Only the Pirates

[Can_of_corn]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/top-posts/matt-walbeck-wins-double-a-manager-of-the-year-gets-fired-by-the-pirates.php

Former big-league catcher Matt Walbeck was recently named Double-A manager of the year after guiding Altoona to the Eastern League championship, but last night the Pirates fired him.

Walbeck has a .543 winning percentage, four manager of the year awards, and three championships in six seasons as a minor league manager and the 41-year-old has made it clear that he'd like to move up the organizational ladder, but said his conversation with the Pirates "never got there" because "they made up their mind."

4 MoY and 3 championships in six seasons, I guess he won't have trouble finding another job.

[DuffMan]

I guess his winning ways don't mesh with the organization's philosophy!:laughlol:

[byrdz]

Would he be a fit for the O's?? They should grab him up if so.

[scOtt]

[beerfest quote] We should put him on our team then! [/bfq]

[Can_of_corn]

Would he be a fit for the O's?? They should grab him up if so.

If he wants to move up the ladder then I don't think the O's are a good fit, since I don't think he meant AAA. Hopefully the O's won't need a new major league manager for a while.

[Moose Milligan]

Matt Walbeck could probably actually play for the Pirates.

[Camden_yardbird]

Man for a team that was the worst team in the league for a long time this year there is a lot of bashing of the Pirates going on here.

Its rumored that Walbeck did things his way and was not really on board with the organizational philosophy for teaching young players. Winning isn't always the only things in the minors.

[sakata_catching]

Man for a team that was the worst team in the league for a long time this year there is a lot of bashing of the Pirates going on here.

Its rumored that Walbeck did things his way and was not really on board with the organizational philosophy for teaching young players. Winning isn't always the only things in the minors.

Ehh. While I agree with the closing sentiment, I still find this personnel move rather fishy. It was widely speculated that Walbeck was a candidate to replace John Russell, who one would think is just days away from being fired in Pittsburgh.

Now, it seems at least somewhat more likely that they're planning on sticking with Russell through another season (a disastrous decision if it comes to pass, IMO), and are willing to purge anyone in the organization with designs on his job (see Gary Varsho and Joe Kerrigan).

On balance, I've been on board with the Huntington regime in Pittsburgh, but its undoubtedly been plagued by all sorts of ridiculous palace intrigue and terrible PR gaffes. This one gets a chalk mark in both columns on the tote board.

[ShaneDawg85]

This feels very similar to Gary Allenson leaving the Orioles, at least for a moment, when he didn't even get an interview for manager's job. Granted, Gary came back eventually, and a lot of it was personal stuff, he did have some success with the O's up to that point, and a track record.

We don't know all the details of the situation, but when you have an organization that is embarrassing on the major league level and stuff like this comes out, it doesn't help your image.

[Can_of_corn]

A followup:

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/why-did-the-pirates-fire-double-a-manager-of-the-year-matt-walbeck.php

Apparently last season the Pirates were upset with the "lack of extra work, pregame work, and other preparations involving the players" at Double-A "compared to other affiliates." They talked to Walbeck about addressing those issues this season, but still weren't happy with the results.

[sakata_catching]

A followup:

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/why-did-the-pirates-fire-double-a-manager-of-the-year-matt-walbeck.php

This claim was rather vehemently disputed by the Curve beat reporter for the Altoona Mirror.

First, there's the issue of the flat-out lie. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited anonymous sources saying one of the most notable reasons for Walbeck's ouster was that there "was a lack of extra work before games."

That is downright preposterous, and anyone claiming that is merely looking for an excuse instead of being honest.

If there's one thing that cannot be disputed it's that, for two years, Walbeck always had his players out very early before games taking extra batting or fielding practice. Probably too much so, in fact, as there were countless times some players were on the field at 2 p.m. practicing for a 7 o'clock game.

Many, many Curve players complained about all the extra work during Walbeck's two seasons and criticized him for it in off-the-record discussions. Even the player who ripped Walbeck acknowledged the team always did a lot of extra work, and the player who went to bat for him also said the club did an inordinate amount of it.

What's emerging as the likely scenario is that Walbeck was going to walk anyway if he wasn't offered a promotion, so the Pirates, presumably knowing what their near-future needs will be, cut him loose.

Quite courteous of them, really, as there's going to be a bumper crop of ML coaching positions open within the next month. Shame none of them are going to be in Pittsburgh, apparently.

And, yes, Walbeck would be a solid pick for Buck's staff.