Dave Martinez (r.) could be the next Joe Maddon for the Rays. (USATSI)
Late last month, the Rays lost long-time manager Joe Maddon, who opted out of his contract after the two sides couldn’t agree to an extension. A clause in his contract allowed him to opt out if GM Andrew Friedman left, which Friedman did, for the Dodgers.
Tampa Bay may reportedly pursue tampering charges against the Cubs given how quickly they came to an agreement with Maddon, but that’s another matter for another time. No matter what, the Rays have to find themselves a new manager. Here is the list of eight managerial candidates the team released on Thursday afternoon:
The one name that stands out to me — other than Raul Ibanez, who is still technically an active player — is Dave Martinez, the Rays bench coach under Maddon since the 2008 season. The 50-year-old played in parts of 16 seasons from 1986-2001 — that surprised me, I remember him as a player but didn’t realize he hung around so long — and he actually recorded the first base hit in Devil Rays franchise history:
It’s a line drive in the box score, as the old saying goes.
During his time with the Rays as Maddon’s bench coach, Martinez has interviewed for managerial openings with the Astros, Blue Jays, Cubs, Indians and Nationals. He interviewed with the Cubs last offseason, when they instead hired Rick Renteria, who was replaced last week by Maddon.
“Davey did a great job in the interview process. We really enjoyed him,” said Cubs GM Jed Hoyer to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “I think on his own, he’s very bright, very hard-working, very well-respected. And then from the interview process, it sounds like he’s learned a ton being with Joe Maddon. He’ll be a manager really soon in the big leagues.”
Back in June 2012, Martinez spoke to David Laurila of FanGraphs about what he’s learned from Maddon over the years, among other things. Here’s the relevant section:
DL: What is your primarily role as the Rays’ bench coach?
DM: I do everything Joe does, except I don’t have to deal with the media and I don’t get credit for anything. I help manage the game the way I see fit. I’m very opinionated and give Joe my opinions. Ultimately, he makes the final decisions, but I do the best I can to manage the games alongside him.
…
DL: Do you and Maddon differ on anything philosophically?
DM: I’d have to say no. We pretty much hit it on the nail. Like I said, I’ve learned a lot over the last five years with the way Joe thinks, and the way he does things. He’s opened my eyes to a lot of different things. From what I know from playing, from dealing with players, and from what he knows about basically everything in the game, we do a great job together.
If we disagree on something, it’s usually more about feel. When that happens, my first question is always, “Why?” I ask because I want to learn. He’s been an unbelievable teacher, so when he goes against something I think we would normally do, I want to know why.
Maddon and Martinez wouldn’t have been able to work together so long without having similar philosophies, and from the sound of it, Martinez has picked up a ton from Maddon over these last seven years. How could he not? I’m sure the opposite is true as well. Maddon didn’t have the playing career Martinez did, so he doesn’t have that type of experience.
Philosophically, Martinez and Maddon appear to be on the same page. Maddon is well-known for his willingness to think outside the box — the Rays were one of the first teams to aggressively shift their infielders, for example. Martinez seems to be cut from the same cloth and Tampa Bay needs a manager like that to maximize their small payroll roster. They need every possible advantage.
The difference between Maddon and Martinez will not necessary be on the field, but in the clubhouse. The on-field stuff is only one small piece of the puzzle. Managing 25 (more, really) grown men with 25 different personalities and attitudes is the backbone of the job. It’s not about catering to everyone, but making sure they respect each other and are a “team,” as cliche as that sounds.
Martinez won’t be Maddon in the clubhouse because he’s not Maddon — every manager is unique. He has been in that clubhouse for years though, so there are already relationships and that respect in place. The fact Maddon and Martinez worked together for so long is a good indication the transition would be relatively seamless, though there’s no real way of knowing.
“Every year that I have under my belt, I’m a lot more confident and a lot more prepared for the challenges of being a manager,” said Martinez for Topkin. He has the relevant coaching experience and he’s learned from Maddon. Martinez will never be Maddon because they are different people, but if Tampa Bay is looking to maintain continuity in the organization, especiallyphilosophically, he’s the best candidate for the job.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
