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Heyman: Indians Hire Acta


Beanpot

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So says Jon Heyman's twitter page:

 

http://twitter.com/SI_JonHeyman/status/5152925077

 

And from Rotoworld:

 

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Manny Acta is set to become the Indians' next manager.

He was handed a three-year contract with a club option for 2013. The Indians did their due diligence, hosting interviews with Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke, Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly and Bobby Valentine. But clearly they were most impressed by Acta, the former Nationals skipper. He has a 158-252 career managerial record and was also courted by the Astros.

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpag...228&id=3795

 

Beanpot

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Here's a print story from Heyman's SI page:

 

Indians hire ex-Nats skipper Acta

By Jon Heyman, SI.com

 

Former Nationals manager Manny Acta has been hired as the Indians' new skipper.

 

Acta, 40, was one of three people interviewed by the Indians to replace Eric Wedge, who was fired in the final week of the team's 65-97 season.

 

Acta signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2013, team spokesman Bart Swain said Sunday. Additional terms were not disclosed.

 

Acta managed the Nationals for 2� seasons, compiling a 158-252 record before being replaced this past July. He had also interviewed for the vacant Astros managing job.

 

The Indians had talked seriously with veteran manager Bobby Valentine, but Valentine apparently could not quickly assure them that he would take the job. Valentine is working at ESPN as an analyst and may be in position to pick and choose his spot.

 

The Nationals also are interested in Valentine but there's no certainty he'll jump at that job either, if it's offered. Longtime Indians minor league manager Torey Lovullo had also interviewed for the job. Don Mattingly, the likely heir apparent to Joe Torre in Los Angeles and a managerial candidate in Washington, had been scheduled to interview this week.

 

While Acta was just 26-61 as manager of the Nationals this year, he is highly regarded and was said to be a finalist for the Astros' job, as well. Other contenders in Houston include interim manager Dave Clark and ex-Astros manager Phil Garner.

 

The Indians acted fast in hiring Acta after conducting in-person interviews this week. Acta is a nice fit for an organization heavy on Latin players.

 

"He's certainly deserving of being a manger, and he will be a manager again,'' Nationals president Stan Kasten said Sunday morning when it became clear Acta was likely to land the Indians job. "Manny is so intelligent, and so articulate. And he's very good with players. He's very active. He was out there hitting fungos (while managing the Nationals). He has a lot going for him.''

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/base...ians/index.html

 

Beanpot

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And Castro:

 

Tribe tabs Acta to be new manager

Club's choice was Nationals skipper until July

 

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Manny Acta was the first candidate the Indians brought to Cleveland for a formal interview for their managerial vacancy, and he must have left a lasting impression.

 

Acta was named the club's 40th manager Sunday. He signed a three-year contract through 2012, with a club option for 2013.

 

The 40-year-old Acta beat out Triple-A Columbus manager Torey Lovullo and former Mets and Rangers manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, both of whom were also at Progressive Field for interviews last week. Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly had been expected to interview this week, but the Indians moved forward with the hire more quickly than anticipated.

 

The Astros no doubt played a part in that time frame, as they offered Acta their manager's job. Acta spent 16 years in the Astros' Minor League system, so it had been expected that they might be his first choice. But he turned down the Astros to accept the Indians' offer.

 

Acta compiled a 158-252 record with the Nationals before he was dismissed in July.

 

The Indians have been looking for a new manager since they dismissed Eric Wedge and his coaching staff the final week of the '09 season.

 

Acta is statistically minded and enjoys discussing and applying sabermetrics. He also is a bilingual Dominican native, which could help him develop a good relationship with the Latin players.

 

"This is a job where handling people and working with people is the key," Acta said last week. "This is a job where sometimes the employees are making 50,000 times more than the boss. Handling them the right way is the key."

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=mlb

 

Beanpot

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What's the differences, advantages of him over Wedge???

 

Hey DP, check out this thread for a little bit of talk about the guy:

 

http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php...t=0&start=0

 

Not sure it answers how he compares to Wedge so much, but it'll give you an idea about his philosophy. Basically, he's a fan of game theory and doesn't exactly embrace small-ball. I'm thrilled with his stance on both of those issues, but it's still going to come down to talent, no matter who fills out the lineup card.

 

Beanpot

 

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158-252 career managerial record. Be ready for 3, 100 loss seasons.

 

C'mon KFP. We can play that sort of game all day long. Joe Torre was 894-1003 before taking over the Yankees. Should they have expected to win only 47% of their games since that's what Torre had done previously?

 

Again, it's going to come down to talent on the field.

 

Beanpot

 

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Yep, he's definitely grown on me the last few weeks. DiaTribe with a great point on the search...

 

If Acta could have a destination other than Cleveland this off-season, it seems that Don Mattingly may be keeping his address as Jon Heyman asserts that there is an understanding in place to keep Mattingly in Chavez Ravine as the heir apparent to Joe Torre:

So while no one is saying it officially, the Dodgers are one team that truly has a manager in waiting. (According to Torre, the wait will be one more year, as he reiterated to SI.com that it's his intention to make 2010 his last year as Dodgers manager.)

--snip--

Mattingly said he believes Torre when he says he intends to make 2010 his last season managing the Dodgers. "He's not as leverage-the-media guy," Mattingly said. "But nobody knows the future."

Mattingly understands the future isn't guaranteed to anyone. But his looks pretty secure in Dodger blue.

 

Could we suddenly be looking at a “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” situation emerging here?

 

I suppose if anything can be taken from these possibilities, it’s the fact that at least we’re looking at guys other teams are interested in and are targeting managerial candidates that other teams feel just as strongly about. To that end (and to bring this around to a couple of names NOT on the “finalist” list), when was the last time you heard of an interview for Hargrove when a managerial position (or even a coaching position) arose in the past…how about Tony Pena?

http://clevelandtribeblog.blogspot.com/200...-tomahawks.html
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Good stuff from Diatribe, CIMO. Here's how the Houston Chronicle reported that he turned down the Stros for the Tribe:

 

Less than two weeks since declaring a potential return to the Astros as too good to be true, Manny Acta ended talks with the club after intense flirtations Saturday. Instead, he chose the Cleveland Indians.

 

According to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the length of the Astros’ offer to Acta became a major hang up on Saturday night.

 

The Indians hired Acta on Sunday, giving him a three-year deal with a club option for 2013.

 

Acta, who began his playing and coaching career in the Astros' farm system, was one of three confirmed finalists to replace Cecil Cooper, along with Boston Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills and former Astros manager Phil Garner, who led the franchise to the 2005 World Series.

 

Asked if they regretted losing Acta, Astros general manager Ed Wade wouldn’t say.

 

“I’m not getting into this,” he said. “We’re conducting our business in private.”

 

It was no secret that Acta was a finalist for the Indians’ job.

 

“It’s like playing the lotto; the more tickets you play, the more chances you have to win,” Acta said after he interviewed with the Astros. “I think it speaks volumes for the respect we have among our peers and we feel blessed that at least we’re able to be – if you want to call it in demand – with two clubs.”

 

Astros owner Drayton McLane didn’t want to comment on Acta either Sunday.

 

“We got some more to go,” he said. “Until we get that down. We’re just not going to make any comment. It would not be appropriate.”

 

Acta, 40, went 158-252 with the Washington Nationals, who let him go after he began his third season this year 26-61 with a club that was considered throughout baseball to have some of the worst talent in the majors.

 

Acta spent the first 17 years of his professional career with the Astros’ organization until current New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya, who was the Expos’ GM at the time, hired him to become a coach with the Montreal Expos just weeks before the 2002 season.

 

Dealing with some players who were older, Acta served as the third-base coach of the Expos from 2002 through 2004 before he was hired to become third-base coach of the Mets for the 2005 season.

 

Arizona Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch, 34, is the only manager in the majors younger than Acta, who had been the majors’ youngest active manager since he was 37 in his first season with the Nationals in 2007 until Hinch was hired this May.

 

The Dominican Republic’s manager for the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, Acta is a dual citizen of the Dominican Republic and the U.S. since 1999. Moreover, he has made his home in Kissimmee, Fla., for more than a decade with his wife Cindy and their two daughters, Jennifer and Leslie.

 

Kissimmee, the spring home of the Astros since 1985, has been home for Acta since he played for the club’s Class A Florida State League affiliate Osceola in 1988 and parts of the 1989 and 1990 seasons. After hitting .257 with two home runs and 35 RBIs with Burlington in 1991, Acta transitioned into player development at 22 years of age.

 

“As I mentioned, it would be too good to be true,” Acta said two weeks ago about managing the Astros. “It will give everybody who shows up over here to watch the ballgames a chance or a hope to manage this club. I grew up being an Astro and ended up being signed by them and working for 17 years in the minor leagues.

 

“And I guess everybody who’s a fan of the Astros will have a shot. It’s amazing because, as I mentioned, I owe them everything, including my wife. I met her while playing in the minor leagues for them.”

 

The former minor league infielder has specialized in working with young infielders, helping young All-Stars David Wright and Jose Reyes during his tenure as coach with the Mets while also helping veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera in 2003. Those skills could have been crucial with the Astros in 2010, considering rookies Chris Johnson and Tommy Manzella might man the left side of the infield next season.

 

Since becoming a minor-league manager with the Astros in 1993 with Auburn of the New York-Penn League through 2000 with Kissimmee of the Florida State League, Acta managed Roy Oswalt in the Florida State League in 2000, Lance Berkman in instructional league and Wandy Rodriguez in the Dominican Winter League.

 

He also managed Miguel Tejada, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Alfonso Soriano to the semifinals of the WBC in 2006. He also has kept close tabs on the Astros’ organization throughout the year, taking time out of a discussion with the Chronicle on a late night in December 2008 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas to praise the progress of catcher Jason Castro, the club’s first-round pick in the June 2008 draft.

 

At that time, he predicted that Castro might be ready by the 2010 season or maybe even late in 2009. Wade also has said that Castro might be ready this year, but Acta wasn't fooling himself about the task with the Astros.

 

This past season the Astros finished 74-88 for fifth place in the National League Central, 17 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.

 

“There’s some work to do, let’s be honest,” he said after his initial interview with the Astros. “The left side of the infield obviously needs some work and the catching situation has given this team some problems up until Castro’s ready to come in and step up. Yeah, I’m not saying anything here that you guys don’t know. I believe that Roy and Wandy need a little bit of a supporting cast, but there’s some bright spots there.

 

“(Bud) Norris threw the ball very well at the end and (Felipe) Paulino showed flashes and the bullpen was lot better than the numbers show. Guys like (Jeff) Fulchino really stepped up and (Sammy) Gervacio and (LaTroy) Hawkins did a tremendous job. The (free agent Jose) Valverde thing, it’s another situation that needs to be resolved. This team, the main thing is they have some good core players in place and with a couple of supporting cast can be right back in it again.”

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bb/6685437.html

 

Beanpot

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There aren't very many individual people who would transform our W-L record anyway. I'm thinking along the lines of Greinke, Mauer, and Pujols. We could have Sciosia or Torre or Girardi or whoever managing and we still wouldn't be anyone's favorites. It all still comes down to the players.

 

One thing that's hard to dispute is what this means for Fausto. Once again one of our most important players, and there's obviously a confidence/comfort issue with him. Hopefully Acta gives him someone to relate to and actually communicate with, and hopefully bring him back to his old self.

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There aren't very many individual people who would transform our W-L record anyway. I'm thinking along the lines of Greinke, Mauer, and Pujols. We could have Sciosia or Torre or Girardi or whoever managing and we still wouldn't be anyone's favorites. It all still comes down to the players.

 

One thing that's hard to dispute is what this means for Fausto. Once again one of our most important players, and there's obviously a confidence/comfort issue with him. Hopefully Acta gives him someone to relate to and actually communicate with, and hopefully bring him back to his old self.

 

 

I think it is a good hire

 

Now will they let him be his own man and bring aboard his own staff

or will they try and force Nunally and Radinsky onto his staff

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That is really what I was getting at here Bean. It doesn't matter who is there, we just don't have the talent to win.

 

Can't argue with that.

 

Still, I think this hire was actually kind of inspiring. Shows that the organization remains firmly in the camp of advanced metrics.

 

And also that they're firmly in the camp of budget constraints.

 

So it's kinda win/win/lose.

 

Like you said, nothing is going to change until we get more talent on the field.

 

Beanpot

 

 

 

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Like you said, nothing is going to change until we get more talent on the field.

 

And I don't see that happening ANYTIME soon. I for one have already announced not buying my tickets for next year (group season tickets). The group is not going to buy them. They are fed up and I just won't do it. I think fan support is going to be very low, and that means unless Laporta jacks 50 HR's and some of the other players step up, it's going to be 100 loss season.

 

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I don't think we sniff 100 losses, really. And if we do, it won't be because of the offense.

 

We could definitely use a reliable, true cleanup hitter (and maybe that's LaPorta), but regardless, this offense will score a lot of runs. A fresh Sizemore, more Brantley leading off, a full season of LaPorta barring any surgery setbacks. Choo is becoming one of the best all-around offensive players in the AL. Santana will be up at some point, maybe Chisenhall, and I don't see Acta having Wedge's problems with getting the young guys regular ABs.

 

The pitching staff has too many questions for me to even guess how they finish....but that's what the season (and foreseeable future) comes down to. We need to get solid-at-worst seasons from Westbrook and Fausto... Sipp and Chris Perez to keep up their pace, and some semblance of stability from Wood.

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I don't think we sniff 100 losses, really. And if we do, it won't be because of the offense.

 

We could definitely use a reliable, true cleanup hitter (and maybe that's LaPorta), but regardless, this offense will score a lot of runs. A fresh Sizemore, more Brantley leading off, a full season of LaPorta barring any surgery setbacks. Choo is becoming one of the best all-around offensive players in the AL. Santana will be up at some point, maybe Chisenhall, and I don't see Acta having Wedge's problems with getting the young guys regular ABs.

 

The pitching staff has too many questions for me to even guess how they finish....but that's what the season (and foreseeable future) comes down to. We need to get solid-at-worst seasons from Westbrook and Fausto... Sipp and Chris Perez to keep up their pace, and some semblance of stability from Wood.

 

I do appreciate your optimism CIMO. But their A LOT of if's in there. Too many for me to count on this team not losing 90-100 games. 3 proven players (and Wood is still leaving the ball up).

 

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I don't think we sniff 100 losses, really. And if we do, it won't be because of the offense.

 

We could definitely use a reliable, true cleanup hitter (and maybe that's LaPorta), but regardless, this offense will score a lot of runs. A fresh Sizemore, more Brantley leading off, a full season of LaPorta barring any surgery setbacks. Choo is becoming one of the best all-around offensive players in the AL. Santana will be up at some point, maybe Chisenhall, and I don't see Acta having Wedge's problems with getting the young guys regular ABs.

 

The pitching staff has too many questions for me to even guess how they finish....but that's what the season (and foreseeable future) comes down to. We need to get solid-at-worst seasons from Westbrook and Fausto... Sipp and Chris Perez to keep up their pace, and some semblance of stability from Wood.

 

I think sizemore will lead off.

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acta is the stop-gap for the next manager that comes in. he has one job: develop the careers of cabrera, masterson, laporta, brantly and santana. he also was only hired because he was cheap. i honestly don't think shapiro hired him as a long term solution.

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I do appreciate your optimism CIMO. But their A LOT of if's in there. Too many for me to count on this team not losing 90-100 games. 3 proven players (and Wood is still leaving the ball up).

 

I'm not sure I'm optimistic. I just don't think there's anywhere to go but up. There are a lot of if's, but it doesn't seem too unrealistic to expect better years from Fausto and Westbrook, or a better year from the bullpen considering we'll have a full year of Perez, Sipp, and Smith with good depth behind them. There are a lot of questions on offense too...but whatever happens there, we'll still score runs. Sizemore, Choo, Cabrera, Valbuena, LaPorta, Brantley...there's enough talent there.

 

I mentioned earlier that Fausto's probably the most important player this season, and I can even throw in Carrasco (and eventually Rondon). Both have massive upside but can't seem to put it together. Once again, if Acta can bring the best out of these Latin players (including Rafael Perez), it could be a surprising season.

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I'm not sure I'm optimistic. I just don't think there's anywhere to go but up. There are a lot of if's, but it doesn't seem too unrealistic to expect better years from Fausto and Westbrook, or a better year from the bullpen considering we'll have a full year of Perez, Sipp, and Smith with good depth behind them. There are a lot of questions on offense too...but whatever happens there, we'll still score runs. Sizemore, Choo, Cabrera, Valbuena, LaPorta, Brantley...there's enough talent there.

 

I mentioned earlier that Fausto's probably the most important player this season, and I can even throw in Carrasco (and eventually Rondon). Both have massive upside but can't seem to put it together. Once again, if Acta can bring the best out of these Latin players (including Rafael Perez), it could be a surprising season.

 

Fausto can't get the ball down. Hopefully some new pitching coach is brought in to help (man would I love to see Greg Maddux as a pitching coach). Sorry to break it to you Westbrook is done. He didn't have heat when his arm was 100%. Even then he had one year with in era under 4. Sizemore should be moved to the 3 spot. Well CIMO, I am hoping Acta can do something to help these young players out. They are going to need it.

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Fair enough, and I don't really think our opinions are that different. A lot hinges on Westbrook and I'm not really holding my breath that he's a reliable starter this year...but a guy who can consistently give you 6-7 innings per start with a low-4 ERA, on THIS team, is a major improvement. Look at the numbers for last year....Fausto ERA over 6, Huff 5.61, Sowers 5.25. Even Pavano was at 5.37.

 

I'm not confident enough to predict anything, but it seems pretty likely to me that Fausto is due for a better season than his 6.32 ERA last year. Sizemore is pretty likely to hit better than his .231 pre-all star break average. If healthy, it's pretty likely Westbrook will be better than any of our starters besides Cliff last year. But we'll see, I guess.

 

 

And anyway. Here's Casto's piece on Acta's press conference. With video.

 

http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/arti...sp&c_id=cle

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