Is Kevin Towers an Idiot or a Genius?

[Chef99]

Just curious, 'cuz every time I run across his name it's either one or the other opinion. Pretty good talented young nucleus on the Padres, if he's responsible for that. While the jury is still out on McCarthy and the Prado/Upton deal, the Eric Chavez signing is looking like a smart move.

 

[romeo212000]

He's an idiot. Word is Texas offered him a better package than he got from Atlanta for Upton but he refused because he wouldn't include the number one prospect in baseball (Profar). He then pretended to try to deal Upton to two teams on his no trade list so it would look like he was getting big offers for him. It was just sad.

 

[HammerDown]

I say he's a genius. We loved him in San Diego and he did amazing things within the constraints of the situation. We've done nothing but go downhill without him and lost the best bullpen in baseball virtually piece-by-piece and waaaay overpaid Huston Street. From a Padres perspective, I'd give him an A+ grade for what he did for us.

 

[Driaz]

Is yes an acceptable answer?

There are things I have no way of understanding.....ie the guys immense dislike of Upton......but there is no refuting some of his "genius" moves.....

The moment he was hired, it was clear he disliked two players on the team.....Mark Reynolds (who he traded immediately for David Hernandez) and Justin Upton who he's been trying to trade for 2.5 years before finally getting it done.....

He doesn't subscribe to most advanced statistical analysis techniques, but it's very difficult to bash the scout's eye in the man....

I think shipping out the over-hyped Bauer for Didi Gregorious has the potential to be his biggest "win" of a trade yet, and most Dback fans (myself included initially) absolutely hated that move.....I've since looked closer at Bauer and he doesn't have any underlying peripherals that lead me to buy into the hype of the the guy.....I don't think he'll be able to get his walk rate down enough to ever be a top of the rotation guy.....

So, yes, I think he's both an idiot and a genius.....

 

[Chef99]

Driaz, yours is probably the best answer...didn't realize that it was Gregorious for Bauer, but I know I thought trading him was insane at the time. Then came the remarks from Montero...then came the rap song...then came the increased walks instead of the opposite.

I still think Bauer's gonna be a damn good starter, but the red flags are certainly up. On the flip side, Gregorious is supposed to be a lightweight at the plate, but I think someone forgot to tell him that.

 

[Chef99]

BTW, I don't know if this is true or not, but i've heard it said that Upton couldn't wait to leave Arizona. One side says that he couldn't stand Gibson, the other side says that Gibson went out of his way to defend him. Being a Dbacks fan, you might know a little more about this.

 

[BigDDude]

BTW, I don't know if this is true or not, but i've heard it said that Upton couldn't wait to leave Arizona. One side says that he couldn't stand Gibson, the other side says that Gibson went out of his way to defend him. Being a Dbacks fan, you might know a little more about this.

I would guess that Upton and Gibson did not get along. Gibson is a grinder, and he likes that trait in his players. Upton is a physically gifted guy, one who can turn it on/up at times when he wants to.

These two styles would not mesh well, IMO.

 

[Chef99]

I would guess that Upton and Gibson did not get along. Gibson is a grinder, and he likes that trait in his players. Upton is a physically gifted guy, one who can turn it on/up at times when he wants to.

These two styles would not mesh well, IMO.

I agree. It also explains why Towers felt he had no choice but to trade Upton.