Managing just fine from home
BLOOMSBURG — Doug Davis is no different from the rest of us, in that he wants baseball — heck, sports for that matter — to come back.
However, you likely won’t find a more understanding person when it comes to taking precautionary measures.
Even when it means the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders manager has to wait to assemble his first lineup card for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate —and 1,000th of his managerial career.
Instead, he’s cherishing the time he gets with his family at the time of year he otherwise wouldn’t if the baseball season was in full swing.
Then again, it’s easy for him to do so, with most of his family living under the same roof and the rest not too far away from his home just outside Lightstreet.
“We live in the country and it’s very easy to social distance here,” he said. “My wife and I go on walks everyday and Cade [who is a Central Columbia baseball player] gets a lot of baseball work done around here. I have more time with my family and it’s been great.”
The pandemic has bought him extra time with his loved ones, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees organization hasn’t kept him busy.
Home schooling
Davis has taken part in conference meetings with the organization every week. And they’ve been both informational and educational for a man boasting a 515-484 lifetime record in 999 career MiLB games.
“We’ve been staying on top of our work, talking new subjects and staying informed,” Davis said. “They’re keeping us face-to-face, and that’s the best part.”
The subjects — individual and team hitting, pitching and defense — are traditional, but the information available makes the discussions anything but.
That’s because the number of people behind the scenes is getting larger with advancements in technology, science and sabermetrics.
Gone are the days of making managerial decisions via gut feelings and simple baseball card stats. Instead, there is staff working on player development, analytics, sports science and quantitative analysis.
“My thoughts on the game, being involved for 37 years, is different than a 25-year-old who grew up learning analytics,” Davis said. Of course, Davis also is thankful the pandemic has given him time to work with such personnel and get some new perspective.
“We now have all kinds of time to do that now, and I have a chance to get on the same page as the analysts as they teach us some of that,” he said. "We're all trying to do our job better, trying to learn new things and not leave any stone unturned when evaluating a new player. We want to do it all correctly."
In the meantime, Davis said he’s only communicated with catcher Erik Kratz during the lockdown, saying the two go back a long way, and they occasionally check-in to make sure all is well.
The athletes have been kept busy by the Yankees’ strength and conditioning staff, giving players at all levels workouts to stay in shape for if or when baseball resumes.
Thoughts on ’20 season
There have been many rumors circulating about what steps MLB is taking to ensure baseball gets played this summer. From three divisions consisting of 10 teams, to triple headers every day in Arizona, to baseball even being played in December.
Davis things games will be played this year, but he still errs on the side of caution.
"As a fan, I'm holding out hope for that," he said. "From the standpoint of working in the industry, I'd love to get back to work. What Minor League Baseball looks like for the rest of the year, I don't have a really good feel for that. The focus is, and should be, on the major league players."
Regardless of when the sport resumes, Davis says everyone will need a few weeks of training to get back into a rhythm and be ready to play in meaningful contests again.
"Most of the players are able to keep themselves in baseball shape, but it's the pitching that has to be done right," Davis said.
For that to happen, Davis speculates every team will have to start with a 10-man rotation and typical eight-man bullpens, downsizing to MLB's mandatory 26-man rosters — with a maximum of 13 pitchers — as the season progresses.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Davis anticipates games could be played with no fans in attendance. He hopes as time goes on, fans — in a limited capacity — could start making their way back to ballparks come time for the playoffs.
But that's all he and anyone else can do: speculate. He knows that, and the seasoned skipper doesn't pretend to have all the answers for what lies next in baseball or sports.
He will, however, hold out hope that he will get to don the RailRiders' uniform this summer and help guide them to a sixth straight postseason appearance.
"I was really excited to manage Scranton," Davis said. "I've been with the team now for three years, and obviously, what a great spot this is for me. I'm honored to be a member of the New York Yankees. I was really relishing the opportunity to manage the team and still do.
"It's nice to have hope and look forward to baseball coming back."
Link to story: https://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/daily/page/story/managing-just-fine-from-home
