Former hitting coach Sean Berry turned down an offer to manage one of the Astros' minor-league clubs and will become the minor-league hitting instructor for the San Diego Padres.
Berry:
"The Astros offered me the manager's job right after they fired me, and the Padres pretty much called me the day after that and started conversations about possibly coming to work for them. I talked to a lot of people and it worked out. The Astros were definitely involved as far as possibly coming back. I was still in contact and talking with Ed [Wade] and Ricky [Bennett] and figuring out a way to stay. It was tough."
Any comments you want to make?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Sean Berry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sean Berry. Show all posts
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Change in the clubhouse starts with Bagwell
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has an article on hitting coach Jeff Bagwell, and the change we can believe in in the Astros clubhouse.
Hunter Pence:
"I was definitely nervous when he first got here. I didn't know how to talk to him. It's Baggy. You hear all the stories from everyone around here about how he was the greatest leader and such an awesome player, so you put him high up on a pedestal. But there's been a huge change in this clubhouse, and he's been part of it. He makes you laugh on a daily basis and have fun hitting again. He says to us, 'You guys have too many feelings. You can't have feelings in this game.' He'll just rag on you."
Crasnick:
Every hitting coach develops his own style with time. Bagwell, a .408 career on-base guy, wants Houston's young hitters to show more discipline at the plate, but he knows that patience can't be forced. And he's less inclined to dwell on mechanics than a hitter's mental approach and the never-ending quest to get a good pitch to hit.
Bagwell's Chevy Keys to the Game:
"Hitters always see the pitcher out there and say, 'What has he got?'" Bagwell said. "I'm like, 'He's right here. Watch him when you're on deck. Don't ask me or some scout who sits behind the plate.' I don't want guys up [the runway] every single inning watching their at-bats on video when they can find out something that's happening on the field. Watch the game. Talk to your teammates. Look and see if the guy is tipping pitches."
It's a good article, and we don't want to pull too much from it. There's even a chart showing the Astros without Bagwell, and the Astros with Bagwell. Interesting stat: The Astros hit 131 doubles with Sean Berry as hitting coach, and have hit 71 in the five weeks since Bagwell came on.
We all know the debate about how effective a pitching coach really is, but it sure is fun to see Bagwell in the dugout.
And we'll close with some class. Bagwell, on Berry:
"I feel terrible about it. Are you kidding me? There was nothing wrong with Sean. Sean worked way harder than I do. It's just that our best players weren't hitting. But that's the thing to do now: Teams fire the hitting coaches and the pitching coaches."
Hunter Pence:
"I was definitely nervous when he first got here. I didn't know how to talk to him. It's Baggy. You hear all the stories from everyone around here about how he was the greatest leader and such an awesome player, so you put him high up on a pedestal. But there's been a huge change in this clubhouse, and he's been part of it. He makes you laugh on a daily basis and have fun hitting again. He says to us, 'You guys have too many feelings. You can't have feelings in this game.' He'll just rag on you."
Crasnick:
Every hitting coach develops his own style with time. Bagwell, a .408 career on-base guy, wants Houston's young hitters to show more discipline at the plate, but he knows that patience can't be forced. And he's less inclined to dwell on mechanics than a hitter's mental approach and the never-ending quest to get a good pitch to hit.
Bagwell's Chevy Keys to the Game:
"Hitters always see the pitcher out there and say, 'What has he got?'" Bagwell said. "I'm like, 'He's right here. Watch him when you're on deck. Don't ask me or some scout who sits behind the plate.' I don't want guys up [the runway] every single inning watching their at-bats on video when they can find out something that's happening on the field. Watch the game. Talk to your teammates. Look and see if the guy is tipping pitches."
It's a good article, and we don't want to pull too much from it. There's even a chart showing the Astros without Bagwell, and the Astros with Bagwell. Interesting stat: The Astros hit 131 doubles with Sean Berry as hitting coach, and have hit 71 in the five weeks since Bagwell came on.
We all know the debate about how effective a pitching coach really is, but it sure is fun to see Bagwell in the dugout.
And we'll close with some class. Bagwell, on Berry:
"I feel terrible about it. Are you kidding me? There was nothing wrong with Sean. Sean worked way harder than I do. It's just that our best players weren't hitting. But that's the thing to do now: Teams fire the hitting coaches and the pitching coaches."
Monday, July 12, 2010
Houston Press sees the Berry dismissal as another PR move
Maybe we're all in the minority, agreeing with the Berry reassigning. Houston Press' Richard Connelly shares his thoughts on the move:
But with Bagwell having the job, Drayton gets to provide a link to the great days of the franchise, and most importantly, it makes it look as if Drayton's actually doing something to improve the club. It's a PR move that hopefully pays off if Bagwell can get Hunter Pence to start laying off of the slider, or if can find someway to return Carlos Lee to hitting relevance.
But the Bagwell hiring is only a superficial PR move, and it gets nowhere to addressing the problems with the Astros. The main problem being that the Astros are an awful team with a horribly constructed roster. And until Drayton dumps Ed Wade and brings in someone with the hint of a clue to run the club, nothing is going to change.
But with Bagwell having the job, Drayton gets to provide a link to the great days of the franchise, and most importantly, it makes it look as if Drayton's actually doing something to improve the club. It's a PR move that hopefully pays off if Bagwell can get Hunter Pence to start laying off of the slider, or if can find someway to return Carlos Lee to hitting relevance.
But the Bagwell hiring is only a superficial PR move, and it gets nowhere to addressing the problems with the Astros. The main problem being that the Astros are an awful team with a horribly constructed roster. And until Drayton dumps Ed Wade and brings in someone with the hint of a clue to run the club, nothing is going to change.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Players react to Berry's dismissal
McTaggart has an article with players' reaction to Sean Berry's dismissal:
Pence:
He's worked so hard for us. You can't help but put some of the burden on your own shoulders...He bent over backwards for us. I've been grateful for the time I had with him."
Berkman:
"When things aren't going well with the players, you have to shake something up and the most expendable pieces are the coaching staff. The team's offensive struggles in no way are a reflection of him as a hitting coach. We just didn't hit well. He just took the fall for us and it's unfortunate."
Berkman, on playing for Bagwell:
"I think that Jeff has always been one of my mentors in the game. I'm excited that he's going to be around more. I told him yesterday, he helps me more than anybody just from the things he told me when we played together."
Pence:
He's worked so hard for us. You can't help but put some of the burden on your own shoulders...He bent over backwards for us. I've been grateful for the time I had with him."
Berkman:
"When things aren't going well with the players, you have to shake something up and the most expendable pieces are the coaching staff. The team's offensive struggles in no way are a reflection of him as a hitting coach. We just didn't hit well. He just took the fall for us and it's unfortunate."
Berkman, on playing for Bagwell:
"I think that Jeff has always been one of my mentors in the game. I'm excited that he's going to be around more. I told him yesterday, he helps me more than anybody just from the things he told me when we played together."
Berry's reaction makes me feel shame for my excitement
Fox 26's Mark Berman got some reaction from the recently-relieved Sean Berry:
"This is part of what I do. I didn't get the job done. I apologize to Brad for not getting the job done. I didn't expect it. I was shocked at first, but then the reality sets in. It's unfortunate. I think I did it the right way. Every thing I did was to help the guys, help the team."
"This is part of what I do. I didn't get the job done. I apologize to Brad for not getting the job done. I didn't expect it. I was shocked at first, but then the reality sets in. It's unfortunate. I think I did it the right way. Every thing I did was to help the guys, help the team."
Someone put Immodium AD in Justice's coffee this morning
Of course we'll be tracking any and all reactions to the Berry Reassignment/Bagwell Hiring in the next 24 hours (much to The Wife's chagrin), and we already have one from Richard Justice, who predictably isn't overwhelmed by today's news. An excerpt, if you'll allow:
Is Sean Berry to blame for this train wreck? Absolutely not. Drayton McLane is to blame. Tal Smith is to blame. Ed Wade is to blame. But with the Astros, the people who are to blame don't lose their jobs. They roll along, and the franchise continues to slide into irrelevance...
...Here's who should go, Ed. You. And Tal. And Drayton. You're the ones who ran the franchise into the ground...
...In the end, he's the lucky one. He no longer works for Drayton and Tal and Ed. Good for him. Here's hoping Roy Oswalt gets lucky too.
But Roy shouldn't be packing his bags. To trade Roy would make sense, would give Roy a chance to win. That would require someone capable of thinking logically and smartly. The Astros have no one like that.
Is Ed Wade to blame for Carlos Lee's OPS dropping off from .845 (from 1999-2009) to .681 this season? No (and Sean Berry isn't, either - granted).
But I agree, to an extent. Pedro Feliz didn't work out. But neither did Garrett Atkins. Kaz Matsui didn't work out, but neither has Mark DeRosa. Sometimes you just miss. Where Ed Wade has made the most impact can be seen on the Futures Game tonight, in Jordan Lyles. And in Ross Seaton. And in J.D. Martinez, Jason Castro. No player development? Jordan Lyles is 19 and killing Double-A. Jason Castro is on the Major-League roster. Sure, he is talented, but when people thought his - and Lyles' - pick was reaching, the Astros are already starting to reap the benefits.
Koby Clemens was a guy who could kind of hit, but didn't have a position before 2009. He's now in Double-A and could very well factor into the 1B1 scenario in Houston in 2011.
Justice talks about the fans who don't come to games, and we always moan about the minor-league evaluators who can't see past the fact that Ramon Vazquez is actually the starting 2B at Round Rock (pause for weeping). But it's not fair to call this a figurehead move. If the Astros had not pulled this trigger, Justice would likely have had an All-Star Break column about how the Astros don't ever do anything, and that's why Drayton, Tal, and Ed suck. To say that Ed Wade is incapable of thinking logically is childish, and short-sighted reactionism. If that's a word.
Is Sean Berry to blame for this train wreck? Absolutely not. Drayton McLane is to blame. Tal Smith is to blame. Ed Wade is to blame. But with the Astros, the people who are to blame don't lose their jobs. They roll along, and the franchise continues to slide into irrelevance...
...Here's who should go, Ed. You. And Tal. And Drayton. You're the ones who ran the franchise into the ground...
...In the end, he's the lucky one. He no longer works for Drayton and Tal and Ed. Good for him. Here's hoping Roy Oswalt gets lucky too.
But Roy shouldn't be packing his bags. To trade Roy would make sense, would give Roy a chance to win. That would require someone capable of thinking logically and smartly. The Astros have no one like that.
Is Ed Wade to blame for Carlos Lee's OPS dropping off from .845 (from 1999-2009) to .681 this season? No (and Sean Berry isn't, either - granted).
But I agree, to an extent. Pedro Feliz didn't work out. But neither did Garrett Atkins. Kaz Matsui didn't work out, but neither has Mark DeRosa. Sometimes you just miss. Where Ed Wade has made the most impact can be seen on the Futures Game tonight, in Jordan Lyles. And in Ross Seaton. And in J.D. Martinez, Jason Castro. No player development? Jordan Lyles is 19 and killing Double-A. Jason Castro is on the Major-League roster. Sure, he is talented, but when people thought his - and Lyles' - pick was reaching, the Astros are already starting to reap the benefits.
Koby Clemens was a guy who could kind of hit, but didn't have a position before 2009. He's now in Double-A and could very well factor into the 1B1 scenario in Houston in 2011.
Justice talks about the fans who don't come to games, and we always moan about the minor-league evaluators who can't see past the fact that Ramon Vazquez is actually the starting 2B at Round Rock (pause for weeping). But it's not fair to call this a figurehead move. If the Astros had not pulled this trigger, Justice would likely have had an All-Star Break column about how the Astros don't ever do anything, and that's why Drayton, Tal, and Ed suck. To say that Ed Wade is incapable of thinking logically is childish, and short-sighted reactionism. If that's a word.
Berry reassigned, Bagwell to take over
It's not often you get an email in church that makes you go, "Whoa!" in the middle of the Lord's Supper. But that's exactly what happened this morning.
Alyson Footer first broke this morning that Sean Berry has been relieved of his duties as Astros "hitting" coach, and Jeff Bagwell is in uniform and will be in the dugout today.
First, some thoughts:
*Hopefully Bagwell will run his finger over his throat at Mark McGwire at some point during today's game.
*Sean Berry deserves a lot of the blame for how terrible the Astros have been. But not all of it. Footer and Ed Wade both said that Berry was one of the hardest-working and most-prepared coaches they had seen. We don't see how much he works with the "hitters" (and yes, I use that term loosely). He can work with the players for ten or twelve hours after the game, preventing them from sleeping or seeing their families. But when it's game time, he can't make Carlos Lee chase a ball halfway down the first base line.
*Ed Wade (it's a multi-tweet quote, so just go to Footer's feed for the whole thing):
In 34 years in baseball I think Sean was the best prepared hitting coach I've been around. But the results speak for themselves. We need to figure this out. Not just the front office level, but the players level as well. Sean has become somewhat of a victim of circumstance this year because of the fact that our offense has struggled.... We know we're not the '27 Yankees. But we're better than this. And if we're not better than this, we need to use the time remaining to assess the talent on the club and act accordingly. A lot of this falls to the players."
Let's evaluate. From 2007-last night's game, the Astros had hit:
2007: (1457x5605) .260/.330/.412 - 2311 total bases
2008: (1432x5451) .263/.323/.415 - 2261 total bases
2009: (1415x5436) .260/.319/.400 - 2175 total bases
2010: (691x2916) .237/.295/.348 - 1015 total bases
That works out to be 4995x19408, or a .257 average and a .400 SLG percentage. Maybe some time soon we'll get the OBP, but not right now, because I'm too amped up to do any more math. But what we really need to see is that, in his best year, the Astros topped out at a .330 on-base percentage. The Astros are last in walks in 2010, with 233, or 2.64 per game.
For a significant portion of the season we ran a '62 Mets watch. And when you're comparing your offense - in every way unfavorably - to one of the worst teams of all time, something had to be done. And the Astros aren't going to fire Carlos Lee.
(And for the record, through 88 games, the '62 Mets were hitting .238/.318/.361).
Wade is right, Berry is a victim of circumstance, and the Astros just got a guy fired. Berry has been given the opportunity to stay on in a development role within the organization, but hasn't decided if he'll accept.
So now we get to Jeff Bagwell as hitting coach. This is more of a functional role, as opposed to a figurehead role for Bagwell. It may sell some tickets, though I don't know who buys tickets to see the hitting coach (unless Bagwell donkey kicks Carlos Lee out of the cage and shows him how it's done). But Bagwell has been around a lot of the guys the Astros will ideally be bringing up as a special assistant to the GM for the past four years.
Yet we do know that Bagwell is a career .297/.408/.540 hitter. Shut your sloppy mouth about doing steroids or crouching in the box. Bagwell is a consummate professional, and represents a bridge from the past to the future. Footer says he'll sign on for the rest of the season, and be re-evaluated at the end of the season.
Does it guarantee success? Hell, and no, it doesn't. The Cardinals are hitting .260 as a team (7th in the NL) in McGwire's first season as hitting coach, though their .745 OPS is 5th in the National League.
But it generates some excitement, and makes things a little interesting, and certainly brings a face to the bench who has experience in dealing with Chris Johnson, Jason Castro, Hunter Pence, and those who will arrive in 2011-2012.
Alyson Footer first broke this morning that Sean Berry has been relieved of his duties as Astros "hitting" coach, and Jeff Bagwell is in uniform and will be in the dugout today.
First, some thoughts:
*Hopefully Bagwell will run his finger over his throat at Mark McGwire at some point during today's game.
*Sean Berry deserves a lot of the blame for how terrible the Astros have been. But not all of it. Footer and Ed Wade both said that Berry was one of the hardest-working and most-prepared coaches they had seen. We don't see how much he works with the "hitters" (and yes, I use that term loosely). He can work with the players for ten or twelve hours after the game, preventing them from sleeping or seeing their families. But when it's game time, he can't make Carlos Lee chase a ball halfway down the first base line.
*Ed Wade (it's a multi-tweet quote, so just go to Footer's feed for the whole thing):
In 34 years in baseball I think Sean was the best prepared hitting coach I've been around. But the results speak for themselves. We need to figure this out. Not just the front office level, but the players level as well. Sean has become somewhat of a victim of circumstance this year because of the fact that our offense has struggled.... We know we're not the '27 Yankees. But we're better than this. And if we're not better than this, we need to use the time remaining to assess the talent on the club and act accordingly. A lot of this falls to the players."
Let's evaluate. From 2007-last night's game, the Astros had hit:
2007: (1457x5605) .260/.330/.412 - 2311 total bases
2008: (1432x5451) .263/.323/.415 - 2261 total bases
2009: (1415x5436) .260/.319/.400 - 2175 total bases
2010: (691x2916) .237/.295/.348 - 1015 total bases
That works out to be 4995x19408, or a .257 average and a .400 SLG percentage. Maybe some time soon we'll get the OBP, but not right now, because I'm too amped up to do any more math. But what we really need to see is that, in his best year, the Astros topped out at a .330 on-base percentage. The Astros are last in walks in 2010, with 233, or 2.64 per game.
For a significant portion of the season we ran a '62 Mets watch. And when you're comparing your offense - in every way unfavorably - to one of the worst teams of all time, something had to be done. And the Astros aren't going to fire Carlos Lee.
(And for the record, through 88 games, the '62 Mets were hitting .238/.318/.361).
Wade is right, Berry is a victim of circumstance, and the Astros just got a guy fired. Berry has been given the opportunity to stay on in a development role within the organization, but hasn't decided if he'll accept.
So now we get to Jeff Bagwell as hitting coach. This is more of a functional role, as opposed to a figurehead role for Bagwell. It may sell some tickets, though I don't know who buys tickets to see the hitting coach (unless Bagwell donkey kicks Carlos Lee out of the cage and shows him how it's done). But Bagwell has been around a lot of the guys the Astros will ideally be bringing up as a special assistant to the GM for the past four years.
Yet we do know that Bagwell is a career .297/.408/.540 hitter. Shut your sloppy mouth about doing steroids or crouching in the box. Bagwell is a consummate professional, and represents a bridge from the past to the future. Footer says he'll sign on for the rest of the season, and be re-evaluated at the end of the season.
Does it guarantee success? Hell, and no, it doesn't. The Cardinals are hitting .260 as a team (7th in the NL) in McGwire's first season as hitting coach, though their .745 OPS is 5th in the National League.
But it generates some excitement, and makes things a little interesting, and certainly brings a face to the bench who has experience in dealing with Chris Johnson, Jason Castro, Hunter Pence, and those who will arrive in 2011-2012.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bat speed? Check.
In the wake of yesterday's post in which Jason Grey blasts Jason Castro's bat speed and Stanford's baseball program in general, Zach Levine offers a rebuttal:
“I made a little adjustment in my swing, and it really helped me get real efficient with the fastball,” Castro said.
The change was in his back elbow, which aided his approach to the fastball on the inner half of the plate. “He was much quicker to the ball and is now able to drive the ball to all parts of the field,” assistant general manager for player development Ricky Bennett said in an e-mail.
Castro started out April hitting .226/.388/.245 (one extra base hit in 53 ABs), and then in May, jumped up to .293/.364/.391 (five XBHs in 99 ABs). He's cooled off a little bit, mainly by going 5x29 on a 7-game road trip in the last ten days, but still. Once Sean Berry gets his hooks into him...wait. Crap.
Anyhow, Castro's pitch recognition should help him. According to his MiLB page, when he's ahead in the count (68 ABs), his OPS is 1.075, and in the 63 ABs in which he falls behind, that plummets to a .492 OPS.
“I made a little adjustment in my swing, and it really helped me get real efficient with the fastball,” Castro said.
The change was in his back elbow, which aided his approach to the fastball on the inner half of the plate. “He was much quicker to the ball and is now able to drive the ball to all parts of the field,” assistant general manager for player development Ricky Bennett said in an e-mail.
Castro started out April hitting .226/.388/.245 (one extra base hit in 53 ABs), and then in May, jumped up to .293/.364/.391 (five XBHs in 99 ABs). He's cooled off a little bit, mainly by going 5x29 on a 7-game road trip in the last ten days, but still. Once Sean Berry gets his hooks into him...wait. Crap.
Anyhow, Castro's pitch recognition should help him. According to his MiLB page, when he's ahead in the count (68 ABs), his OPS is 1.075, and in the 63 ABs in which he falls behind, that plummets to a .492 OPS.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Carlos Lee is as upset as we are. Apparently.
Bernardo Fallas has an off-day story on Carlos Lee, who kind of sucks right now.
Lee:
"The fans are expecting a lot more from me, and they have a point. Trust me, I have been as disappointed as they are."
The Still-Employed Sean Berry:
"When frustration gets into the picture, you make bad choices at the plate. A lot of people say it's his hitting reaction, but hitting is a lot about making a choice. He made bad choices a lot of times because of frustration."
Ed Wade:
"(If Lee had swung the ball well from the start of the season) and people were aware of the work he's doing with Sean right now and the work in the weight room, the story would be: Carlos Lee dedicated to his craft, got in the best shape since he's been in Houston and look at the way he is playing."
And maybe the most troubling quote of this entire article, one that will go uncommented on, but still should be noted, by Sean Berry:
"Carlos definitely went through some change physically. His workout regimen has been great, so there is a change physically that may or may not have led to the slow start."
Lee:
"The fans are expecting a lot more from me, and they have a point. Trust me, I have been as disappointed as they are."
The Still-Employed Sean Berry:
"When frustration gets into the picture, you make bad choices at the plate. A lot of people say it's his hitting reaction, but hitting is a lot about making a choice. He made bad choices a lot of times because of frustration."
Ed Wade:
"(If Lee had swung the ball well from the start of the season) and people were aware of the work he's doing with Sean right now and the work in the weight room, the story would be: Carlos Lee dedicated to his craft, got in the best shape since he's been in Houston and look at the way he is playing."
And maybe the most troubling quote of this entire article, one that will go uncommented on, but still should be noted, by Sean Berry:
"Carlos definitely went through some change physically. His workout regimen has been great, so there is a change physically that may or may not have led to the slow start."
Thursday, May 20, 2010
McTaggart's notes
McTaggart's Notes column has a few things of note.
-Bud Norris is expected to pitch on Sunday, after taking that line drive off the elbow.
Norris:
"It started to swell up, but I wanted to keep pitching and try to help my team. [Mills] gave me an opportunity, and he said, 'Are you OK?' And I said, 'I'm OK.' In retrospect, I'm glad I stayed out there and battled the best I could."
-Sean Berry is worried. About the offense. About his job.
Berry:
"Every day is brand new, and I always put a lot of pressure on myself to keep my focus and make sure I'm not missing anything," he said. You try to cover everything. There's no way you point to one thing. It's a tough thing to do, to be a professional hitter at this level. It's difficult, and you're going to go through these things, I don't care how good they are. Hopefully they don't last every long. This one has lasted longer than we hoped but they'll get better."
-Bud Norris is expected to pitch on Sunday, after taking that line drive off the elbow.
Norris:
"It started to swell up, but I wanted to keep pitching and try to help my team. [Mills] gave me an opportunity, and he said, 'Are you OK?' And I said, 'I'm OK.' In retrospect, I'm glad I stayed out there and battled the best I could."
-Sean Berry is worried. About the offense. About his job.
Berry:
"Every day is brand new, and I always put a lot of pressure on myself to keep my focus and make sure I'm not missing anything," he said. You try to cover everything. There's no way you point to one thing. It's a tough thing to do, to be a professional hitter at this level. It's difficult, and you're going to go through these things, I don't care how good they are. Hopefully they don't last every long. This one has lasted longer than we hoped but they'll get better."
Monday, May 10, 2010
Is Berry's job in question?
John Royal's article for the Houston Press today points out that the Mariners, whose team OPS was almost 40 points higher than the Astros, fired their pitching coach yesterday morning. So what kind of dirt does Sean Berry have on everybody?
The job of Astros hitting coach Sean Berry appears to be safe, even though no team in the majors has a worse on-base percentage. The Berry defenders, and there suddenly appear to be a lot of them in the media, claim that he's not the one responsible for building a club so lacking in offensive talent.
...But at some point, Berry has to work with these guys and get them to start working at actually getting on base, and making a pitcher have to earn a win. And that's something that's just not happening. It's something that's never happened under Berry's watch...Somebody on the team has to get the batters to not swing at everything that comes their way, and the person who should be working with the players on their offensive approach is the hitting coach.
It's a totally valid argument, and I'm not sure how Berry was the only coach retained from 2009, but he was. And the Astros are bad. It's been pointed out - here, and elsewhere - that Berry can do all the BP and video work in the world, but ultimately it's up to the hitters.
Royal notes that Ed Wade should get some heat for signing Feliz and Matsui, instead of Cabrera or Hudson, who traditionally have a high OBP, but Berry is the hitting coach, and ain't nobody hitting.
The job of Astros hitting coach Sean Berry appears to be safe, even though no team in the majors has a worse on-base percentage. The Berry defenders, and there suddenly appear to be a lot of them in the media, claim that he's not the one responsible for building a club so lacking in offensive talent.
...But at some point, Berry has to work with these guys and get them to start working at actually getting on base, and making a pitcher have to earn a win. And that's something that's just not happening. It's something that's never happened under Berry's watch...Somebody on the team has to get the batters to not swing at everything that comes their way, and the person who should be working with the players on their offensive approach is the hitting coach.
It's a totally valid argument, and I'm not sure how Berry was the only coach retained from 2009, but he was. And the Astros are bad. It's been pointed out - here, and elsewhere - that Berry can do all the BP and video work in the world, but ultimately it's up to the hitters.
Royal notes that Ed Wade should get some heat for signing Feliz and Matsui, instead of Cabrera or Hudson, who traditionally have a high OBP, but Berry is the hitting coach, and ain't nobody hitting.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Another cap-tip to Sean Berry
Zach Levine has some reaction from Man of the Match Geoff Blum on his two-run triple:
Blum:
"Shoot, I was just happy it was elevated in the air,” Blum said of the one-out shot off Burke Badenhop, adding that he and hitting coach Sean Berry had worked a lot on putting the ball in the air with runners on third and fewer than two outs.
“The ball gets down, and to my amazement it gets by the center fielder and I have to make it all the way to third. There was a large range of emotions on that ball.”
Blum:
"Shoot, I was just happy it was elevated in the air,” Blum said of the one-out shot off Burke Badenhop, adding that he and hitting coach Sean Berry had worked a lot on putting the ball in the air with runners on third and fewer than two outs.
“The ball gets down, and to my amazement it gets by the center fielder and I have to make it all the way to third. There was a large range of emotions on that ball.”
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Notez!
Bernardo Fallas' Notes Column has a few interesting things:
Towles, with a captip to Sean Berry:
"I've been struggling here of late, and I've just been working on the cage with Sean. I think things are starting to fall into place. I'm just seeing the ball and hitting the ball, keeping it simple. I really worked on getting my hands up and have been working on my load and not loading too much."
-
Why I love Brad Mills:
“The situation with Kaz is Keppinger has been playing very well, and Kaz is going through a little streak."
-
And the Astros are cutting tickets by 40% for the homestand against the Marlins this week, and the Padres next month. Go to Astros.com and enter "travzoo" to receive the discount.
Enter "AstrosCounty" and watch your computer crash.
Towles, with a captip to Sean Berry:
"I've been struggling here of late, and I've just been working on the cage with Sean. I think things are starting to fall into place. I'm just seeing the ball and hitting the ball, keeping it simple. I really worked on getting my hands up and have been working on my load and not loading too much."
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Why I love Brad Mills:
“The situation with Kaz is Keppinger has been playing very well, and Kaz is going through a little streak."
-
And the Astros are cutting tickets by 40% for the homestand against the Marlins this week, and the Padres next month. Go to Astros.com and enter "travzoo" to receive the discount.
Enter "AstrosCounty" and watch your computer crash.
Friday, April 16, 2010
So let's put the spotlight on Sean Berry
Hitting coach Sean Berry has been in his current position since July 12, 2006, taking over on a full-time basis beginning with the 2007 season. Let's see how these last three years have gone. Below is a table with the three slash lines, and following each stat is the team's rank, out of 16 NL teams.
Okay, so a few things here. Since Berry took over full-time, the Astros have not been in the Top 5 in a single slash line category. Now, to be fair, it's not like the Astros were the '27 Yankees in the years preceding his arrival (except for 2004, when the Astros were 7th/6th/6th/6th - but that has a lot to do with Kent, Beltran, Bagwell, and Berkman in his 28-year old season).
That said, this is pretty bad. And while the Astros will not likely be making any personnel moves anytime soon, We cannot lose sight of the fact that the Astros have been 10th, 11th, and 13th in the National League in on-base percentage, and their OPS+ has been on the wrong side of 100 in each of these years. With THAT said, it's debatable how much impact a hitting coach actually has. He can break down film and pitchers with the hitters all day, and when it comes gametime, Hunter Pence can forget all of it and chase breaking balls down and out of the zone. But still...
| Year | Avg | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
| 2007 | .260 (12th) | .330 (10th) | .412 (10th) | .742 (10th) | 91 |
| 2008 | .263 (6th) | .323 (11th) | .415 (7th) | .738 (10th) | 94 |
| 2009 | .260 (8th) | .319 (13th) | .400 (11th) | .719 (12th) | 90 |
Okay, so a few things here. Since Berry took over full-time, the Astros have not been in the Top 5 in a single slash line category. Now, to be fair, it's not like the Astros were the '27 Yankees in the years preceding his arrival (except for 2004, when the Astros were 7th/6th/6th/6th - but that has a lot to do with Kent, Beltran, Bagwell, and Berkman in his 28-year old season).
That said, this is pretty bad. And while the Astros will not likely be making any personnel moves anytime soon, We cannot lose sight of the fact that the Astros have been 10th, 11th, and 13th in the National League in on-base percentage, and their OPS+ has been on the wrong side of 100 in each of these years. With THAT said, it's debatable how much impact a hitting coach actually has. He can break down film and pitchers with the hitters all day, and when it comes gametime, Hunter Pence can forget all of it and chase breaking balls down and out of the zone. But still...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Whose fault is this?
So we all know the agony and despair. And it's now officially time to start pointing fingers. So let's break down whose fault this is:
Not at fault
-Brad Mills
These are the same players who hit well, and won almost half their Spring Training games. Mills has to keep running Lee and Pence out there, because they're .280-.300 hitters who will eventually hit. This is in no way his fault (except for maybe continuing to play Blum at 1B). I will ask this, though (and it's building on a comment from yesterday): Why the hell isn't Chris Johnson playing more? Feliz can handle 1B, and if Johnson isn't getting any ABs in Houston, why isn't he down at Round Rock, learning some plate discipline and seeing game action?
-Brad Arnsberg
The pitching has been solid. The Astros have had four quality starts, and nothing to show for it. Myers threw his best game since 2008 last night, and got a loss. Oswalt is 0-2 with two quality starts. The pitching isn't the problem.
-Michael Bourn
Yes, Bourn has only drawn one walk, but he's hitting .379 (OBP = .400). Bourn has been on base 12 times this season, and has crossed home twice.
We're Looking At You
-Lee/Pence/Towles
It is inexcusable for three players to be at, or under, the .100 mark. It's almost harder to hit .100 than it is to hit .230.
-Sean Berry
I haven't seen a single quote or article about Sean Berry. Yes, I'm glad he's back. Yes, I'm glad he's doing well. I don't know how much impact a hitting coach can have, but it's obviously a team-wide issue. It's not as though everyone's hitting .300, and Pence just can't figure it out.
-Ed Wade
If Johnson isn't going to get any playing time, how's about bringing up Shelton to play 1B while Blum does what he was supposed to do, and plays every now and then for Pedro Feliz. Shelton is hitting .346/.419/.346 at Round Rock.
Not at fault
-Brad Mills
These are the same players who hit well, and won almost half their Spring Training games. Mills has to keep running Lee and Pence out there, because they're .280-.300 hitters who will eventually hit. This is in no way his fault (except for maybe continuing to play Blum at 1B). I will ask this, though (and it's building on a comment from yesterday): Why the hell isn't Chris Johnson playing more? Feliz can handle 1B, and if Johnson isn't getting any ABs in Houston, why isn't he down at Round Rock, learning some plate discipline and seeing game action?
-Brad Arnsberg
The pitching has been solid. The Astros have had four quality starts, and nothing to show for it. Myers threw his best game since 2008 last night, and got a loss. Oswalt is 0-2 with two quality starts. The pitching isn't the problem.
-Michael Bourn
Yes, Bourn has only drawn one walk, but he's hitting .379 (OBP = .400). Bourn has been on base 12 times this season, and has crossed home twice.
We're Looking At You
-Lee/Pence/Towles
It is inexcusable for three players to be at, or under, the .100 mark. It's almost harder to hit .100 than it is to hit .230.
-Sean Berry
I haven't seen a single quote or article about Sean Berry. Yes, I'm glad he's back. Yes, I'm glad he's doing well. I don't know how much impact a hitting coach can have, but it's obviously a team-wide issue. It's not as though everyone's hitting .300, and Pence just can't figure it out.
-Ed Wade
If Johnson isn't going to get any playing time, how's about bringing up Shelton to play 1B while Blum does what he was supposed to do, and plays every now and then for Pedro Feliz. Shelton is hitting .346/.419/.346 at Round Rock.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Brad Mills is awesome, volume 41
Richard Justice's morning column has plenty of awesome things to say about how awesome Brad Mills is. And he's awesome.
Chris Sampson:
"It's a different atmosphere. That's for sure. He asked me to send him the information (on the opening of Sampson's baseball camp), and he showed up. Just having him call me was a big deal. I appreciated he'd take the time to do that. But for him to go that extra step ...It lets you know he's on your side, that he's going to have your back, that he cares."
Mills:
“The whole thing of working together is important. That we can try to accomplish something here and build a foundation. It's integrity with one another. It's character and how we go about things. If we don't agree, we can talk about that, too. We don't have to agree on everything. That's what it's about. It opens the door for them to give themselves a chance to be the best player they can be. They don't have to keep worrying about what's going on behind closed doors, behind their backs, whatever. Hopefully, they feel a freedom to be the player they're capable of."
Sean Berry:
“The presence he has brought here has just been incredible. His attitude every morning, his energy. His reminding us that this is what winning teams do. It means a lot. It's hard out there. It picks them up and brings their edge up a little and makes us more prepared for the season.”
Chris Sampson:
"It's a different atmosphere. That's for sure. He asked me to send him the information (on the opening of Sampson's baseball camp), and he showed up. Just having him call me was a big deal. I appreciated he'd take the time to do that. But for him to go that extra step ...It lets you know he's on your side, that he's going to have your back, that he cares."
Mills:
“The whole thing of working together is important. That we can try to accomplish something here and build a foundation. It's integrity with one another. It's character and how we go about things. If we don't agree, we can talk about that, too. We don't have to agree on everything. That's what it's about. It opens the door for them to give themselves a chance to be the best player they can be. They don't have to keep worrying about what's going on behind closed doors, behind their backs, whatever. Hopefully, they feel a freedom to be the player they're capable of."
Sean Berry:
“The presence he has brought here has just been incredible. His attitude every morning, his energy. His reminding us that this is what winning teams do. It means a lot. It's hard out there. It picks them up and brings their edge up a little and makes us more prepared for the season.”
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Further Astro reaction
In a larger McTaggart piece on the reaction from the Astros themselves, we hear from:
Berkman:
"Certainly I'd love to get together with him before we get started at some point to meet him and talk to him and see kind of what he's all about and that sort of thing. It's weird because at least with the other managers we've had, going into the season we knew a little bit about him. He's kind of an unknown to me, but I'm looking forward to getting to know him. I've heard great things."
Hitting coach Sean Berry, who lives close to Mills:
"He's got everything you need to be a successful manager and bringing those intangibles and that experience from Boston, that should really help him."
Bud Norris, who played with Mills' son in the AFL:
"He had a good demeanor and good approach. It's good to hear him say the fact he appreciates the veteran guys and he's going to push them and it sounds great because I know he's going to push me, too, and I liked to be pushed. If we can fill in those last pieces in the lineup card, we should have a good outlook for next year."
Hunter Pence:
"We all have to get to know each other and really get on the same page and get started winning and get a winning attitude and mentality. It's the first time since I've been here a manager has come in from outside the organization, so I'm just looking forward to seeing what he's going on. Ed Wade and Drayton and all the Astros management believe in this guy. He must have something going on and he was with a winning ballclub in Boston. It's exciting to have a leader like that."
Berkman:
"Certainly I'd love to get together with him before we get started at some point to meet him and talk to him and see kind of what he's all about and that sort of thing. It's weird because at least with the other managers we've had, going into the season we knew a little bit about him. He's kind of an unknown to me, but I'm looking forward to getting to know him. I've heard great things."
Hitting coach Sean Berry, who lives close to Mills:
"He's got everything you need to be a successful manager and bringing those intangibles and that experience from Boston, that should really help him."
Bud Norris, who played with Mills' son in the AFL:
"He had a good demeanor and good approach. It's good to hear him say the fact he appreciates the veteran guys and he's going to push them and it sounds great because I know he's going to push me, too, and I liked to be pushed. If we can fill in those last pieces in the lineup card, we should have a good outlook for next year."
Hunter Pence:
"We all have to get to know each other and really get on the same page and get started winning and get a winning attitude and mentality. It's the first time since I've been here a manager has come in from outside the organization, so I'm just looking forward to seeing what he's going on. Ed Wade and Drayton and all the Astros management believe in this guy. He must have something going on and he was with a winning ballclub in Boston. It's exciting to have a leader like that."
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Think you're having a tough day?
The Astros' coaching staff is probably worse.
Problem is, nobody knows who's coming back. And Easy Eddie told everyone to go ahead and start looking for jobs, if they want (which is like your landlord saying, "Go ahead and pack up, and you can leave if you want.").
Hitting coach Sean Berry:
"It's a tough time for us, because of the uncertainty. It's a tough time on your families and stuff like that. That's the worst part about this game. This is a pressure cooker up here. That's the unfortunate thing. You work to get to the top and over the years, there's probably been some warranted and some unwarranted decisions that are made, but that's the nature of the business. The problem is there are so few jobs. It's one of the tough things. I grew up with some of these kids that are now men, from Hunter [Pence] to all these guys, really. I would rather stay here the rest of my career, but that's tough to do. There are few situations in baseball where it happens, and those are some of the most successful situations."
1st base/outfielder coach Jose Cruz:
"I'm going to wait just like everybody else and see what happens. I've been here 13 years [as a coach]. This is a tough job, and I'm just happy doing what I'm doing, coaching the outfielders and coaching first base."
Pitching coach Dewey Robinson:
"I guess it's just part of the business. There are rewards for having a job like this. It's very rewarding, but at the same time, you know it can be very temporary, so you just try to take the good with the bad. All I'm trying to do is get my name out there in case I don't come back, so that I do land on my feet. I've got to pay bills. I hope I get a chance to come back, but I also understand the uncertainty of things where the manager should have the right to hire his own pitching coach and hitting coach, because those are very important positions. I'm very thankful to Ed and Tal and Coop for giving me a chance in his position... I'm glad my wife has a full-time job.
Problem is, nobody knows who's coming back. And Easy Eddie told everyone to go ahead and start looking for jobs, if they want (which is like your landlord saying, "Go ahead and pack up, and you can leave if you want.").
Hitting coach Sean Berry:
"It's a tough time for us, because of the uncertainty. It's a tough time on your families and stuff like that. That's the worst part about this game. This is a pressure cooker up here. That's the unfortunate thing. You work to get to the top and over the years, there's probably been some warranted and some unwarranted decisions that are made, but that's the nature of the business. The problem is there are so few jobs. It's one of the tough things. I grew up with some of these kids that are now men, from Hunter [Pence] to all these guys, really. I would rather stay here the rest of my career, but that's tough to do. There are few situations in baseball where it happens, and those are some of the most successful situations."
1st base/outfielder coach Jose Cruz:
"I'm going to wait just like everybody else and see what happens. I've been here 13 years [as a coach]. This is a tough job, and I'm just happy doing what I'm doing, coaching the outfielders and coaching first base."
Pitching coach Dewey Robinson:
"I guess it's just part of the business. There are rewards for having a job like this. It's very rewarding, but at the same time, you know it can be very temporary, so you just try to take the good with the bad. All I'm trying to do is get my name out there in case I don't come back, so that I do land on my feet. I've got to pay bills. I hope I get a chance to come back, but I also understand the uncertainty of things where the manager should have the right to hire his own pitching coach and hitting coach, because those are very important positions. I'm very thankful to Ed and Tal and Coop for giving me a chance in his position... I'm glad my wife has a full-time job.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Astros Notes
Nice little notes section this morning.
Sean Berry is back!
“It’s tough going through what I’m going through, definitely. But it’s tough leaving these guys hanging, like I felt for three weeks. I’m tired of trying to jump into the television screen."
Thanks to the gut weasels that have laid Carlos Beltran low, Miguel Tejada is now your NL batting leader. Now hitting .353, Tejada's average is now .001 higher than Carlos Benedict Arnold.
Jose Valverde, with a freshly drained calf (/retch), threw off the mound yesterday and reported that "Everything's good." He'll throw a bullpen today and will take grounders before throwing to real live hitters (such as the Astros are) on Saturday.
Plan to see Berkman in that 5-hole for a little while, switching with Hunter Pence.
Geoff Geary will throw a simulated game today.
Sean Berry is back!
“It’s tough going through what I’m going through, definitely. But it’s tough leaving these guys hanging, like I felt for three weeks. I’m tired of trying to jump into the television screen."
Thanks to the gut weasels that have laid Carlos Beltran low, Miguel Tejada is now your NL batting leader. Now hitting .353, Tejada's average is now .001 higher than Carlos Benedict Arnold.
Jose Valverde, with a freshly drained calf (/retch), threw off the mound yesterday and reported that "Everything's good." He'll throw a bullpen today and will take grounders before throwing to real live hitters (such as the Astros are) on Saturday.
Plan to see Berkman in that 5-hole for a little while, switching with Hunter Pence.
Geoff Geary will throw a simulated game today.
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