The Banister philosophy. 321 comments


 

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Houston ace Dallas Keuchel struck out 13 AAA hitters wearing Texas Rangers uniforms yesterday for a 10-0 win.

 

Jeff Banister seems to have a philosophy that I find very strange: “When facing the toughest pitchers, run out your weakest lineups.”

It reminds me of Vince Lombardi. But opposite.

I am not a major league manager, but it seems to me the opposite is exactly what you would do here. If you are trying to win, and you are facing a mighty adversary, you’d put out your best warriors, not your weakest.

He goes into games already deciding the team cannot win, so why bother?

Adam Rosales is a career journeyman for a reason. He cannot hit major league pitching with any consistency. There is also a reason he is the 25th man on every roster he makes. Because he’s not good enough to be the 24th man.

Yet, here he is, being run out there yet again when the Rangers face a tough left-handed starter. Yesterday the Rangers played sacrificial lamb to Dallas Keuchel. And he was good. But who wouldn’t be against that lineup? Ross Detwiler could have pitched a shutout against that Rangers team yesterday, with Tanner Scheppers closing it out.

Adam Rosales is actually batting higher against right-handed pitching (.244) than against left-handers (.226).

Ryan Rua is the same, but worse. He hits a whopping .231 against righties, and a Martinesque .138 against lefties.

And that’s who you send out to do battle?

Look, I know Banister has weakness up and down his roster, and his hands are tied by the minor league personnel he has wearing major league uniforms. But why counter their best pitcher with your weakest lineup? Sabermetrics mean nothing when everyone is equally inept. Moreland and Choo bring more confidence in any situation than Rosales and Rua.

Choo had just had a game in which he was building back up his confidence, so Banister sits him?

No wonder these guys can’t get any consistency.

No wonder the Rangers lost 10-0.

No wonder they didn’t get a hit off Keuchel after the second inning.

Banister sent a boy to do a man’s job. And boy did they stink.

*****

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses just yearning to cling onto the last vestiges of their major league careers, the wretched refuse of every other team’s roster. Send these, the hitless, the anemic, to me: I shall put them in my lineup.”