Orange Nation
October 18th, 2007, 4:10:05 AM
Multiple sources are reporting that Ron Guidry will most likely not be back as pitching coach of the Yankees. Likely replacements include Leo Mazzone and Dave Eiland.
I dont think Guidry was half bad, but I dont think he was half good either.
As for Mazzone, the Mazzone effect has been studied and has borne out to a certain extent. I read an article back in 05 (http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2005/03/the_mazzone_eff_1.php), and it certainly showed a significant enough improvement in ERAs from pitchers coming into and then leaving Atlanta, and the names did not include Madduz, Glavine or Smoltz. His philosophy is simple, command the down and away fastball and work off of that. And for 3 solid rookies coming into the fold, living by that philosophy could go a long way towards making them effective for a long time.
On the flip side, Dave Eiland has been very solid as well. All 3 of the kids worked with him this season and he seems to have a strong understanding of their mechanics. For example, Hughes struggled until Eiland came up to the bigs in September, and immediately there was improvement (and for those who watched Hughes throughout his development, his arm slot was brought back to what it was throughout the minors). So in terms of in house options, Eiland may be the best for what is going to be a very young staff on both the starting and relieving side.
So overall, if I was a Yankee Fan, I'd have to give a slight edge to Mazzone in my book though since he has a well thought out philosophy and has proven his excellence especially when he has great talent to mold.
I dont think Guidry was half bad, but I dont think he was half good either.
As for Mazzone, the Mazzone effect has been studied and has borne out to a certain extent. I read an article back in 05 (http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2005/03/the_mazzone_eff_1.php), and it certainly showed a significant enough improvement in ERAs from pitchers coming into and then leaving Atlanta, and the names did not include Madduz, Glavine or Smoltz. His philosophy is simple, command the down and away fastball and work off of that. And for 3 solid rookies coming into the fold, living by that philosophy could go a long way towards making them effective for a long time.
On the flip side, Dave Eiland has been very solid as well. All 3 of the kids worked with him this season and he seems to have a strong understanding of their mechanics. For example, Hughes struggled until Eiland came up to the bigs in September, and immediately there was improvement (and for those who watched Hughes throughout his development, his arm slot was brought back to what it was throughout the minors). So in terms of in house options, Eiland may be the best for what is going to be a very young staff on both the starting and relieving side.
So overall, if I was a Yankee Fan, I'd have to give a slight edge to Mazzone in my book though since he has a well thought out philosophy and has proven his excellence especially when he has great talent to mold.