The Process: Gomes Vs Moreland

Don’t be silly. Anyone is allowed to disagree (and do so politely) without stating their reasons.

Moreover, I only had time to write “Disagree.” because my wife was ready to watch Doctor Who, and only an idiot impedes that desire.

REASON I DISAGREE: The whole “Process” series started on TPR to closely examine Maddon’s managerial decision-making. I followed the series closely, and more times than not, Maddon made excellent decisions — whether it was bullpen management or pinch hitting — more often than not.

I suspect the recent JP Howell tragedies have tainted people’s memories, but if Howell locates a few pitches differently, then who knows what the popular perception becomes?

Here’s my issue with the Gomes-Moreland AB: Gomes threw Moreland two sliders in that AB — an unusual execution for a righty-lefty matchup — but it actually makes sense against Moreland, a .327 wOBA first baseman, because against groundball pitchers, Moreland hits a putrid .227/.314/.364, and lefties trying to hit Gomes’s slider have hit groundballs 50% of the time this year.

In other words, Moreland is one of the easiest outs and weakest hitters in the Rangers lineup, moreover, he — in theory — struggles against a pitch Gomes can throw (not all the time, but in some cases) to both hands.

Could Maddon have brought in Peralta? Certainly. The Rangers can also bring in Neftali Feliz every time Casey Kotchman comes up too.

I don’t honestly think many people were expecting Moreland (who only hit 16 homers in the season) to go deep there.

Because there are several examples over the last few years of Joe mismanaging the bullpen.His reliance on JP Howell in key spots this year and his use of Randy Choate to attempt to get out righties at the beginning of last year come most readily to mind, but there are others.