September 15, 200719 yr http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...,0,412077.story Kranitz's position appears to be safe By Juan C. Rodriguez South Florida Sun-Sentinel September 15, 2007 DENVER If the Marlins plan to shake up manager Fredi Gonzalez's coaching staff, it doesn't appear pitching coach Rick Kranitz will be one of the casualties. Kranitz's contract, like those of his fellow coaches, is up at season's end. Injuries have contributed to the Marlins entering the weekend with the National League's worst starters' ERA (5.48) and second-worst overall ERA (4.90) ahead of only the Reds (4.99). According to a league source who recently spoken with a member of the Marlins' front office, Kranitz likely won't be a scapegoat. "I think he will be fine," the source said. "How can a guy go from major league coach of the year to a bad coach? Injuries have killed his staff." Last season Baseball America named Kranitz, in his first campaign as a big-league pitching coach, its major league coach of the year. He received all due credit for a guiding a young rotation that kept the Marlins in wild-card contention through mid-September. Kranitz said he hasn't given any thought to his status beyond this year. His focus is on the job at hand and he looks forward to continuing that work with the Marlins in 2008. If for whatever reason Kranitz does not return, the Marlins will have a clubhouse full of disappointed pitchers. Both privately and publicly, several Marlins pitchers supported Kranitz and said he should not be held accountable for the staff's shortcomings. "I love him," said starter Scott Olsen, who this season hasn't had the smoothest of relationships with on- and off-field superiors and teammates. "He's awesome. He works his ass off trying to get everybody right." As a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Kevin Gregg worked with arguably one of the game's better pitching coaches in Bud Black. Gregg said he has been impressed with the way Kranitz prepares his pitchers. "He knows what he's doing," Gregg said. Added reliever Justin Miller: "Everybody would be real disappointed because everybody works well with him. He keeps the lines of communication open so you can relate to him well."
September 15, 200719 yr :banghead An inordinate amount of injuries to the pitching, so let's keep the coach. Brilliant.
September 15, 200719 yr We'll see how things go. I saw that Mazzone blasted the pitching staff the Orioles were running out a few days ago and I guess he did that because he wants out of Baltimore. And with the Freddy ATL connection Im guessing this would be somewhere he would'nt mind comming to and Freddy would prob. give him a holler as well. I also dont see him going back to ATL. We'll see...
September 16, 200719 yr Mazzone would be ideal but he's highly unlikely to be our pitching coach, he'll fit back in next to Bobby Cox. Now as for Rick, I trully don't like him, I'd rather bring in John Boles and teach him to be a pitching coach than to ever have Rick tax our pitchers ever again. But on the real, I'd like to see us try and bring Wiley, or even someone with credibility to be our pitching coach.
September 16, 200719 yr After the amount of injuries this bullpen has suffered this year, keeping the coach is pretty much an outrage.
September 16, 200719 yr Mazzone would be ideal but he's highly unlikely to be our pitching coach, he'll fit back in next to Bobby Cox. Now as for Rick, I trully don't like him, I'd rather bring in John Boles and teach him to be a pitching coach than to ever have Rick tax our pitchers ever again. But on the real, I'd like to see us try and bring Wiley, or even someone with credibility to be our pitching coach. From what I hear from some serious Braves fans Cox hasn't missed Mazzone in the least, remember they had given him permission to speak with the Yankees even before he was hired by the Orioles. Still I would like to see someone other than Kranny as the pitching coach.
September 17, 200719 yr the pitchers seem to like Kranitz an awful lot FWIW, although that could just be pillow talk for the media. I'd certainly take Wiley too, were he available.
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