My worry with Ross (above and beyond his ability to be a manager to his pals and the fact that this seems like a desperation ploy to recapture a lost moment in time) is whether he’s actually all that knowledgeable a baseball guy. One doesn’t get much of a sense that he is from his TV work (not that it would be a definitive indication). The hipster view is to disparage the actual game management part of being a manager, but it still matters a whole lot.Ross seems to have the soft skills part, but what about the analytical and strategic part? Is he all intuitive/feel or is he hiding that side of himself so far? Obviously the guy was a catcher for over a decade and he knows baseball in the broad sense, but it would be nice to have a manager who really understands the strategic side of the game and has an appreciation for advanced statistics (without a slavish dependence on them). Maybe Ross does - I hope so. I just don’t see much indication of it so far.
I'm reasonably confident the Ross has the necessary strategic and analytic skills for the job. I just hope that his established friendships with the core players don't get in the way.
....it would be nice to have a manager who really understands the strategic side of the game and has an appreciation for advanced statistics (without a slavish dependence on them). Maybe Ross does - I hope so. I just don’t see much indication of it so far.
Where does the skepticism about Ross come from?
Sharma:“They [Cubs] won’t be in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes”
From the little I have read about things he has said in the past, Ross seems to have a decent grasp of the nuts and bolts of in-game managing.
I'm thinking that there are probably other ways to improve the starting four than besides signing Cole.