Rothschild Back
Submitted by cubsnet on Mon, 2005-10-10 23:25.
"Larry Rothschild turned down a lucrative offer to join new Detroit manager Jim Leyland and will return as pitching coach of the Cubs in 2006," reports the Chicago Tribune. "Rothschild left a guaranteed three-year deal on the table, according to major-league sources, preferring to remain in Chicago. He was not given a multiyear contract with the Cubs but decided to say no to the Tigers because of his loyalty to the organization and his pitchers. . . . With Rothschild returning, the Cubs are expected to announce Tuesday that Dusty Baker's entire coaching staff will be back in 2006."
Bookmark/Search this post with:
»
- cubsnet's blog
- Login or register to post comments
too bad
I've never really understood where the idea of Rothschild being a good pitching coach comes from, but at any rate, his record with the Cubs is not particularly stellar. The Cubs have been hard-pressed to get consistent production from either young pitchers new to the league or from more established veterans. Only Zambrano has really flourished under his watch, although I guess that if Dempster can repeat his success that's another feather.
I do feel that he probably bears some responsibility for the inability to keep Prior and Wood healthy; Wood especially seems to need help with his mechanics that Rothschild is unable to provide. I've noticed also since the Oscar Acosta days that the staff in general is less aggressive than they used to be, constantly trying to nibble at the corners or throw breaking balls at strange times. I can't prove it, but I believe that this is a contributing factor to the wildness (i.e., high pitch counts) that this staff never seems to get under control.
Overall, given the amount of talent this staff has had the past few years, I think even more charitable observers would grant that they've underachieved. In the interest of fairness, I'll acknowledge that there are probably some reasons for this that are beyond Rothschild's control. But this extension, and the one apparently on its way for Baker, do nothing to dispel the notion that the Cubs are quite content with underachieving as long as the possibility of winning the Wild Card is within reach.
re: too bad
Rothschild has this over Acosta: he hasn't lost track of a rookie's pitch count (Ruben Quevedo, 2000 season).
Is Rothschild one of the 10 best (the Cubs should be able to buy someone in the top third) pitching coaches in the United States? That's really hard to say from the vantage point of a fan. Just about everyone agreed that Acosta had to go after 2001 (though anger was one of his problems, so it wasn't just performance), but when he was fired, the pitchers complained loudly. As you note, though, Brian, the outcomes under Rothschild just aren't living up to expectations.
Acosta
Well, don't get me wrong, I'm not second-guessing the firing of Acosta. It was just an observation, and a rather unscientific one at that.
I will say, though, that there's little practical difference between a) letting a guy throw too many pitches because you've lost track of the pitch count, and b) letting him throw too many pitches because you just think it's a good idea.
It's interesting to parse Hendry's quotes on the matter. We find out that Rothschild is highly "respected", although that's much different than saying someone is the one of the best. We find out that he's "dedicated" and has a strong work ethic, though that's obviously much different than saying the results have been there. And instead of hearing about what a great job he's done with the Cubs, hence justifying the extension, we find out that "he's got some unfinished business," which sounds suspiciously like a tacit admission that things haven't gone as well as they should have.
I'll grant that I'm reading this from a more cynical perspective than most, but it appears to me that he's not even trying to justify the extension based on Rothschild's merits. He's just a good guy who works hard and wants to do well, and apparently that's enough.
Re: Acosta
Yeah, I didn't read anything into your comments on Acosta than what you actually said. And I think you're right about those comments. I may have bad memory, but I really cannot remember much being said in the Rothschild era about being aggressive in the zone and about the importance of first pitch strikes.
Rothschild's comments
It's also interesting to parse Rothschild's comments. "Rothschild said the key to next year's rotation is 'we need to be healthy.'" And "the bullpen most likely will undergo changes and Rothschild conceded 'we need to strengthen the pitching staff, and I think there are things [GM] Jim [Hendry] wants to do in the off-season.'"
So the Cubs' pitching staff will be better if they get better pitchers and if those pitchers stay healthy. Which is undoubtedly true. But the pitching coach's job is improve what he does has.
Rothschild Defended
I actually think that keeping Rothschild is a good Idea. We have discounted the fact that Injuries were a huge factor in the Cubs' dismal performance. I also remind you that,under Rothschild, the cubs were 3rd in ERA in both 2003 and 2004. Many of the Cubs Pitchers called Rothschild in ardent support of his return in 2006. Kerry Wood espescially has a strong bond with Larry.