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Joshua Rodrigues

@jrodrigues39.bsky.social
912 followers 375 following 715 posts

| Coaching Free Agent Formerly Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles open.substack.com/pub/jrod20033?utm…

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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"The catcher is choosing where the middle of that cloud sits, which means he’s subtlety choosing how often his pitcher throws strikes." jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-best-c...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Best Command in Baseball Is Still a Cloud
Catchers contribute toward strike throwing more than they’re given credit for.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"The catcher is choosing where the middle of that cloud sits, which means he’s subtlety choosing how often his pitcher throws strikes." jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-best-c...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Best Command in Baseball Is Still a Cloud
Catchers contribute toward strike throwing more than they’re given credit for.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"Left knee down opens more of the top of the zone than the right knee opens on the bottom, but pitchers don’t live up top the way they live down." jrod20033.substack.com/p/left-knee-...
jrod20033.substack.com
Left Knee vs. Right Knee, Top to Bottom
Nothing comes free in baseball, especially at the catcher position.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"Strikes strip away choice once a pitcher gets ahead, a hitter’s zone expands out of pure self-defense suddenly forcing him to protect real estate four inches off the black that he’d comfortably spit on at 0-0." jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-count-...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Count Is the Pressure
Baseball is a game of situations.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"Holding a runner at third on a close play is rarely remembered. Sending him into an easy out is." jrod20033.substack.com/p/anatomy-of...
jrod20033.substack.com
Anatomy of a Hold: Deconstructing Jarren Duran’s Fly Ball
Last week, a routine sacrifice fly gave us a good excuse to look under the hood of a play most fans think they understand but rarely think about closely.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
"Le Chonk" @cdgoldstein.baseballprospectus.com · 31/07/2026
if you missed it yesterday, @drhoa3.bsky.social and @robmains.bsky.social unveiled a new tool for estimating injury length. There's some overlap with the recovery dashboard, but some additional functionality, too, and some great visualizations:
baseballprospectus.com
How Long Will He Be Out? | Baseball Prospectus
A new tool that contextualizes the severity of baseball injuries.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Marc Normandin @marcnormandin.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
My latest for @baseballprospectus.com is on what Major League Baseball's punishment-based bargaining position on the 2028 Olympics — an event the league is thrilled about because of the spotlight it could bring to MLB's best players — says about how exhausting their whole deal is.
baseballprospectus.com
Even the Olympics Can Be Leverage | Baseball Prospectus
Everything can be a bargaining position, if you want it to be.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
But "just stay at third" isn't a real answer it doesn't tell us anything about how to stop the next player from making the same mistake. What can we actually learn from this? jrod20033.substack.com/p/what-realm...
jrod20033.substack.com
What Realmuto and Crawford Both Got Right After Getting It Wrong
J.T. Realmuto found himself facing one of the toughest decisions any baserunner will make all season, with the game hanging on it.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"That is precisely why sitting on your hands isn’t an option. Even with a 10% shot, simply letting the inning play out and marching passively toward an almost inevitable loss is bad management." jrod20033.substack.com/p/what-a-man...
jrod20033.substack.com
What a Manager Does When the Game Is Already Gone
In the 7th inning yesterday, Terry Francona and the Reds found themselves staring down the barrel.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"That is precisely why sitting on your hands isn’t an option. Even with a 10% shot, simply letting the inning play out and marching passively toward an almost inevitable loss is bad management." jrod20033.substack.com/p/what-a-man...
jrod20033.substack.com
What a Manager Does When the Game Is Already Gone
In the 7th inning yesterday, Terry Francona and the Reds found themselves staring down the barrel.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
"The divide between the Rays and the Yankees highlights a deeper thought: that front offices don’t care exactly how they prevent runs, only that they keep them off the board." www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
Two Different Ways to Prevent a Run | Baseball Prospectus
The running game is a subtle responsibility; it often falls to the bench coach, delegated down from the manager a lower-profile assignment that nonetheless carries outsized meaning inside a clubhouse....
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
"The divide between the Rays and the Yankees highlights a deeper thought: that front offices don’t care exactly how they prevent runs, only that they keep them off the board." www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
Two Different Ways to Prevent a Run | Baseball Prospectus
The running game is a subtle responsibility; it often falls to the bench coach, delegated down from the manager a lower-profile assignment that nonetheless carries outsized meaning inside a clubhouse....
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"We scored swings and takes simply by location if a player swung at a pitch out of the zone, they lost money and went into hypothetical debt if they swung at a pitch over the plate, they made hypothetical money." jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-price-...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Price of a Chase: How We Gamified Strike Zone Value at UMD
Foundations on the Field focuses on teaching the fundamentals and decision-making skills that drive success in baseball. With an emphasis on clear instruction and practical strategies, it prepares pla...
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"In 2021, the average age of a Triple-A player who went on to achieve Rookie of the Year eligibility was 23.6 years old. Over the past five seasons, that number has plummeted down to 21.9." jrod20033.substack.com/p/a-proving-...
jrod20033.substack.com
A Proving Ground, Not a Waiting Room: The Modern Farm System
Player development used to be a slow burn.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"In 2021, the average age of a Triple-A player who went on to achieve Rookie of the Year eligibility was 23.6 years old. Over the past five seasons, that number has plummeted down to 21.9." jrod20033.substack.com/p/a-proving-...
jrod20033.substack.com
A Proving Ground, Not a Waiting Room: The Modern Farm System
Player development used to be a slow burn.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
"But the moment Elly ran through second base, it became something that creates small blurred lines throughout the league. This is one of the first real challenge to the 2025 rule adjustment that rarely has been tested by anyone in two seasons of play." jrod20033.substack.com/p/running-th...
jrod20033.substack.com
Running Through Second Base Never Actually Went Away
In 2023, baserunners discovered a loophole.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
"Le Chonk" @cdgoldstein.baseballprospectus.com · 06/07/2026
read @marcnormandin.bsky.social on how this is the future MLB seems to want: www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
MLB Wants to be the NBA | Baseball Prospectus
[Derogatory]
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Matt Trueblood @matrueblood.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Today @baseballprospectus.com, I used the new timing data from Statcast to build a stat that grades pitchers' ability to disrupt/frustrate swings. It's pretty damn good, except it suggests that Scott Barlow is awesome. www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
The Grand Unified Theory of Pitching | Baseball Prospectus
Or not.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
"Le Chonk" @cdgoldstein.baseballprospectus.com · 02/07/2026
I went through and provided context to an MLB dot com article on the recent CBA proposal that seemed to leave a lot of it out. I've made that article completely free to read for anyone who wants to:
baseballprospectus.com
MLB's Labor Philosophy: A Reader's Guide | Baseball Prospectus
The honest dishonesty of the league 'analyzing' itself.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The little heart beat thing is electric
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
"Everyone in the game knows this type of tradeoff exists. You have to risk outs in order to create opportunities. The real issue is what happens once a few guys get thrown out." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
Living on the Edge: The Rulebook, the Bases, and the Nationals
The best coaches in baseball share one trait: they know exactly where the edge is, and they're not afraid to stand on it.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Spent the season building real framing/blocking run values for our catchers at UMass Dartmouth no tracking hardware, just a phone and paper. Wasn't planning to share it outside our program, but curious if other coaches would find this useful.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
"Their football associations entire motto is "as many as possible, as long as possible, as good as possible." This is also reflected in their coaching style, which varies based on sport, but generally takes advantage of a more modern ecological approach." open.substack.com/pub/stevemag...
open.substack.com
"Don't Keep Score." Norway's Sporting Success
Norway made the knockout round of the World Cup, with one of the best players in the world leading them their.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"Hitters have to find the best way to manage the errors they make when trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, squarely." www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
Why Tilt Matters | Baseball Prospectus
Making sense of the information overload.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"The best development environments don’t demand conformity they provide direction. They establish standards, teach principles, and create boundaries, but they also leave room for players to own their movements their decisions, and ultimately their identities." jrod20033.substack.com/p/uncomforta...
jrod20033.substack.com
Uncomfortable by Design
Inside the data, non-negotiables, and tracking tools from our season behind the plate at UMass Dartmouth.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"The best development environments don’t demand conformity they provide direction. They establish standards, teach principles, and create boundaries, but they also leave room for players to own their movements their decisions, and ultimately their identities." jrod20033.substack.com/p/uncomforta...
jrod20033.substack.com
Uncomfortable by Design
Inside the data, non-negotiables, and tracking tools from our season behind the plate at UMass Dartmouth.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"Marmol framed it around young players stepping into a leadership role, but the more important detail is quieter than that players are being asked to declare something." jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-cardin...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Cardinals Hitters Meeting Is Not Normal. And That's The Point
Each day, hitters file into an advance meeting and settle in.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"Marmol framed it around young players stepping into a leadership role, but the more important detail is quieter than that players are being asked to declare something." jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-cardin...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Cardinals Hitters Meeting Is Not Normal. And That's The Point
Each day, hitters file into an advance meeting and settle in.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
"The first job behind the plate is not to win. It is to not lose." Development focus today. open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
You Can't Frame a Pitch You Dropped
It was once told to me that the fundamentals never go out of style.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"The play became controversial not because of Henderson’s tag attempt, but because Clement’s route transformed what would have otherwise been a routine force play into something far more complicated." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
How Ernie Clement Turned a Routine Double Play Into Chaos
Earlier this week, Ernie Clement found himself at the center of one of the biggest stories in baseball.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"The play became controversial not because of Henderson’s tag attempt, but because Clement’s route transformed what would have otherwise been a routine force play into something far more complicated." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
How Ernie Clement Turned a Routine Double Play Into Chaos
Earlier this week, Ernie Clement found himself at the center of one of the biggest stories in baseball.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"Everyone who has ever learned anything difficult knows that getting feedback can be hard, and umpires are no different."
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Baseball Prospectus @baseballprospectus.com · 01/06/2026
Learning in Public by Joshua Rodrigues (@jrodrigues39.bsky.social) www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
Learning in Public | Baseball Prospectus
Imagine if theater actors had to stop the play and apologize every time they flubbed a line.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Chad Moriyama @chadmoriyama.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Alex Freeland knocks the ball and Andrew Painter out to make it 4-0.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Matt Trueblood @matrueblood.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Asked a lot of questions of people OTHER than the ones there on the scene about the #Brewers-#STLCards squabble this week, and put together some thoughts on the whole silly mess Abner Uribe dragged into the open. brewerfanatic.com/news-rumors/...
brewerfanatic.com
Baseball Semantics 101: Why the Brewers-Cardinals Sore Festered, and Who (if Anyone) is Right
The unwritten rules of baseball have evolved quite a bit in the last 10 years or so. Much of what was formerly taboo is now allowable. Much of what used to be kosher is now off-limits. We saw some slo...
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
"The difference between a hitter who has a plan and a hitter who thinks he has a plan is found somewhere in those answers." jrod20033.substack.com/p/feeling-re...
jrod20033.substack.com
Feeling Ready Isn't Being Ready
Every organization talks about optimizing their hitter meetings whether they should be group or individual, how often they should happen, what the presentation should look like.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
"That is the missing link not the plan itself, but what happens to it after the meeting ends." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
And Then Nothing
Every day across every clubhouse in baseball, hitters gather in a room.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
"That is the missing link not the plan itself, but what happens to it after the meeting ends." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
And Then Nothing
Every day across every clubhouse in baseball, hitters gather in a room.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Very few times in your life will you be shown you are wrong in front of thousands of people. Umpires each day are told this exact thing. There are mixed results with umpires learning or just refusing to change their zone.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Will Harris @sandwichpick.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Created a new mlb hr video bot since the dingertv one switched to posting links to MLB.com instead of embedding the video for some reason
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
"The post pitching day penalty is still there for Ohtani but even in a small sample we can already see a sharp jump on Day +2, followed by a return closer to baseline on Day +3. That points toward what the Dodgers are likely hoping to gain" www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
The Human Toll of Superhuman Feats | Baseball Prospectus
The Dodgers have decided to curtail Shohei Ohtani's workload. Are we losing something?
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
"Everyone takes groundballs every day but how about creating a situation where players have to play through timing plays with coaches or players running the bases, which will force decision making in the moment for players." jrod20033.substack.com/p/when-a-rou...
jrod20033.substack.com
When a Routine Ground Ball Isn't Routine
In the bottom of the ninth, with the Los Angeles Dodgers mounting a comeback against the Miami Marlins, a routine ground ball to the right side created one of the more overlooked situations in basebal...
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
"Everyone takes groundballs every day but how about creating a situation where players have to play through timing plays with coaches or players running the bases, which will force decision making in the moment for players." jrod20033.substack.com/p/when-a-rou...
jrod20033.substack.com
When a Routine Ground Ball Isn't Routine
In the bottom of the ninth, with the Los Angeles Dodgers mounting a comeback against the Miami Marlins, a routine ground ball to the right side created one of the more overlooked situations in basebal...
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Will Harris @sandwichpick.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
The WAR component chart is live and it's beautiful fg-war.vercel.app
Top 15 AL Central Players
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
"With lead sizes continuing to grow and teams pushing to exploit the current rules, a defensive response was inevitable this is just the first version of it" jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-next-a...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Next Adjustment in the Run Game Is Already Here
Trends in this game don’t announce themselves they surface quietly, spread, and before long they’ve reshaped how everyone operates.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
"With lead sizes continuing to grow and teams pushing to exploit the current rules, a defensive response was inevitable this is just the first version of it" jrod20033.substack.com/p/the-next-a...
jrod20033.substack.com
The Next Adjustment in the Run Game Is Already Here
Trends in this game don’t announce themselves they surface quietly, spread, and before long they’ve reshaped how everyone operates.
132
Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
"If that slight increase in stolen base success typically shows up in the middle or late innings, and you can shift even a portion of it earlier in the game, you’re creating the same kind of advantage that Trajekt provides hitters better outcomes, sooner." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
Baserunning’s Trajekt Moment
This past week, the Baltimore Orioles were spotted doing pregame work on the bases reps that are typically reserved for the batting cage.
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Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
"If that slight increase in stolen base success typically shows up in the middle or late innings, and you can shift even a portion of it earlier in the game, you’re creating the same kind of advantage that Trajekt provides hitters better outcomes, sooner." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
Baserunning’s Trajekt Moment
This past week, the Baltimore Orioles were spotted doing pregame work on the bases reps that are typically reserved for the batting cage.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Matt Trueblood @matrueblood.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Lefty batters know the bottom of the zone pretty well, even if they struggle with its lateral borders. Kody Clemens got a key overturn before hitting a sharp single tonight. www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
baseballprospectus.com
Lefties Eat Hot Dogs, Righties Eat Burgers | Baseball Prospectus
Another difference between righty and lefty batters: success on challenges on the outer edge.
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Reposted by Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua Rodrigues @jrodrigues39.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
"Before we blame players for errors, misunderstandings, or a lack of awareness, we have to be brutally honest with ourselves about whether we’ve done enough to teach it." open.substack.com/pub/jrod2003...
open.substack.com
What Tony Vitello Knows About Accountability That Big League Managers Miss
The San Francisco Giants have become an early-season case study in how quickly “accountability” becomes the conversation.
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