Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley, in a June 2 article, answered a question I think is safe to say nobody but him is asking. The question, which formed the foundation for his article, was which Atlanta Braves employee, manager Bobby Cox or general manager John Schuerholz, would be harder to replace once they decide to retire.
The correct answer to the question seems surprisingly easy, which is why I was shocked when Bradley wrote that Cox is more irreplaceable, thus more valuable to the success of the Braves.
Forgetting concrete evidence for a moment, the titles of the positions alone should provide a clue as to which job has more value to a team, but Bradley is intent on anointing Bobby Cox as a god and nothing will deter him from that pursuit.
Bradley's lone plank on which he built his shaky argument is the fact that Bobby Cox has sat on the bench for all of the Braves' 15 straight NL East division titles, ignoring that Schuerholz has been the general manager for each of the 15 titles. He also seems to think "one or two other GMs could have stitched together comparable rosters for the price Schuerholz has paid [but] ... no other manager [than Bobby Cox] could have won division titles without them." This is utterly ridiculous.
To understand which job is more valuable, we must first examine the descriptions of what each position requires, starting first with the general manager.
A general manager is responsible for overseeing the drafting of amateur players, acquiring free agents who will contribute meaningfully, trading for players year round, and making sure the prospects he tradea away do not come back to haunt him. In this last regard, Schuerholz is a certifiable genius. Since he became the Braves GM, Schuerholz has traded away 84 prosects, and of those only six have managed 10 or more Wins Above Replacement Player in their careers.
Last year, especially, where the Braves won the NL East title with a roster full of rookies was more a testament to Schuerholz's ability to draft players who will quickly become major league players than it was to anything Cox did during the season.
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Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
A rather dumb question to pose indeed. But that's the thing about sports columnists: they have to write 2 or 3 articles a week, and often times they drop a deuce once in a while. I'm sure Mark Bradley won't put this one in his clipbook.
2 - David Barbour
As long as he keeps dropping deuces, I will be here to point out the fallacies in his logic.
3 - David Barbour
My mistake. The Braves have only won 14 straight division titles.