Pittsburgh Pirates: Should Clint Hurdle’s job be in danger?
By Matt Shetler
Accountability.
We hear that word a lot in sports. Every time a new coach or general manager is hired, the first words out of their mouth are the fact that “we are going to preach accountability.” Talking about accountability has become more common than any other of the bogus clichés we hear from athletes and coaches on a daily basis.
In reality though, accountability is something often talked about, but never acted on.
September 7, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Third base umpire Gary Darling (left) and Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle (13) exchange words as Hurdle disputes a call against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Chicago Cubs won 12-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
That tiny rant brings me to Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle. We’ve heard the word accountability from Hurdle and general manager Neal Huntington about a thousand times over the course of the past two seasons, but no one is ever held accountable.
Maybe it’s time to change that as Hurdle has to be looked at as part of the blame for the Pirates struggles.
Someone has to shoulder the blame for not only last season’s collapse, but for this team’s poor play since the end of July. In this day and age, the manager is easier to replace than the players, but maybe that’s a good thing. I highly doubt that Huntington would consider a coaching change with three weeks left in the regular season, but teams have done things like that before to shake up a struggling team.
In this case though, maybe Hurdle’s job should be in jeopardy.
Things need to change for this ball club and in a hurry if the Bucs are to take advantage of the wealth of talent coming through the ranks in the next couple of seasons.
This is Hurdle’s 10th season as a major league manager and while I do like the guy, if the Pirates finish above .500 this season, it will be only the second time in his career that Hurdle has managed a winning team. Is he really a guy that can get this club to the next level?
To say Hurdle isn’t a big part for the turnaround of this franchise would be ridiculous. He’s a big part of things, but will the Bucs even reach their goals under Hurdle? (Playing .500 baseball is not a goal.)
I know it’s not Hurdle out there striking out and throwing the ball around the field, but there have been some disturbing things through two years about his team.
There are several areas where this team is lousy.
First of all, the strikeouts are ridiculous. Not putting the bat on the ball has been a problem as the Pirates have struck out a whopping 1,159 times on the year and are in the running to lead all of baseball again in punchouts.
Next is the baserunning. Hurdle’s team lacks basic instincts running the bases. It has cost them plenty of runs during the season and could be the difference between making the playoffs and not. When a guy like Garrett Jones gets to second base, he often looks lost out there.
Speaking of base running, the inability to control the opposition’s running game has become comical. Little League teams control the running game better than the Pirates, who have thrown out only 14 of 139 potential base stealers on the season. That is simply unacceptable.
Then there are the lineup issues.
I’ll start with the catcher position as I was a fan of Rod Barajas getting more starts over Michael McKenry when the Bucs were pitching well. Barajas is a far better catcher and handles the staff much better.
But now that they aren’t, there’s almost no reason to run him out there more than ‘The Fort.’ Since the All-Star break, Barajas is hitting .165 while McKenry is hitting .269 with an .841 OPS. How can that be ignored?
I won’t knock Hurdle as much for continuing to run shortstop Clint Barmes out there as he doesn’t have many other options, but eventually Hurdle has to cut ties with his veterans and run his best eight players out there.
Take Saturday night against the Cubs when the 6-7-8 hitters were Alex Presley, Barmes and Barajas. After Pedro Alvarez batted No. 5, Hurdle was basically waving the white flag for the next four batters.
Those three hitters, who have combined to hit .216 on the season, naturally went 0-for-10 in a game the Pirates couldn’t afford to lose. I know the Pirates have some injuries right now, but there are better options then running four hitters out there in order that have next to no chance of reaching base.
The way this team has performed the past two seasons is disturbing and that should fall on Hurdle.
The good news is that the Pirates are still within reach of a playoff spot, currently only 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final playoff spot with 23 games remaining.
The bad news is that this team has wasted opportunity after opportunity. There’s absolutely no excuses for getting swept by the Chicago Cubs at home, where Hurdle has 23 games to get this team turned around.
However if he doesn’t and the Pirates fail to make the playoffs, or even worse fail to finish over .500, a managerial change is something that must be considered heading into 2013.
Someone has to be held accountable.