an Emotional Leader or a Decision Maker? By his own choice, Mack was a decision maker. He was a team architect, a man who made decisions about ballplayers and then attempted to help those men play as well as they could.
At the same time, Mack unquestionably set the emotional tone for his clubhouse, not only because all managers do, but because Mack was so different from most baseball men in his era.
Was He More of an Optimist or More of a Problem Solver?
Mack was an optimist. He tried to give every player a full opportunity to work through his difficulties.
HOW HE USED HIS PERSONNEL
Did He Favor a Set Lineup or a Rotation System?
A set lineup.
Did He Like to Platoon?
I am not aware that Mack ever used a traditional platoon. He did use a kind of platoon at second base for several years, Jimmie Dykes and Max Bishop. Dykes was a regular-at-several-positions, like Frankie Frisch.
Did He Try to Solve His Problems with Proven Players or with Youngsters Who Still May Have Had Something to Learn?
He always used youngsters. The only veterans that he brought in, with a few exceptions, were superstars on their last legs, whom he liked to keep around as an influence on the young stars.
How Many Players Did He Make Regulars Who Had Not Been Regulars Before, and Who Were They?
Too numerous to mention. The Hall of Famers and near Hall of Famers that he developed include Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Eddie Collins, Eddie Plank, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, Bob Johnson, Jimmie Dykes, Chief Bender, Jack Coombs, Home Run Baker, Wally Schang, Stuffy McInnis, Bullet Joe Bush, Herb Pennock, Bob Shawkey, Rube Bressler, Eddie Rommell, Wally Moses, Joe Dugan, and George Kell.
Did He Prefer to Go with Good Offensive Players or Did He Like the Glove Men?
Mack’s best teams had so much talent that he was never forced to try to get extra offense at a position by skimping on defense. There were several times in his career when he did use marginal defensive players in the infield to get their bats in the order—for example, Home Run Baker was not a great defensive third baseman, Maxie Bishop was not much of a second baseman, and in 1933 Mack’s shortstop was Dib Williams, a good hitter (.289 with 11 homers, 73 RBI), but a very erratic fielder. Later, Mack tried unusuccessfully to use Jimmie Foxx as a third baseman or a catcher, and to use Bob Johnson, a slugging outfielder, at second base.
Did He Like an Offense Based on Power, Speed, or High Averages?
He used a structured offense—leadoff men with very high on-base percentages, middle-of-the-order men with power. Thirteen of Mack’s teams led the league in home runs, whereas only nine of them led in batting average, and only two in stolen bases.
Did He Use the Entire Roster or Did He Keep People Sitting on the Bench?
He used his bench little, with the exception of a couple of bench players who became quasi-regulars.
Did He Build His Bench Around Young Players Who Could Step into the Breach If Need Be, or Around Veteran Role-Players Who Had Their Own Functions Within a Game?
Mack’s handling of Jimmie Foxx was exactly the same as John McGraw’s handling of Mel Ott. He took on Foxx as a seventeen-year-old kid and worked with him for four years until Foxx was ready to be a regular. His handling of Eddie Collins is similar to McGraw’s development of Frankie Frisch. But as a generalization, John McGraw liked to take on young kids and develop them slowly. Mack took on players two or three years older, often college men, and slapped them straight into the lineup.
Mack’s bench was generally composed of older players, often minor league veterans, whose basic function was to protect him from injuries and to pinch-hit. He was much less creative in the use of his bench than was John McGraw.
GAME MANAGING AND USE OF STRATEGIES
Did He Go for the Big-Inning Offense, or Did He Like to Use the One-Run Strategies?
He was a big-inning manager.
Did He Pinch-Hit Much, and If So, When?
Not much, and
At the same time, Mack unquestionably set the emotional tone for his clubhouse, not only because all managers do, but because Mack was so different from most baseball men in his era.
Was He More of an Optimist or More of a Problem Solver?
Mack was an optimist. He tried to give every player a full opportunity to work through his difficulties.
HOW HE USED HIS PERSONNEL
Did He Favor a Set Lineup or a Rotation System?
A set lineup.
Did He Like to Platoon?
I am not aware that Mack ever used a traditional platoon. He did use a kind of platoon at second base for several years, Jimmie Dykes and Max Bishop. Dykes was a regular-at-several-positions, like Frankie Frisch.
Did He Try to Solve His Problems with Proven Players or with Youngsters Who Still May Have Had Something to Learn?
He always used youngsters. The only veterans that he brought in, with a few exceptions, were superstars on their last legs, whom he liked to keep around as an influence on the young stars.
How Many Players Did He Make Regulars Who Had Not Been Regulars Before, and Who Were They?
Too numerous to mention. The Hall of Famers and near Hall of Famers that he developed include Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Eddie Collins, Eddie Plank, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, Bob Johnson, Jimmie Dykes, Chief Bender, Jack Coombs, Home Run Baker, Wally Schang, Stuffy McInnis, Bullet Joe Bush, Herb Pennock, Bob Shawkey, Rube Bressler, Eddie Rommell, Wally Moses, Joe Dugan, and George Kell.
Did He Prefer to Go with Good Offensive Players or Did He Like the Glove Men?
Mack’s best teams had so much talent that he was never forced to try to get extra offense at a position by skimping on defense. There were several times in his career when he did use marginal defensive players in the infield to get their bats in the order—for example, Home Run Baker was not a great defensive third baseman, Maxie Bishop was not much of a second baseman, and in 1933 Mack’s shortstop was Dib Williams, a good hitter (.289 with 11 homers, 73 RBI), but a very erratic fielder. Later, Mack tried unusuccessfully to use Jimmie Foxx as a third baseman or a catcher, and to use Bob Johnson, a slugging outfielder, at second base.
Did He Like an Offense Based on Power, Speed, or High Averages?
He used a structured offense—leadoff men with very high on-base percentages, middle-of-the-order men with power. Thirteen of Mack’s teams led the league in home runs, whereas only nine of them led in batting average, and only two in stolen bases.
Did He Use the Entire Roster or Did He Keep People Sitting on the Bench?
He used his bench little, with the exception of a couple of bench players who became quasi-regulars.
Did He Build His Bench Around Young Players Who Could Step into the Breach If Need Be, or Around Veteran Role-Players Who Had Their Own Functions Within a Game?
Mack’s handling of Jimmie Foxx was exactly the same as John McGraw’s handling of Mel Ott. He took on Foxx as a seventeen-year-old kid and worked with him for four years until Foxx was ready to be a regular. His handling of Eddie Collins is similar to McGraw’s development of Frankie Frisch. But as a generalization, John McGraw liked to take on young kids and develop them slowly. Mack took on players two or three years older, often college men, and slapped them straight into the lineup.
Mack’s bench was generally composed of older players, often minor league veterans, whose basic function was to protect him from injuries and to pinch-hit. He was much less creative in the use of his bench than was John McGraw.
GAME MANAGING AND USE OF STRATEGIES
Did He Go for the Big-Inning Offense, or Did He Like to Use the One-Run Strategies?
He was a big-inning manager.
Did He Pinch-Hit Much, and If So, When?
Not much, and
Similar Books
