Sostek: Clint Hurdle should be the Manager of the Year

After the Pittsburgh Pirates secured win No. 82 Monday night, guaranteeing the franchise’s first winning season since 1992, fans of the Bucs likely couldn’t care less about who is most responsible for the team’s newfound success this year.

If they did, some names would immediately be thrown around: Andrew McCutchen, A.J. Burnett, Jason Grilli. Newcomers Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon and Russell Martin might be cited, as well. 

But none, not even MVP candidate McCutchen, deserves as much recognition as the team’s veteran manager, Clint Hurdle.

Hurdle, currently in his third season with the Pirates, is no stranger to turning around franchises. He began his managerial career with the Colorado Rockies in 2002, inheriting a team with a bevy of talent on offense but no pitching rotation of which to speak. 

The lack of quality arms earned Hurdle some leeway to begin his career, and Colorado’s patience paid off as, in his fifth year, he led the organization to its first World Series appearance in 2007.

Nevertheless, Colorado fired Hurdle a year and a half later. 

After a one-year stint as the hitting coach for the pennant-winning Texas Rangers in 2010, Hurdle was hired as the next manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a lowly organization with little reason for optimism besides a young McCutchen.

Hurdle immediately brought a sense of optimism to the city that hadn’t seen a baseball team with a winning record since George H. W. Bush was finishing up his final year in office. 

In 2011, the Pirates were in first place in their division as late as July 19 before suffering a late-season collapse. The 2012 season proved to be yet another step in the right direction, remaining over .500 until a mid-September collapse.

But 2013 has been different. After another offseason of shrewd maneuvers, Hurdle seamlessly integrated the team’s new acquisitions of Liriano, Melancon and Martin into his depth chart. 

It’s no coincidence that all three rebounded significantly from substandard performances the previous season upon their arrival in the Steel City. Hurdle and his staff had their fingerprints all over the turnarounds of these key components of the team’s run.

Historically, baseball mangers have not been thought of as having nearly as strong an effect on team success as do football or basketball coaches. However, beginning with Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane and Tampa Bay Rays skipper Joe Maddon, managers have increased their impact significantly by becoming students of sabermetrics, probabilities and film, analyzing every pitch of every game with a new, increased precision and scrutiny. 

Hurdle was one of the first to follow suit, and he has brought that to Pittsburgh.

Hurdle has shaken up lineups like never before, utilizing a deeper bench that has only expanded with the acquisitions of Justin Morneau, Marlon Byrd and John Buck. Constantly tweaking the batting order, every player has batted in multiple slots in the lineup — Neil Walker has batted in all eight. 

The team often sees completely different lineups based on handedness of pitchers, location of games and head-to-head statistics.

Furthermore, the Pirates’ skipper has taken advantage of the versatility on his bench, taking advantage of utility men like Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison in addition to rotating power-hitter Garrett Jones between first base and right field.

Perhaps the most impactful development that Hurdle has spearheaded this year has been his use of defensive shifts. The Pirates led the majors in shifts through the first half of the season and have stayed among the leaders as the season has progressed. 

The shifting has paid off, as Pittsburgh sits fourth in baseball with 48 runs saved, a statistic measuring how many more runs the team would have allowed had they employed an average group of fielders with a standard defensive alignment. Considering just how many close games this team has won this year, those 48 runs saved have been vital to their success.

In terms of national accolades, I see no possible reason why Hurdle should not win the National League Manager of the Year award by a landslide. After being robbed of the award in 2007 when he lead Colorado to a pennant, Hurdle has built up an near-impeccable resumé for the 2013 season. 

Some pundits will point to Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly as the right choice, citing the adversity he overcame mid-season to lead the Dodgers to a likely playoff berth. However, that adversity — managing an underperforming but talented team under the threat of being fired — would make any Pirates fan laugh. 

Hurdle has brought the joy of baseball back to Pittsburgh. He brought a winning attitude to a team that hasn’t had a winning season in one-fifth of a century. 

Hurdle brought win number 82. Whether he brings home postseason hardware or not is yet to be seen, but whatever this team brings back at the end of season — whatever legacy this team earns — will be due to its grizzled skipper.