It's Time to Fire Trey Hillman

I've really never liked Trey Hillman. He wasn't anywhere near the top of my list of candidates to manage the Royals when they were filling that position before last season. I liked him even less when he sat his team down behind home plate after a spring training game and dressed them down for baserunning mistakes in front of fans (which ended up being really ironic because the Royals were a terrible baserunning team last year). I don't like that he talks up the importance of on-base percentage, perhaps the single most important statistic in all of sports, while running guys like Jose Guillen out there in the cleanup spot. I don't like that he ignores years of statistical evidence* in favor of one week of exhibition baseball when picking Kyle Farnsworth over Juan Cruz as the 8th inning guy when breaking camp.

*: Juan Cruz posseses a career ERA that's over a half-run lower than Farnsworth, with a much better WHIP, a similar strikeout rate, a much lower rate of HRs surrendered, and Cruz's numbers are improving. Simply, there is absolutely no way to justify Cruz NOT being the 8th inning bridge to Soria from the instant he signed. I thought Moneyball made the "he looked better in meaningless games in Arizona in March" evaluation methodology obsolete. Apparently not in Kansas City.

So, how long does it for such a minor personnel matter to bite the Royals in the ass? I'm glad you asked. It took two-thirds of an inning. Gil Meche pitched a gem on opening day, handed the ball over to the bullpen, and Farnworth promptly gave up a 3 run, game losing bomb to Jim Thome. So, Hillman can't be stupid enough to screw the bullpen organization up again right? It would appear not. In game 2, Cruz goes the 7th and 8th, Soria closes. Last weekend, Cruz goes the 8th in a close game, Farnsworth draws work in a 4 run game. But, Hillman showed us beyond a shadow of a doubt today, that he is indeed too stupid to handle something as complex as who the f**k should pitch.

So, here we sit, tied atop the AL Central at 7-5, with two games totally pissed away by our manager's misuse of the bullpen. This team is good enough to compete. The starting pitching has been terrific, the bullpen is light's out when it's used, you know, at least as well as a trained monkey would do it. The bats started a little slow against some pretty good pitching but have started getting it done more against a broader cross-section of quality. Yeah, the talent is good enough to compete. The manager isn't.