Thoughts On Lloyd McClendon

It’s a safe bet that unless the Seattle Mariners decide to permanently elevate current interim GM Jeff Kingston to the role, the next GM will, more than likely, release the coaching staff, including manager Lloyd McClendon. Some variation of dismissing coaches and/or the manager might occur even if Kingston gets the job. It’s understandable that GMs like to surround themselves with “their guys,” personnel who share their philosophy and vision for the organization. If McClendon is released at the end of the season, it will mean that the 2016 Mariners season will begin with their fifth skipper since 2007.

While McClendon isn’t a particularly good manager, that doesn’t really set him apart from a number of other managers around the league. Take, for instance, Matt Williams of the Washington Nationals, who won “manager of the year” last season, but is rumored to be on the chopping block after the Nats’ incredibly disappointing season. He makes the same dumb moves this season that he made last season. The difference? Last year the dumb moves didn’t hurt a very good team as much as they have hurt a not so very good team this year.

Sort of the same thing with McClendon. Last season, the bullpen was historically good. This season, the bullpen is below replacement level. So, the unwavering slotting of pitchers –  “you pitch only in the seventh, you pitch only in the eight, you can only come in for ‘save situations’” – that worked last year, didn’t this year.

And there is a long list of mediocre to bad managers whose teams succeed despite them. Brad Ausmus of the Detroit Tigers, last year but not this year. Don Mattingly of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mike Matheny of the St. Louis Cardinals (until this season, Matheny’s Cards had consistently underperformed their Pythagorean projected win totals). And, the aforementioned Matt Williams.

What does set Lloyd McClendon apart from all of the rest of the managers in Major League Baseball is that he is African-American. That’s right. Out of 30 MLB managers, McClendon is the only black man at the helm in a major league dugout.  In fact, with the exception of Fredi Gonzalez of the Atlanta Braves, the only Hispanic manager in the big leagues, all the managers are white, in stark contrast oftentimes to the lineup they put on the field.

It’s disturbing that in a sport that has been at the forefront of changing racial relations in America – go no further than Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente – that there is so little diversity among managers.

And, never mind front offices. Very recently, MLB determined that the Boston Red Sox, the last AL team to integrate nearly two decades after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, violated the policy on interviewing minority candidates when they hired Dave Dombrowski to be President of Baseball Operations seemingly minutes after he parted ways with the Detroit Tigers.

In a city like Seattle, that prides itself on diversity, it says something positive about the Mariners organization that they currently hold this singular distinction with regard to race in the clubhouse.

But, if McClendon does go as manager of the Seattle Mariners, as is likely the case, both the Mariners and MLB should strive to ensure that more diversity is represented, both in the dugouts and in the front offices around the league, or next season could see no African-American skippers.