Marginal Efficiency

The concept of marginal efficiency is fascinating as it relates to baseball.  In the context of the regular season, it is largely ignored by practically all fans, and likely a substantial amount of men working in the game as managers, players, etc.  Making decisions at the margin is often fraught with weighing myriad repercussions as a manager ponders the best way to leverage the talent at his disposal.  Over the course of 162 games, the impact of these individual decisions can carry on largely unnoticed, and the positive/negative effects therein are also easy to overlook. 

Until they're not.  The playoffs essentially act as a magnifying glass, exposing the good and bad with unrelenting and indiscriminate zealousness.  Due to the fleeting nature of the games, the marginal dynamic goes from being of little significance to, literally, life and death.  Knowing how to make that adjustment is paramount to a manager's ability to do his job. 

You can talk to me about losing Venters and O'Flaherty.  You can talk about losing Huddy and Beachy, Maholm falling apart, BJ and Dan Uggla playing their way out of starting jobs, and the rash of injuries that have plagued this team all season long.  The list goes on, and each point is valid, helping to paint the picture of a team that, quite frankly, had no business winning 96 games to begin with.  This team made the playoffs in spite of all of that. 

A manager leverages talent in order to maximize their potential for a positive impact in any given situation.  This concept transcends baseball.  Last night, Fredi managed the 8th inning as if it were any other game.  He either wasn't aware of the stakes, chose to ignore them, or genuinely thought that his chosen course was the best option.  All of those scenarios are wholly unacceptable and entirely unbecoming of a manager of the Atlanta Braves. 

There is a lot to like about this franchise.  There is an abundance of young talent, the front office has proved to be very savvy when it comes to developing and dealing with/for said talent, and the fan base is as loyal and passionate as any in baseball, despite being skewered by the national media for the better part of two decades.  But you're only as strong as your weakest link, and with three seasons of data with which to judge, the returns are trending toward that weakest link being Fredi Gonzalez's instincts.  No, he can't help the injuries, nor can he make BJ and Uggla back into what they were.  He can only control what he controls directly: the marginal efficiency of the team itself.  Unfortunately, it is in that position that a manager of his caliber is most dangerous.