like most leaders, wants to win. A good leader pushes the right buttons because they are aggravated. They know better is possible, and they’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.
And, most importantly for Braun in this particular case, he was right. The Brewers pitching stinks. Starter Yovani Gallardo is the only Brewers starter with an ERA below four. Fourth and fifth starters Dave Bush and Manny Parra have ERAs over 5.5 and 6.5 respectively. After watching the masterful CC Sabathia come to Milwaukee and post a sub-two ERA in his first four starts last June, Braun knows what good pitching looks like. It is fair, and completely within his right to publically acknowledge that and put some pressure on the general manager of the team to make improve the club. It is a right not exclusive to Braun, but open to all hard-working leaders in baseball.
Melvin, like many GMs, likely feels uncomfortable. General managers are always on the hot seat. In Melvin’s case more than others because he bet the farm – literally – to acquire Sabathia last season. While it did help the Brewers get to the playoffs, it did not help them once they got there. Now Melvin has fewer arrows in the quiver to trade, and has created a very difficult situation for himself and is defensive.
Good players, regardless of what sport they are in, have leverage. The team wants their best player to be happy and content. Some good players are also leaders that use their leverage to push those around them, regardless of rank or position, to get better. Melvin should be applauding his player for having the guts to stand up and fight for his team, to push to explore what he knows is possible. Braun is showing loyalty and Melvin is deserting a good player. A good GM always publically backs a player showing leadership, unless ego is more important than wins.
Baseballbriefs.com tracking back The Player Calling Out a General Manager Debate – Good Players Push Those Around Them…
Baseballbriefs.com tracking back The Player Calling Out a General Manager Debate – Good Players Push Those Around Them…