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The NL Central has had a number of coaching changes/new hires so far this offseason, so here is a look at a few of them knowing that I will miss something.
The Cardinals dodged a major bullet and got Tony La Russa to come back on a one-year contract. This could turn out to be the biggest move in shaping the NL Central landscape for next season, as having La Russa back cements the Cardinals as the division favorite, even with Matt Holliday's future with the team uncertain. There is a very good chance the Cardinals would have won the division even if they hadn't picked Holliday up, and they'll be returning the three key components of that team (Albert, Wain, Carp). However, working on one-year contracts can't be the most ideal situation, unless you are Tim Wakefield. La Russa then named old friend, know-juicer and guy who doesn't like talking about the past Mark McGwire as his hitting coach.
This move could be debated for hours, but Bud Selig has already endorsed it. This type of move would seem more appropriate for a team trying to re-ignite interest among fans, but the Cardinals certainly don't have that problem. Of all the players that La Russa has managed and gotten close to, I find it hard to believe there isn't a just as qualified yet less contreversial guy looking for this type of work. At a time when baseball is trying to distance itself from one its darker moments, bringing a poster boy from that era into the spotlight doesn't seem smart. I mean for heaven's sake Dave McKay is already on that coaching staff. For symmetrical purposes, La Russa might as well make his bench coaches Fernando Vina and Jose Canseco. However, unlike Sammy, McGwire seems to still be relatively well-respected among the fan base in St. Louis so this move might have some initial benefit. He is reportedly close to Matt Holliday, but I think money will be the deciding factor in where he ends up. However, if McGwire can communicate with players as well as he hit home runs, this move could turn out to be more than a public relations pitch. The Post-Dispatch had a good roundtable on whether or not McGwire is qualified.
The Astros hired former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills as their new manager after striking out with Manny Acta, who wanted more years and got that from the Indians. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle liked the move, and based on the little I know about Mills I do too. He isn't a recycled name, but at 52 years old he isn't lacking in big league coaching experience. He has dealth with a veteran ballclub in Boston, which he will have to do in Houston with Berkman, Lee, Tejeda, etc. The team isn't as far away as people think, as healthy seasons from Oswalt, Valverde and Berkman could be enough to contend in what will be a relatively weak division in 2010. Hiring a smart, seasoned and confident baseball man from a winning organization is the best deal you can get. As of right now only Dave Clark is officially on his staff as third base coach, a role he assumed last year up until he was made interim manager.
Of all the coaching changes, the Reds hiring Bryan Price as their pitching coach is my favorite. Price has spent the last 10 seasons as a pitching coach for the Diamondbacks and Mariners, and was coveted by the Brewers for their vacancy as well. His success in Seattle is what I think bodes well for a Reds team that, like the Astros, may have enough to contend for the division in 2010. Price got great years out of then young pitchers Gil Meche, Freddy Garcia and Joel Piniero during the Mariners run in the early part of this decade. Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto and Edison Volquez (when healthy) make up a similar young, talented trio for Price to work with. Walt Jocketty better realize that Price should handle everything pitching-related and let Dusty just stroke the egos of the position players, or else this might happen.
The Brewers pitching took a major step back after pitching coach Mike Maddux left for Texas, but any rationally-thinking person knows that had more to do with the loss of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets than it did with the coaching of Bill Castro, who was fired in August. Either way, Milwaukee hired former A's and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson to fill the position. I don't know much at all about Peterson other than the 2008 Mets bullpen that ultimately got him fired was pretty terrible. One bad season doesn't define a coach, so who knows. What I do know is that the Brewers need a healthy season from Yovani Gallardo and some outside help/breakout seasons to improve their pitching, regardless who is doing the coaching.
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