The Nationals are moving on from pitching coach Paul Menhart, reports Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). The 51-year-old’s contract was set to expire this offseason, and the organization has made the decision not to bring him back, relays Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic (via Twitter).
Formerly Washington’s minor-league pitching coordinator, Menhart took over the big league job when Derek Lilliquist was fired last May. The Nationals began to overcome their now-famous slow start shortly thereafter en route to a World Series title. Obviously, it’s impossible to pin down from the outside how much credit Menhart (or any coach) deserves for that improvement.
Similarly, it’s not clear how much blame Menhart shoulders for the team’s lackluster performance in 2020. This year, Nationals’ pitchers finished 23rd in park-adjusted ERA and 25th in park-adjusted FIP. Reigning World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg barely pitched due to injury, though, and the bullpen has been a thorn in the organization’s side for far longer than Menhart had been on the MLB staff.
Shouldn’t it say Lilliquist was fired two Mays ago?
It’s ambiguous, but then so is yours. Should just say May of ’19 if you want to precise. I mean, if it’s Friday and I say I had pizza last Wednesday, doesn’t that mean 9 days prior? Nobody would assume you meant the one that just happened 2 days prior. Last isn’t always interpreted the same way.
“if you want to precise.”? Sorry. Saw you pick on someone for bad spelling so it seemed appropriate. =}
Ted Talks: How to be grouchy and disliked in the digital age
LOL! Love it! I’m going to repeat that sometime.
Scape goat for bad gm signings and trades
Bad GM that won them a WS last year?
Wait, “last year” do you mean last year or the year before that? Do you mean the last year they won a World Series? Do you mean the last year of baseball?
Ted Talks are confusing.
You cant say bad signings. you could definitely say lack of signings. And the GM built this team through trades
Strausberg….
Who’s Strausberg?
Strasburg?
Strawbear?
Wait this is great, you’re really not grateful for the trade where you got Trea Turner from us for Jose Castillo oh and a World Series not even 12 months ago? Yankees are always accepting new fans!..
If he was the hitting coach I would say so since they tried to replace Rendon with a bunch of mediocre utility players and an unproven prospect but he’s not.
Good points. Stras getting hurt was pretty much expected given his history. Hudson regressed. Kendrick regressed. Zimmerman opted out. The Thames signing didn’t work out. Robles regressed. Eaton regressed. Corbin and Sanchez both regressed. And Doolittle was hurt most of the year.
Idk if it was WS hang over, age finally hitting some guys, or bad luck, but the team just vastly underperformed. I don’t think they were going to repeat or make it very far in the playoffs, but they shouldn’t have been this bad.
That pretty much sums it up. The only thing you missed was Kieboom hitting around the Mendoza line.
The instant a GM doesn’t win a championship, that means he’s an idiot and all of the fans who criticize him are smart.
So so so smart.
Menhart had poor relationships with Strasburg and Scherzer so he had no chance. Didn’t help that he was chosen by Martinez.
I don’t understand why it would hurt Menhart to have been chosen by Martinez?
Not true
I wish he’d stop pointing
Menhart is an all around great guy. He’s been with the organization for a number of years. I hope there’s a place for him, but it doesn’t sound like it. Tough for him or anyone to take the fall, especially this year.
Nats just not hungry this year after winning it all the year before. Red Sox went down the same path.
Agreed. They are also missing the best position player from their championship years. It isn’t easy to replace a Mookie Betts or Anthony Rendon.
I feel sorry for modern day pitching coaches. They have to work with what is basically long relievers as starters nowadays and then use a different pitcher each following inning, not to mention the ever increasing number of Tommy John injuries. You can tell pitchers how to pitch, but they generally just go out and throw as hard as they can until they get injured. It is just the way it is done now.