Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters yesterday that Triple-A manager Wally Backman resigned from his post to pursue Major League coaching opportunities, but Newsday’s Marc Carig cites anonymous sources in reporting that Backman was actually fired from his position. Carig writes that there was a “pattern of defiance by Backman,” who made many player development choices that Alderson and the front office didn’t support. Namely, Backman continually sat Michael Conforto against left-handed pitching and didn’t bat Gavin Cecchini or Kevin Plawecki high enough in his batting order to afford them as many opportunities for at-bats as the Mets would’ve liked.
Here’s more from the National League East…
- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is strongly in favor of his front office pursuing a pair of impact bats for the middle of the order and re-signing Jeremy Hellickson this winter, he tells Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com. While the notion that a Major League manager hopes to have an improved Major League roster in the upcoming season isn’t exactly a stunning development, Mackanin did seem to imply that there’s a preference on his part to focus on the lineup more than the pitching staff. Mackanin praised Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson by name, and the Phillies of course also have an exciting young righty in the form of Vince Velasquez as well. Hellickson, in theory, could displace Eflin or Thompson — the two least-experienced arms of the bunch — if he were to be re-signed. As for the lineup, Mackanin stated: “No question about it, I’d like to get two professional hitters. As many as I can. I think it takes pressure off the young guys. When you have [Tommy] Joseph, [Cameron] Rupp and even [Maikel] Franco in the middle of your lineup to produce runs, that’s tough to do. Your first year in the big leagues is tough. To be called upon to be the run producer is tough.”
- While A.J. Pierzynski’s career has been polarizing, to put it mildly, his presence on the Braves drew positive reviews from members of the coaching staff and teammates, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I loved every moment that he was here, and I love A.J.,” said first base coach Eddie Perez. “You probably won’t hear that from many people, but I did. And you know why? Because he goes between the two lines and gives you everything to win games.” Right-hander Matt Wisler acknowledged that Pierzynski was hard on the young pitching staff at times, but feels that it was to their benefit. “I don’t mind it, I think if somebody gets on me like that sometimes I kind of need it,” Wisler explained. “Especially for me, because I kind of over-think, and when he gets on you I kind of forget about it and just go back to making pitches. He helped me in that regard.”
- Mike Foltynewicz escaped an injury scare relatively unscathed last night, as MLB.com’s Pat James writes. The young Braves righty was struck in the leg by a line drive off the bat of Marcell Ozuna (which Statcast measured at 110 mph), but has only a contusion and some swelling to show following the ill-placed line drive. Foltynewicz walked off the field under his own power but was eventually forced to utilize crutches to move around the clubhouse as the swelling in his leg intensified. He’s day to day for the time being.
In other words “Braves young players too scared to stand up to one of the worst bullies and most hated players in recent history.”
AJ is a trash person, but I’ll just let Michael Barrett’s actions speak for me too…
Good Job trying to Justify calling AJ a loser on the other thread. You’re biggest loser up here, dude. Even though guys praise him being tough on them, you spin in it into bullying. Sound like he had relations with someone close to you, and you have it in for him. WOW! AJ Ran over a catcher, what a loser for that.
AJ kneed Stan Conte in the groin. He is the worst person in recent MLB along with Schilling. He’s immature, a coward and a horrible person in general. Only a White Sox homer would dare stick up for him. Good job in following your trolling of me to different threads though, you are a champion.
And yeah, maybe I do know Stan Conte, dummy.
No one cares if you played tonsil hockey with with Stan Conte. I could care less about the White Sox, people don’t like D-Bags like yourself that call players cowards from behind a screen. OMG! People don’t like a certain player, BIG deal! That can be said about A LOT of players, past and present. Keep making yourself look STUPID with each post going forward
How dare you say AJ is a horrible person! He drinks beer during games, pretty sure that makes him dope
You do remember that Pierzynski was once released by a team because the players in the clubhouse basically couldn’t stand him, right?
I like Pierzynski played the game, never wined about he was treated by Media and Fans who where and are a Bunch of wussies
Did you ever hear of a Guy named Ty Cobb,
The Guy would be run out of the Baseball today,
I guess everybody has to play with a dress on now !
Ty Cobb once went into the stands and beat up a man who had no hands. Ty Cobb bet on games he was playing in. He was a virulent racist and a dirty player.
I will say this as someone who has watched a lot of video on Wisler, he has the games where he has the stuff for sure, but it does often times appear as if he is thinking too much on the mound based on his mannerisms and actions (And Folty sometimes is one who lets his emotions get the best of him on the rubber). If AJP did something with the intention of helping Wisler get over that particular obstacle in his own mind, then AJP did a good thing.
It is difficult to judge people off of individual incidents when it is difficult to obtain all the facts and we were not there in the middle of that incident. The way I’ve heard Pierzynski most often described is ” you hate him when he is on the other team, and you love him when he is on yours”. I’m just going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that with all his apparent warts AJP still did somethings well on the diamond over the course of his career.
Over the course of his 16 full seasons? The guys a career .280 hitter, of course he’s done good things.
Sincerely from everyone on this site,
Please go away and never come back. Your comments are always I bad taste and useless. Take your ignorance somewhere else.
BRAVO! Well said
Because you don’t agree does not mean my opinions are any less relevant than anyone else’s. You are being extremely distasteful and excluding in even posting something like this.
I’m not ignorant, you are. Google “A.J. Pierzynski hated”, I’m not making this stuff up or coming completely out of left field.
The only thing this has proved is that being a homer sure skews your opinions of known horrible people.
You sound like you need a safe space to watch baseball.
AJ on the Braves has been great. A good teammate and a decent option (until this year) at the dish.
baseball isn’t a popularity contest.
“Please go away and never come back. Your comments are always I bad taste and useless. Take your ignorance somewhere else.”
Yeah, I really wrote that. Unless you are talking to JKruk22 and tsolid, who absolutely are afraid of my opinions.
Barrett the best cheap shot sucker puncher of all time.
They were face to face?
Also, karma is a B.
So happy to see Backman go. He also had Leathersich throw 60 pitches as a reliever and tore his UCL. Good luck to whatever idiots hire him.
LOL Mets
Homers should not be allowed to post on the internet, I actually cannot believe people would ever dare defend A.J. Pierzynski.
“Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski knows he is not one of the most liked players on the road. He also knows he’s one of the most unpopular players among his peers.
By Chris O’Meara, AP
In the latest survey of 100 major league players by Men’s Journal, Pierzynski was voted (34%) as the “most hated player” in the league. The New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez (10%) and Nick Swisher (9%) finished second and third, respectively.”
content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2…
But sure, take your blind homerism love of him out on me for repeating what many have said over the last 15 years. Totally makes sense SMH SMH SMH
TBH, you aren’t acting much better than the homers. If someone rabidly defending a team or a player is a homer, what does that make someone who rabidly attacks a team or player? I don’t know the exact word for it, but I do know that you are acting like a child. You say you can’t believe that people would dare defend Pierzynski, but aren’t they entitled to their opinions just as much as you are? If homers shouldn’t be allowed to post on the Internet, then neither should people who attack players and teams for no reason like you do. But if all those people left, discussing baseball wouldn’t be very interesting now would it? In the end, you’re just another fan, so get over yourself. You’re not as smart or important as you think you are.
All the Guys that where hitting 230, dislike Player who have accomplished something. This is not a popularity Contest , I Take Cobb and his Manners and Rough play over Moshe Finkelstein players any day
Most Annoying Poster (MAP) would be an intriguing poll also. It would be inadvisable to vote for me if you have any plans involving your head.
With one exception (Giants), AJ has always been appreciated by his teammates. I think guys on the team he is playing for knows he gives 100% and all he cares about is winning. Does he whine, take occasional cheap shots, throw tantrums?, most definitely. Baseball purist and fans of other teams hate his actions, but he has been a winner most of his career. He has helped countless young pitchers navigate their way through the pitfalls of becoming a major league pitcher. When you look at his numbers, very few have had a career like his. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but his numbers are factual, and there is no argument there.
His Red Sox teammates in 2014 went to management and demanded he be released because his clubhouse presence was so terrible – and management complied, releasing him halfway through the season. So it wasn’t just the Giants.
Never seen a player that’s Sooo terrible as a person/teammate Play for 16yrs. Riddle me that please.
Because he’s a catcher and catchers are hard to find. And he was a decent hitter for a while there..
Red Sox Players has always been Wussies !