Chris Antonetti on the Guardians’ new manager, scoring more runs, and much more
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This has not been an easy season for the Guardians. Instead of building on last year’s success, they’ve taken a step back on the field and in the standings.
They’re 67-73 with 22 games left in the regular season. Baseball’s math still gives them a tiny chance of winning the AL Central, but starting this week by getting thumped twice in a three-game series by the first-place Twins didn’t help.
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They are also dealing with manager Terry Francona’s expected retirement at the end of this his 11th season in Cleveland. Francona told reporters in late August that he was considering retirement, and his decision appears all but final.
Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations for the Guardians, was asked about those situations and several others before the team left on a seven-game West Coast trip to play the Angels and Giants:
Q. Has Terry Francona officially told you he’s going to retire?
A. “I have nothing new to share on that beyond what Tito has shared with you already.” (On Tuesday, in a radio interview with MLB Network, Francona said he has informed the front office to “start preparing” for his retirement.)
Q. When will a search for a new manager begin?
A. “We need to get through the season left in front of us. Tito sharing what he shared has allowed us to think about things. Think about what that plan will look like. What that process will look like.
“In terms of earnestly beginning a process, that won’t start until after the season ends.”
Q. For two seasons, the Guardians have ranked last or near last in home runs. How do you correct that lack of power?
A. “The problem isn’t power. The problem is we need to score more runs. Last year without hitting for a ton of power (the G’s ranked 29th out of 30 teams in homers) we did a good enough job scoring runs. We were in the middle of the pack (15th in the big leagues).
“This year we haven’t scored enough runs (28th in the big leagues). There are different ways to do that; power is one of them. It’s easy to just throw a blanket on things and say ‘this is what’s happening.’ We try to look at it in a more individual level, because there are different ways for guys to contribute and help us score runs.”
Q. What impact did losing Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill and Josh Naylor to injuries have on your season?
A. “Although the total number of injuries we’ve had has been among the lowest in the league, the guys we’ve missed have been some of our best players. You could put Triston and Shane at the top of that list, and we went through August without Josh Naylor, who had become one of the better offensive players in the American League.
“Not having those players certainly impacted us. But injuries happen to all teams and we have to find a way to overcome those.”
Q. What have you thought of the performance of rookie starting pitchers Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams?
A. “If you would have told me back in February or March that Bibee, Allen and Williams had all transitioned to the major leagues, and pitched as well as they have, I would have said, No. 1, ‘What happened? How are that many rookies in the rotation?’ But the thing I would have been left with is that’s really encouraging, because it’s so hard to do.
“For one individual to transition from a minor league pitcher to a major league pitcher is difficult. To have three guys do that, and not just tread water, but to pitch and pitch really well in meaningful games, provides them with a really good foundation moving forward.”
Q. Do you think Bieber and McKenzie will pitch big league innings before the season ends?
A. “Shane will throw a live batting-practice session on Thursday and Triston will throw a live batting-practice session on Friday. We have to make sure they clear each of the steps along the way. But our hope and our belief is that each of them will rejoin our major league pitching staff and pitch some number of innings before the season is over.”
Q. How has first baseman Kyle Manzardo (acquired from Tampa Bay for Aaron Civale) looked at Class AAA Columbus since he came off the injured list?
A. “He’s getting settled in. It’s only been a handful of games, but most importantly he’s healthy. He’s obviously a little rusty because he missed a good chunk of games, but he’s starting to get his timing and swing back.
“By all accounts he’s a really good guy and a really good worker. We’ll continue to partner with him for the rest of the season and go into the offseason with a good plan to come into next year ready to go.”
(Manzardo, a left-handed hitter, is batting .234 (72 for 308) with 24 doubles, 11 homers and 43 RBI at Class AAA Durham, Columbus and Cleveland’s Arizona complex team. He’s posted a .762 OPS).
Q. What have the reports said about Juan Brito (the infielder acquired from Colorado for Nolan Jones)?
A. “He’s had a really good year. He has been one of the younger players at his level. First at high A at Lake County and then at AA Akron. He continues to make strides on both sides of the ball. He continues to make consistent contact from both sides of the plate and has continued to add some impact quality to that. It’s been encouraging to see.
“He’s also progressed defensively, primarily at second base.”
(The switch-hitting Brito, 21, is hitting .275 (114 for 414) with 28 doubles, 13 homers and 68 RBI. He’s scored 70 runs, while posting an .814 OPS).
Q. How has outfielder George Valera at Class AAA Columbus looked now that he appears to be healthy?
A. “It was a really rough start to the season for George with the injuries. First he came back from the broken hamate bone, then a hamstring injury. It was tough for him to get into a rhythm. What we’ve seen over the last few weeks is he’s starting to emerge from that and been more productive.
“We hope he can stay on the field for the balance of the year. We want him to take advantage of the at-bats and innings he has left this season, and make sure we have a good offseason plan in place for him.”
(Valera, a left-handed hitter, is batting .226 (53 for 234) with 13 doubles, nine homers and 34 RBI in 66 games at Columbus and Cleveland’s Arizona complex team.)
Q. Do you see the quality of teams improving in the AL Central, which is generally considered MLB’s weakest division?
A. “If you look at each team individually there are stories to tell on the progress they’ve made this year. An example is Kansas City with some of its young players emerging, especially the year Bobby Witt Jr. has had. On the mound they made a deal with Texas at midseason and got back Cole Ragans, who has been a force when he’s pitched.
“The last time we saw Detroit they came in here and took three out of four from us. They are building and headed in the right direction. The White Sox continue to have a ton of talent and the Twins are in first place.
“We expect this to be a very competitive division moving forward.”
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