2004 Blue Jays Final Grades – Management
Friday, November 05 2004 @ 07:33 AM EST
Contributed by: Jonny German
Over the past two days we’ve presented our assessments of the men paid to throw, catch, and hit baseballs down at the SkyDome in 2004. What of those designated to collect and guide the on-field talent? We graded them too, and here’s what we thought of the job they did.
Carlos Tosca: C
(GPA 1.93, High B-, Low D)
Mike D: As a preliminary matter, it's worth bearing this in mind: If Tosca was really bestowed with responsibility to implement organizational strategy from above -- as implied by several pre-season J.P. interviews -- then the front office bears at least partial responsibility for his strategic failings.
But make no mistake, there were failings. First and foremost, there was the almost defiantly unsettled nature of the bullpen coming out of spring training, as Tosca decided not to assign define roles to either the bullpen incumbents or the offseason acquisitions. Rather than creating a versatile, hungry stable of relievers, the bullpen instead was a repository of stressed, uneasy ballplayers. On the offensive side of the ball, the club played a plodding station-to-station style, even when it was clear that the power production required to make that strategy work was simply not forthcoming in the '04 season. Then, when Tosca began sending runners and bunting guys over, it was done haphazardly.
Most importantly, for whatever reason, the team just played flat baseball under Tosca. April was one of the most important months in recent franchise history, and the Jays' record lurched from 0-3, 3-11 and 8-18. Toronto fans weren't expecting a championship, but they expected to see a team that would win its share of games and fight like hell in the games they didn't win. The Jays' shockingly desultory performance in the season's opening series against the Tigers played a large part in this season's being over before it really started. If Toronto played gutsy ball during its April struggles, players and fans alike would have viewed the rest of the season through a different lens. But the club just didn't seem to be playing hard, and esprit de corps, rightly or wrongly, is the manager's bailiwick. Good luck, Carlos.
Jordan: There was some debate over whether Tosca deserved to be fired. Well, he'd led his team to another self-burying .350 April, the club was in or near the basement, and Dave Berg was getting semi-regular playing time. Managers must either win games or develop young talent: Tosca was doing neither. If it wasn't all his fault, it was still his responsibility.
Moffatt: Overall did a pretty credible job, but needs to handle his bullpen better. Needed to establish roles for players in the bullpen and have them stick. Despite what the mainstream media says he wasn't a scapegoat for the season. At worst he was only a small part of the problem.
Craig B: I fully expect Carlos Tosca, despite his low profile, to be given another chance by another organization, and be extremely successful. The most disappointing event to me this season, other than Josh Phelps falling into oblivion, was Tosca's firing. Not that I deny it needed to be done; just that it became necessary. Tosca is a fine leader and has all the potential to be a very good manager; any team that makes him their AAA manager with an eye to making him their heir-apparent at the major league level will do well. It was a shame that his weaknesses (such as bullpen management) served to magnify the team's weaknesses, while his best strength - as a teacher and encourager of young players and a fine manager of the offense - were obscured by dozens of injuries.
John Gibbons: B
(GPA 2.91, High A, Low C)
Jonny: What do I like about John Gibbons? He stabilized the bullpen; he gave Woodward the regular playing time needed to establish if Chris has a future with the club; his batting lineups made sense; he didn’t play Dave Berg; he talked straight in the media; he gave all of the September call-ups some playing time, and they all showed some positive signs. Unlike the man he replaced, I saw no systemic flaws in how Gibbons deployed the resources available to him. I look forward to a full season with Gibby calling the shots.
Craig: The jury is still out on John Gibbons. A "C" is not a bad grade, but it would have been better if Gibby hadn't overseen a long, crippling cold streak immediately after his hiring, including a stretch where the Jays' pitching was consistently battered for a week. I have great confidence in him for 2005.
J.P. Ricciardi: B-
(GPA 2.60, High B, Low C)
Jonny: In the past year, the brains of the operation signed Hentgen, Ligtenberg, Batista, Terry Adams, Gomez, and Zaun; traded Kielty for Lilly, Hendrickson for Speier, Werth for Frasor, Adams for Hattig, Phelps for Crozier, and a bag of beans for Mighty Mouse; called up just about everybody from the farm to the majors; said so long to Escobar, Politte, Trever Miller, and Lidle; drafted some really big pitchers and signed the organization’s first two Asian hurlers; and re-arranged the coaching staff, notably Gibbons in and Tosca out as manager. Stand Pat this ain’t, in style nor in on-field results. But the process still appears solid to me, and the lousy performance largely unpredictable (and unavoidable, once the roof started caving in), so I’m still in the J.P. camp with a solid passing grade.
Craig: We are grading on results, and Ricciardi's results in the 2004 season were not good. The team slipped almost 20 games in the standings despite splashy new free agent signings; his handpicked bullpen was terrible; players traded away looked good and players brought in often looked poor. As with Gibbons, I have confidence in him for the future, but the shine is off.
Jordan: He gets a fair bit of slack because of all the injuries, but his team still finished last after an 86-win 2003 season that couldn't have been a complete mirage. I still think he's got the right idea for building a competitive franchise on a budget, and that his organization's overall performance (especially on the farm) was okay. But Craig nailed it: those who leave the club seem to improve and those who arrive go south, and nobody seems to know why. The shine is most certainly off.
Moffatt: I absolutely love what this guy is doing with the drafts and the minor leagues and Lilly for Kielty was a terrific deal. Seems incapable of putting together a bullpen. Uses way too many relievers and utility infielders. The team needs more bench players who can actually hit, though the Menechino pickup was terrific. Dave Berg in the outfield was a crime against nature but given how many injuries there were to outfielders in the Jays system I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on that one. He needs to show that he can pick up quality players from the other 28 non-Athletics teams.
Mike D: JP's grade is fair, because his roster construction heading into the season was well-conceived. Nobody could have predicted disaster striking on every imaginable front.
That said, he was indecisive when the wheels began to fall off. He wasn't aggressive in the trade market to address shortcomings or injuries when they arose, and he didn't call up the kids. Then, after the season had completely drifted away, he called up the kids anyway, negating any of the benefits of sheltering them earlier in the season. B-plus for building the club, C-minus for in-season moves...final grade of B-minus. That said, if the Jays aren't .500 or better in 2005, I can't see how he avoids a C grade or worse.
Summary
The following table summarizes all the grades we’ve handed out for your 2004 Toronto Blue Jays.
| Player | Final | High | Low | GPA |
| Lilly | A- | A+ | B | 3.72 |
| Menechino | A- | A+ | C | 3.68 |
| Zaun | A- | A+ | B- | 3.55 |
| Player | Final | High | Low | GPA |
| Hudson | B+ | A | B | 3.46 |
| Bush | B+ | A | B- | 3.42 |
| Frasor | B | A | B- | 3.13 |
| Delgado | B | A | C | 3.06 |
| Rios | B | A | C+ | 3.04 |
| Speier | B | A- | C | 3.03 |
| Gibbons | B | A | C | 2.91 |
| Gomez | B- | A | C | 2.73 |
| Wells | B- | B+ | C- | 2.62 |
| Ricciardi | B- | B | C | 2.60 |
| Towers | B- | A- | C | 2.59 |
| Player | Final | High | Low | GPA |
| Chulk | C+ | B | D+ | 2.44 |
| Johnson | C+ | B+ | D+ | 2.34 |
| Halladay | C+ | B | D+ | 2.30 |
| Catalanotto | C+ | B+ | D+ | 2.24 |
| Gross | C | B | D+ | 2.14 |
| Batista | C | B | D+ | 2.02 |
| Tosca | C | B- | D | 1.93 |
| File | C- | B | D- | 1.58 |
| Adams, T | C- | B | F | 1.55 |
| Berg | C- | B+ | F | 1.53 |
| Player | Final | High | Low | GPA |
| Miller | D+ | B- | F | 1.49 |
| Hinske | D+ | C | D- | 1.43 |
| Phelps | D+ | B | F | 1.28 |
| Clark | D+ | B | F | 1.24 |
| Frederick | D+ | B- | F | 1.22 |
| Woodward | D | C | F | 0.95 |
| Nakamura | D | C | F | 0.93 |
| Kershner | D- | C | F | 0.87 |
| Cash | D- | C | F | 0.85 |
| Ligtenberg | D- | C | F | 0.76 |
| Player | Final | High | Low | GPA |
| de los Santos | E | D | F | 0.47 |
| Hentgen | E | D | F | 0.46 |
| Lopez | F | D | F | 0.21 |
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