Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Bundy Out (At Third Base); Roenicke In

Ron Roenicke, the deposed Brewers manager, is our new Dodgers 3B coach:

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have hired former Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke for the remainder of the season as third-base coach to replace Lorenzo Bundy, who will remain on staff in charge of outfield defense.

Roenicke, who played for the Dodgers from 1981-83 and was on their big league coaching staff in 1992-93, was dismissed as manager of the Brewers earlier this season. He also managed five seasons in the Dodgers' Minor League system.

Roenicke had managed the Brewers since 2011 and had his '16 option exercised by the Brewers this spring, but he was dismissed after they started the season 7-18. In his first season in Milwaukee, he finished second to another former Dodger, Kirk Gibson, for the National League Manager of the Year Award.

Roenicke, 59, spent six years as third-base coach of the Angels under manager Mike Scioscia, his former Dodgers teammate, and became Scioscia's bench coach when Joe Madden left to manage Tampa Bay for current Dodgers president Andrew Friedman.

Of course, the question everyone is asking is, why now?:

The Dodgers said Roenicke has been hired for the rest of the season, so that makes him something of a rental. A coach for seven weeks.

Now clearly there were moments when Bundy left you shaking your head over runners waived on or held up. But that’s going to be true with any third base coach. And certainly you could argue he had more than his share, but not so much that it screamed this was the change that had to be made if the Dodgers want to advance to the World Series.

And the first-place Dodgers were not so unhappy with him that they gave him the complete coaching boot.

So it’s really about wanting Roenicke? Someone who’s been around since May when he was fired as the Brewers manager? And they make the move on Aug. 17?

Conspiracy lovers will immediately suspect the Dodgers have brought on Roenicke to replace Manager Don Mattingly should the powers that be decide he is not the answer. Possible, of course, but Roenicke has no obvious connection to President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman or General Manager Farhan Zaidi. I can offer no personal knowledge to Roenicke’s IT skills.

Hmm. Sad times for Bundy, but perhaps we'll see fewer moments of the slow-moving Alex Guerrero getting thrown out at home?

4 comments:

Hideo Nomo said...

"Bundy!" is more fun to yell than "Roenicke!" when there's a screw-up at third base.

On the other hand, I'd prefer no screw-ups at third base.

Pride of Dong said...

I'll be at tonight's game, I'd post on FB, but I'm currently suspended for making surly comments on there!

Dusty Baker said...

Are you on double secret probation?

Fred's Brim said...

Oh Peg