The A.J. Hinch Era’s Starting in Earnest

Needless to say, when your managerial career begins with three straight losses to the woeful Washington Nationals, eyebrows are going be raised.

That’s exactly what happened to A.j. Hinch a year ago after he took over for the departed Bob Melvin just 29 games into the season and led to Arizona to a 58-75 finish.

At various times there was no run production, no pitching, sketchy fielding; sometimes there were combinations of two or all three of those factors. When you stumble to a 70-win season, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Yet how much blame could and should fall on the rookie manager, thrust into a role he never anticipated, remains up for debate. Some within the game believe what we saw last year isn’t what we’ll see in the future.

One AL manager described the Diamondbacks play at the end of the year as a mess. But he also expressed confidence that Hinch can turn the club back in the right direction assuming he’s able to get key players on the roster to buy into his system.

It’s a system that’s in use elsewhere in the majors; simply follow what is an expanding group of Oakland A’s coaches and players now standing on the top step of a dugout. And it’s a system focused on some of the things that have gone by the wayside at least partially in the quest for the next big thing - moving the runner over, playing sound defense, running the bases efficiently and smartly.

Of course, what happens to the Diamondbacks this season has less to do with the manager than the pitching staff … if Brandon Webb returns early rather than late and can be effective, that will change things. Will Ian Kennedy look as solid through the season ans he did this afternoon against a struggling Brewers club, can Rodrigo Lopez be an effective fourth starter, can Dan Haren not wear down as the season continues …

A manager often only is as good as his players. Then again, a good manager often can make those players better as a whole than the parts might suggest.

Some see that potential in Hinch. We’ll know in a few days.

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