How Does Fredi Still Have a Job?

Fredi_González_on_July_29_20141

A fair warning: this is a rant years in the making.

First and foremost, if you support Fredi Gonzalez, leave our website. I’m serious. This man has been nothing but a complete disaster for our organization. You’re doing yourself a disservice as a fan supporting this guy.

Gonzalez replaced Bobby Cox as the Braves manager after the 2010 season. He was dismissed from his managerial duties with Florida midseason that year, with former Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest stating, “This team seems to be stuck in neutral, and our competitors are on the accelerator.” Sound familiar?

That’s really the only way I can describe the Braves under the helm of Fredi Gonzalez. We have had so much damn talent (with the exception of this season) with no results. None. Zilch. Ready for me to ruin your day? The Braves have not won a playoff series since 2001.

Where do I even begin? The 2011 season in which the Braves missed the playoffs despite leading the Wild Card by 8.5 games entering September?

I’ll actually give Fredi a break on the Juan Uribe home run in the 2013 playoffs, because I’m not huge on closers going two full innings.

But how about last season’s collapse? What about our 12-41 drought? Anybody see a recurring theme here?

Look, nobody was going to get this team to the playoffs, but there is no excuse for this year’s second half. Once Fredi got that extension, this team fell apart. Though our expectations were low, Fredi has a knack for always falling short of expectations, and we’re staring the number 1 pick in the eyes as we speak.

Like 2014, the team was competitive in the first half. We hovered around .500, the young arms were shining, and we were actually scoring runs. Sure, we lost Alex Wood, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, but is that enough to turn a .500 team into the worst in the league?

Three meltdowns in five seasons does not look good on any resume. A big reason Fredi is still here is because of Bobby Cox’s presence in the front office. Many believe that Gonzalez is here just to bring along the rebuild. I’m not buying any of that, and I’m not buying having a “temporary” manager. The fact remains that we have a ton of young players that we are trying to develop, and we have a manager who according to Ken Rosenthal, “has lost the clubhouse.” Shocker. We are hampering our own investments by having this guy run our team. It’s a collective effort, this whole team has fallen apart just like last season, and Fredi is going to keep his job once again.

I’ve never really heard a player praise Fredi, and I’ve rarely seen him stick up for his players. Rather, he just stares into space. He lacks the leadership skills to motivate a clubhouse, and he’s not exactly great at managing a bullpen either. That’s why pretty much every Braves fan rightfully hates Fredi.

It’s easy to keep your job when your apprentice has a big say in the team’s affairs and the team’s top beat writer goes on motorcycle rides with you, but I’m calling for Fredi’s head. The fact that there is no media figure calling this guy out is so Atlanta, accepting mediocrity. Any big media market, this dude is canned years ago.

YOU deserve better than that fans! This is a team building a tax-funded new stadium that will surely be more expensive to attend. That’s fine, as long as the management is offering the right product. I am totally on board with the rebuild and what John Hart has done since taking over as far as player personnel goes. However, this team will never win with Fredi G.’s lack of leadership and in-game tactics. We shouldn’t need Jonny Gomes in the locker room motivating guys… we need a manager who can motivate. Atlanta is going for a brand new look, but they will not achieve that or a winning culture until they part ways with Gonzalez. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s happening any time soon.

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