It sounds like you’re saying that the manager’s ability to influence whether a team gets a W or an L is greater in the first month or so in the year, so that by the heart of the summer, he really can’t do much one way or the other to influence it. Is that right? But Ws in April count just as much as Ws in August and September when you’re tallying up the season, don’t they? So a manager who can add, say, 5 to the W column still makes a difference; it’s just that the difference will be made early in the season and the manager’s ability to keep doing so fades–possibly until the playoffs are reached? I’m not saying Hillman will get the Royals into the playoffs, just that any difference in the number of wins is significant. Right?

You’re absolutely right. He needs to be more aggressive. He’s putting himself in a hole in and trying to protect himself instead of hitting.

If Teahen stinks as a hitter – and you don’t count walks as a positive – why would you lead him off and give him the most plate appearances on the team. After that, it seems your best option is to hit him in front of “the pitcher”… on the Royals… in the American League… which uses the DH… I guess that means he sits in the bullpen.

Guillen is your Andrew Jones. Rally killer. DBs, Ks, Flyouts, but worse. Later you’ll get the angry little guy. Problem is you have to hit him in the middle of the lineup. With Andrew at least you could drop him to seventh and he still smiled. He still hit .230 but he was never a dick.

Teahan is too passive. He is pitched aggressively right now and finds himself in a lot of pitchers counts. I think he should go up hacking this week. Look at this last week to see how he was pitched and you will see how many first and second pitch strikes he gets.

How many strikeouts and weak grounders to 2B with the bases loaded do you need to prove Teahan isn’t a 3rd place hitter.

Let him lead off. Or bat 8th in front of the pitcher. But he’s defintely not a 3rd place hitter.