not TLR!

This was from AZ Snake Pit:

In his two years as the pitching coach for the Diamondbacks, the team’s hurlers have posted an ERA+ of 114 and 115, second and tied for second in the league respectively, and a marked improvement over the couple of seasons before that. Now, part of that may be due to having Brandon Webb in full flight [that’d help any rotation], but Doug Davis has also shaved more than half a run off the ERA from his last season in Milwaukee, even moving to a hitter-friendly park.

He did have some success in AZ, but he also had Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. So, it’s hard to tell. I’m trying to dig up more on him.

From AZ Central:

What do you think is the hardest part of the job for you?

“Everybody is unique in their own way, physically and emotionally. I think to find a way to communicate what you mean to different varieties of athletes is the biggest challenge, without question. My feeling is you don’t get the most out of your players unless you trust that you are working on their behalf. That you are legitimate. A lot of these guys they don’t trust from the word go. You have to earn their trust.”

I figured it was going to take longer than 3 weeks to name a new pitching coach. Why not Ted Power?

…just had to be the first to get that out of the way.

This is what he said:

Always difficult to say how much effect a pitching coach has, but he was named Coach of the Year in 2007 by Baseball America. However, that season is looking more and more like a fluke; the bullpen was notably worse last season, and it’s hard to think of any real pitching talent the team has nurtured to fully blossom in his tenure here. Max Scherzer is about the only young guy I can think of, to come up through the ranks since 2006 and do much. Brandon Lyon, maybe? However, Price did seem to find success with Juan Cruz, who hasn’t been as effective before or since his time in the desert.

I don’t recall any problems with overuse of young arms, however, so hopefully he may be able to help counter Dusty’s undeniable tendencies in this area! He does seem to be fiercely loyal: he was very much Bob Melvin’s man, and had some harsh words to say after quitting when Melvin got fired:
   http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4172676
Be interesting to see if Baker can inspire the same loyalty.

I wonder how much say Bill Bavasi had in this signing.

Hope this guy is as good as Ted. I’m kinda of glad that Duncan is out of the picture. He is great but seems like a whiner. Mads don’t like no whiners.

Dick Pole wasn’t a Dusty hire but he was Dusty’s man, they go back to San Francisco. What are the odds Dusty still works in Cincinnati in 2011?

…..b/c the pitching coach is going to have a difficult time counteracting the behavioral patterns of a manager who sees starting pitchers much in the same way a pimp looks at a prostitute.