Buck Showalter has some strong statements on load management

Buck Showalter has been around the block a few times as a baseball lifer. Having recently managed the New York Mets for the past two seasons (2022-23), the fallout of Showalter’s departure has seen reports surface about the 67-year-old manager butting heads with the team’s front office over playing time.

According to the New York Post, friction arose between Showalter and general manager Billy Eppler over the designated hitter position during the season. Showalter faced pushback from Eppler when attempting to utilize alternatives to Daniel Vogelbach against right-handed pitchers. He was reportedly instructed to keep Vogelbach in the lineup.

Showalter’s resistance stemmed partly from his philosophical approach to the DH role. He envisioned the position as a tool for rotating position players, granting them partial rest while maintaining their presence in the batting order.

During a recent Foul Territory appearance, Showalter avoided mentioning specific incidents but expressed frustration with “load management” strategies. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with team officials while acknowledging situations where he’s given directives about player deployment. While not directly criticizing Eppler, Showalter’s comments hinted at differing opinions on how load management should influence lineup decisions.

Buck Showalter gets SPICY on “Load Management” 🌶️

“We had a guy who had a triple and 2 doubles, and they said he probably needs a day off because he did so much running! … You go tell Brandon Nimmo he can’t play today because he hit too well last night.”

▶️… pic.twitter.com/m8qwVPEvte

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 6, 2024

“We had a guy who had a triple and two doubles, and they came in and said, ‘He probably needs a day off because he ran too much around the bases,'” said Showalter. “So, what do you want me to tell him? Don’t get any hits, so you can play the next day? I didn’t quite understand that. I said, ‘OK, you got out there and tell Brandon Nimmo that he’s not playing today because he did too well last night.'”

Intrigued by Showalter’s comments, A.J. Pierzynski pressed him further. In reality, he asked how much control a manager has over setting the lineup. The former MLB catcher then asked Showalter if it’s genuinely the manager’s decision or if stories hold where the front office dictates everything and hands the manager a pre-determined lineup.

“No, I don’t think you ever get into that mode of operation as a manager — you’re receptive,” he said. “You know, these things they’re doing, A.J., we were doing back in the early 90s, as far as positioning, and I can show you some shifts — heck, they were shifting on Ted Williams. But now, we’ve got so much more information. Your door’s not opened; it’s cracked. Come on in there and bring everything you’ve got — I’m receptive.

“Adam (Jones) remembers, we used to analytics, sabermetrics for dummies in the spring in Baltimore, to make sure we made people unafraid of it, understand what it told us, what it didn’t tell us. Keep in mind the heartbeat of the game. But they present a lot of things to you. But sometimes, it’s a lot different in the dugout in the eighth and ninth inning when you know what’s going on mentally with a guy, emotionally with a guy. You know, things that are going on, on and off the field.

“There’s so many factors that figure into it, so the best guys that I dealt with are receptive to the other part of it. They bring something I can’t bring, but the coaching staff brings something that they can’t bring just from your experiences. So, the best organizations — like Texas (Rangers) — I think you saw a great example. Their general manager (Chris Young) went to an Ivy League School (Princeton University), but he played the game.”

[Foul Territory]