SB Nation User Blog: Baseball Handyman

Scouting the Sally - Wilmer Flores, SS, NYM

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:46:49 -0000

Wilmer Flores (2-5) - After enduring two seasons of downright embarrassing baseball from the 2007-2008 Savannah Sand Gnats, the day had finally arrived. Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte, two of the top six prospects in the organization manning the left side of the infield for a ball club with a chance to actually win a game or two. No more Josh Thole and 0 home runs from the cleanup spot or 24-year old organizational players. Two of the most exciting prospects in baseball were here, and this was my first chance to watch them live.

Flores, one of the crown jewels of the Mets system and near consensus number two prospect within the organization, exploded onto the scene in 2008 with a .307/.347/.468 line as a 16-year old during his first taste of baseball in the lower forty-eight after signing for a high six figure bonus as an international free agent. He enters 2009 as a top fifty overall prospect and one of the more discussed prospects in baseball due to the perfect storm of his being a Met, Dominican, and very young.

Before I work too far into this report, keep in mind Flores is a mere seventeen years of age and what he is now is maybe 1% of what he should be by the time he hits New York. Between glimpses of his immense talent was a player whose baseball maturity was that of the junior in high school he would be were he born in Florida and not the Dominican Republic. With that said, the following is my initial game report on Wilmer Flores.

Tall and lean; Looked every bit of his 6'3" listed height
Swam in his uniform; Plenty of room to fill out; Especially through the shoulders
Should grow out of the shortstop position; Footwork was a little awkward and slow
Average athlete at this point; Should lose a step or two as he continues to grow; Still growing into his body
Upright stance; Tendency to pull off outside pitches and breaking balls
Guess hitter at this point; Did not seem to understand how to work a count; Weak fly ball on first pitch fastball with the winning run on 2nd base
Jammed badly first at bat; Fisted bloop single to right field
Didn't really have a chance to show arm strength; Throws between innings looked like he was throwing the shot put
Flores made all the plays, but it was not pretty;  Needs to get in better defensive position both pre-pitch and when the ball is in play
Swing can be a little long and inconsistent; Exploded through the strike zone at times; Kept hands inside the ball well on an inside fastball

Overall, the performance itself was mixed, but to be seventeen and holding his own against a team full of 21-23 year old players was quite impressive. I have no doubts the power is real and Flores will be a VERY dangerous hitter as soon as he learns to work a count. He's still much a work in progress, but I can definitely see where the Miguel Cabrera comparisons are coming from. In watching "Miggy" during his rookie season, I remember thinking he would be downright scary once he fills out. Flores could be the same kind of scary.

In order for this to happen though, Flores is going to have to develop a more professional approach. Showing a minus arm from the shortstop position the entire game and lazily setting up in his defensive stance between pitches looked really bad and I can see a scenario where he is labeled a bit of a primadonna by the New York media. Maybe this point is moot since he will likely wind up at a corner (infield or outfield), but Jefry Marte made a better first impression in person due to his simply looking the part of a professional. Flores should take note.

Flores and Marte combine to form one of the most exciting tandems in minor league baseball this season and will hopefully put butts in Grayson Stadium seats. After two years of terrible baseball, Savannah fans deserve to see what hopes to be the future of the Mets franchise.

Scouting the Sally - Jeurys Familia, SP, NYM

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:41:26 -0000

Jeurys Familia (4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K) -Quickly becoming a serious sleeper in the Mets organization, Jeurys Familia is off to a great start posting a 2-0 Record with a 0.63 ERA and .128 BAA in his first three 2009 starts. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, the 19-year old righty was impressive in his four innings of work throwing an 88-92 MPH fastball and rudimentary breaking pitch; Typical of young Dominican hurlers.

Looked his listed height of 6'3"; Legs looked well developed; Upper body has some room for growth
Throws across his body; May gain velocity if he learns how to incorporate his lower half more
Fastball sat at 88-92 throughout the first and second innings
Weak lineup made solid contact during innings 1-2
Jumped to a consistent 90-92 MPH in the 3rd inning
Fastball dropped to 88-90 MPH in the 4th
Tired in the 5th; Fastball dropped to 86-88 MPH
Free and easy arm action at 89 MPH; Took some effort to get into the 90+ MPH range
Threw first breaking pitch in the 4th inning
Curveballs thrown were in the 76-78 MPH range
Curveballs became sharper as Familia tired; Seemed to be overthrowing them at first
Baseball IQ? Did not know fielding responsibility in sac bunt situation

If Familia continues his hot start, he won't be an unknown for long. For now however, temper your enthusiasm for his hot start as his lack of a breaking pitch could hinder his progression as he moves up through the system. Fortunately for Familia, he has time on his side as I would expect him to spend the entire 2009 season in Savannah before moving up a level in 2010.

Maikel Cleto would have ranked 8th on Mets top 10 lists this past year and Familia is similar in many respects. Cleto, however, was pumping 97 MPH on the gun with Familia falling 5 MPH short of that. With that said, Familia could break the Mets top 20 with an outside shot at the top 15.

Scouting the Sally - Charlie Culberson, INF, SF

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:36:14 -0000

Charlie Culberson (2-5) - A former supplemental first round draft pick, Charlie Culberson began 2008 in Augusta with high hopes. After a .234/.290/.319 season which left many wondering what the Giants saw in Culberson to begin with, he enters the 2009 season repeating the Sally League in what the Giants hope will be his coming out party. After watching him play, I'm not sure a breakout is coming anytime soon.

Solid, compact build; Looked shorter than 6'1"; May have been due to solid build; Not much room for additional growth
Thick through the lower half; Quickness to play shortstop in doubt
Listed as SS; Played 3B in this game which is surprising considering his lack of power
Misplayed slow ground ball at third
Short, level swing; Average bat speed; Will struggle to generate power
Grounded out weakly to 3rd base his first at bat
Gap to gap hitter; A couple of hard hit balls to left center field
Solid approach; Could tell he was trying to work counts after his first at bat

Overall, Culberson was a little better than I thought he would be. Reports I had read previously were in the bad to worse range, so I honestly was not expecting much. While he will likely never be an everyday big leaguer, I can see him filling a utility role on a major league club. However, his playing third base was concerning because he just doesn't have the bat for a corner. If he's already been labeled a tweener at twenty, he's going to have a very tough time salvaging whatever prospect status he has left. Especially if he loses another step has he progresses and can no longer play shortstop in a pinch.

I wonder what the Giants were thinking when they drafted Culberson so high. I understand hindsight is 20/20, but drafted shortly after Culberson were Kyle Lotzkar, Nick Hagadone, and Jordan Zimmermann. With pitching being the Giants bread and butter, passing on a number of high upside talents to draft a seemingly limited Culberson just doesn't make much sense.

Don't Believe the Hype - Tyler Flowers, C, CHW

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:47:18 -0000

Don't Believe the Hype - Tyler Flowers, C, CHW

A good friend of mine who owns Tyler Flowers in a fantasy baseball league I participate in believes Flowers' breakout AFL campaign is the beginning of HUGE things to come. My advice to him was to keep his expectations for Flowers at pre-AFL levels since winter ball standouts don't always turn out to be as good as the numbers indicate.

Yes, a .387/.460/.973 is insane for little league, let alone the AFL, but is a twenty game sample ever enough to truly determine Flowers' worth going forward? My answer is no!

Instead of focusing solely on twelve home runs in twenty games, I prefer to use it as a piece of a much bigger prospect puzzle. Does a 6'4" catcher who shows a stretch of monumental power deserve a bump in prospect status? Yes, but not nearly as much as some are making it out to be.

To truly assess Flowers' prospect value, one simply can't ignore the following information:

Shortly after the calendar turns to 2009, Flowers will be 23 and will not have an at bat above A+ ball. In comparison, Delmon Young is four months older than Flowers and has logged well over 1300 big league at bats.
While Flowers currently plays catcher, from everything I've read, I would put the odds of him remaining behind the plate at 70/30 against. A move to first base means the power isn't a bonus, it's a must sapping much of his additional perceived value.
The Braves traded him QUICKLY after the end of the AFL! This is huge as the deal reeks of the Braves selling high and jumping at an opportunity to land a 200 inning workhorse without dealing Freeman, Heyward, Hanson, or Schafer.
Flowers STILL ranked in the bottom quarter of Baseball America's top 20 AFL prospects.
I have not read a single analysis of Flowers' performance saying his stock has significantly risen post AFL as he was, and still is a borderline top 100 player.
AFL statistics can be misleading as Eugenio Velez and Sam Fuld were two of the breakout performers from the 2007 AFL season. While both are not the prospects Flowers is, it's a good indicator of how misleading AFL output can be.

When combining his .291/.400/.488 career minor league line, AFL performance, and anecdotal information, I'm left agreeing with most prospect analysts who consider him a borderline top 100 player even after his dominating fall. At this point, too many question marks surround Flowers to consider him an elite talent.

Going forward, I would recommend Flowers owners to copy the Braves blueprint and strike while the iron is hot on Flowers. His perceived value to some will never be higher and if Flowers can land you a top 50 guy or solid veteran, I'd make the move. Flowers' situation is a lot like Jarrod Saltalamacchia's in that his power potential is elite for behind the plate, but average for a first baseman. With Flowers unlikely to stick at catcher, no time is better than the present to cash in on his value.

Maikel Cleto Game Report

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:38:00 -0000

I saw him play in Savannah against the Rome Braves and wrote up a report for my blog. Thought you would all want a look considering he's yours now.

Maikel Cleto, RHP, NYM -19-year old IFA from the Dominican Republic; (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K)

Looked every bit of 218 lbs, but seemed shorter than his listed height of 6'3"
Spent first two innings in the 92-94 range with his fastball.
Velocity spiked in the 3rd and 4th as he was consistently hitting 94 and topping out at 97 MPH.
Fastball seemed to lack movement.
Breaking pitches were rudimentary at best. Looked as if he threw a cutter at 88-90 and a very poor curve in the upper 70's.
Slowed arm action and altered mechanics tipped curve badly.
Sling shot arm action. with size/mechanics, not much room for projection with the fastball. With it already at 92-97, does he need it?
Bulldog on the mound, really attacked hitters and had a nice "swagger."

His fastball velocity, along with his demeanor has me thinking closer. Attitude and swagger resembled Ugueth Urbina. Needs SIGNIFICANT refinement or addition of a true second pitch to reach potential.

Trade Analysis - Overpaying for Putz?

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:35:26 -0000

James over at Mets Tailgate posted a piece Thursday quickly breaking down the J.J. Putz to the Mets deal. I loved his breaking down the deal into smaller parts, and it helped me better analyze whether the Mets dealt too much for a pitcher projected to handle 8th inning duties.

To take James' piece a step further, the deal really needs to be split into two pieces.

1. Endy Chavez/Joe Smith for Sean Green/Jeremy Reed

Not much to say about this except both pairs of players are extremely similar from a statistical standpoint with Chavez being a few years older than Reed and Green being a few years older than Smith. If this deal had been made by itself, I'm not sure anybody would really know why both organizations even bothered.

2. J.J. Putz for Aaron Heilman, Mike Carp, Maikel Cleto, Jason Vargas, and Ezequiel Carrera

Much of Putz' value is based on the assumption he is now healthy and will revert to his 2006-2007 stat line when he was one of the top five closers in baseball. While his previous elbow injury behind him, this very well may happen, but Putz is far from a sure thing as the 31-year old is a relative late bloomer without a long track record of success who posted a downright terrifying 1.60 WHIP in 2008.

For the Mariners, Aaron Heilman is the biggest name to head west and could prove to be of value should he successfully revert back to the starting rotation. As a starter making somewhere in the neighborhood of two million, his numbers could rival Carlos Silva who the Mariners signed to a four year, forty-eight million dollar deal just an off season earlier.

At best, Claudio Vargas is a long reliever/mop up duty type who holds little to no apparent value.

Mike Carp and Maikel Cleto ranked numbers eight and eighteen respectively on my top 20 Mets prospect list. Carp's high end projection is similar to that of Lyle Overbay with Maikel Cleto being a young fireballer with questionable secondary offerings. In watching him pitch towards the end of the 2008 season, I was impressed with his hitting 97 MPH on the gun on a handful of occasions and maintaining his velocity deep into a late season game. While I don't see Cleto as a starter long term, I can see him definitely becoming a formidable closer should he develop a second pitch.

Carrera would have ranked in the top twenty-five Mets prospects had I extended the list out a few more spots, but projects as a 4th outfielder type as his ability to consistently drive the baseball is in question. However, his dozen triples and twenty-nine steals show speed, a tool which simply can not be taught.

In total, the Mets dealt quite a bit for a set up man whose injury plagued 2008 leaves question marks entering spring training. In defense of the Mets, the players dealt were spare parts in the organizational big picture and Omar Minaya was able to use the sum total of those parts to land a key component to the 2009 roster. It's obviously not a secret the Mets missed the playoffs because of their pen, and while the Mets may very well have dealt more than many organizations would have, a talented set up man is a necessity for a team who lacked the ability to close games out down the stretch.

Stud or Dud? - Austin Jackson

Baseball Handyman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:39:09 -0000

Stud or Dud? - Austin Jackson, OF, NYY

Once again Howard Rudolph gets an assist for chipping in the "dud" portion of this piece. Howard and I both have a vested interest in Jackson as he fleeced me before the 2008 season by dealing me Carlos Carrasco/Austin Jackson for Ian Kinsler.

A tremendous athlete, Austin Jackson turned down a basketball scholarship to Georgia Tech to sign an over slot deal as an 8th rounder by the "Evil Empire." Now 21 and arguably the Yankees top prospect, Jackson has steadily moved up the ladder and should start the 2009 season an injury away from the "Big Apple."

Stud?

As a fantasy owner of Austin Jackson, I obviously hope for the best when trying to project his future. In hearing Bernie Williams comparisons from Yankees fans, I always questioned whether they were accurate assessments, or false prophecies. Here are the numbers;

Bernie Williams - .285/.394/.428 with 185 SB
Austin Jackson - .284/.356/.411 with 100 SB (approx. 670 less AB)

These numbers also include almost identical totals in both A+ and AA.

Based on numbers alone, Jackson and Williams are close. Williams seems to have had a slightly better offensive approach, but Jackson holds a slight edge in terms of raw athletic ability. With that said, athleticism is quite the equalizer in terms of accelerating the learning curve. Are Yankees fans are correct in anointing Jackson the next great Yankees center fielder? Considering Jackson is still a diamond in the rough, he has the potential to become one of the top center fielders in the American League.

Many will argue Jackson is over hyped based on so many Yankees prospects proving to be vastly overrated and Jackson's solid, but unspectacular stat line. With a long list of prospect flops including Ruben Rivera, Hensley Meulens, Sam Militello, and the struggles of both Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, I do not blame true prospect hounds for simply shrugging their collective shoulders at Austin Jackson.

However, Jackson is different from most Yankees prospects in that his tools are solid to a tick above across the board leaving him with a higher floor than other Yankees flops. When the Yankees built their dynasty from within, it was with players similar to Austin Jackson. The core of the great Yankees teams of the past decade were not made up of one dimensional mashers and 100 MPH fastballs. Yankees fans should take comfort in the notion Jackson would have fit in quite nicely on those championship teams and be confident about his future.

Dud?

It pains me as a Yankees fan to say that Austin Jackson will not be as good as the hype that he’s received, but short of becoming the next Bernie Williams, I don’t see it being possible. Jackson is a two-sport star with tremendous potential, but how many times have we heard that before? From observing and listening to others, I’ve learned that two sport stars are typically slower to develop but there comes a time when the potential has to become reality or that player is a dud.

Most people saw Jackson’s 258 at bat run for Class A+ Tampa in 2007 as the start of bigger and better things, but that didn’t materialize in 2008 with his promotion to AA Trenton. In 2007, the power was there and the contact was up, as evidenced by his .395 BABIP and 31 XBH in 258 at-bats. In 2008, his BABIP dropped to .348 and he had 46 XBH in 518 at-bats, which is closer to his other 770 at-bats in A Charleston. So where does he go from here and why do I think he will be a dud?

It’s hard to make a convincing case for Jackson as a dud because he has speed, youth and is young for the league he is in, even if 20-30 homerun power doesn’t develop. However, if the power does not develop and he’s a 5-10 home run guy, he’s not worthy of top prospect status.

What stands out to me is that he’s not particularly great or bad at anything, which makes him solid but not spectacular. Unfortunately, Coco Crisp comparisons are too close for comfort, as Crisp’s minor league line was .299/.372/.411 with 149 SB in 6 minor league seasons. Jackson is at .284/.356/.411 with 100 SB in 4 minor league seasons.

Jackson strikes out too much as well, which does not bode well as a top of the order hitter that he profiles as without the power. He has yet to play full season ball where he has struck out less than 100 times. Without improvement in either the power or plate discipline departments, I don’t see him as a much better player than Melky Cabrera.

If that happens, the Yankees will shuffle him in and out of the majors and ship him off to another team in trade and he’ll be yet another over hyped Yankees prospect that never reached their potential.

Stud or Dud? - Austin Jackson

Baseball Handyman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:37:56 -0000

Stud or Dud? - Austin Jackson, OF, NYY

Stud?

Stud or Dud? Drew Stubbs, OF, CIN

Baseball Handyman — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:28:15 -0000

Stud or Dud? - Drew Stubbs, OF, CIN

Before we get started, a special thanks to Howard Rudolph for contributing the "dud" portion of this piece. I've been playing fantasy baseball with Howard for a year and a half now and he's top notch when it comes to finding talent. We don't always agree, but he knows his stuff!

A controversial prospect in everyone's eyes, Stubbs was viewed as a big risk, big reward prospect coming out of college. He certainly has not disappointed by flashing gold glove caliber defense and good speed with decent power and pitch selection. While I'm certainly not sold on his future, I drew the short straw and have the task of defending his prospect status while finding enough silver linings to project a long and successful career as a major league regular.

Stud?

In thinking comps, Mike Cameron came to mind as a guy who Stubbs could wind up mirroring. While Cameron is not a "star," he has had a few seasons worthy of consideration. Should Stubbs wind up with 250+ home runs, 300+ steals, and 1,000+ RBI and runs scored, it's safe to say Reds brass would be ecstatic to say the least. Based on numbers alone, Stubbs is currently behind Cameron's pace, but Stubbs advancing three levels in a season may be a sign of a potential breakout in 2009. Here's why!

Stolen base percentage and total steals have improved each season to a stellar 33/9 in 2008 which indicates one of his tools turning into production
A solid 160 AB+ sample from AA/AAA show a player who is upping his game against better competition.
The gold-glove caliber defense is still apparent
46 XBH and a .371 OBP are solid at any level. Production remained consistent or improved at each level.
Walks remained consistent, while cutting down strikeouts by twenty.
Accelerated his curve by reaching AAA. His development had been considered slow before his surge. Could he be in Cincy by September 2009?

Signs point to a possible breakout in 2009 and a spot with the Reds by as early as September. Yes, better players than he will ever be were drafted after him as shown below, but with so many first rounders flopping completely, a Cameron comp isn't half bad. With Cincinnati being a hitters park, Stubbs allows the Reds to sign big boppers with less than stellar defensive ability and let Stubbs do his best Kelly imitation from "The Bad News Bears" and catch everything. Should he chip in 20-20 to boot, he becomes not only Reds relevant, but fantasy relevant as well!

Dud?

In my opinion, Drew Stubbs is one of the most overrated prospects in all of baseball. He shows up on every Reds Top 10 Prospect List I have seen, ranging from 3rd to 8th on most lists, based on unrealized potential. What some may see in Stubbs as far as development, I see as the next Corey Patterson with more walks and less power. For those that nearly spit their soda all over the monitor, Patterson’s minor league line was .284/.336/.499 compared to Stubbs "awww" inspiring .269/.367/.415 line.

Stubbs’ defense is excellent, which will likely land him the starting CF job in Cincinnati within the next 2 years, even if he doesn’t hit well. The Reds could bat him at the bottom of the lineup and anything he produces offensively is a plus. However, this doesn’t make him a productive prospect, especially for the 8th pick in the draft. Though Stubbs will get many chances in the majors, just like Patterson, here is why I see Stubbs true potential as little more than a 4th OF and batting at the bottom of the Reds lineup in future years. Here's why!

Lack of contact (27.9% K Rate) and mediocre OBP prevent him from batting at the top of the order.
Last year, Stubbs went from a 16% walk rate in A+, to 11% in AA to 8% in AAA. Granted, 167 at bats above A+ isn’t a lot of data to work with, but it’s all there is to go on right now. Corey Patterson had a 7% walk rate in AAA in 1999.
Mediocre power production. Stubbs is raw and needed time for the power to develop. Well, where is it? Besides a 75 at bat sample in AAA where is SLG was .480, his best slugging season was .421.
Until Stubbs jumped to AA/AAA, he was old for the leagues he was in. A good 23 year old prospect should dominate A+ ball and younger pitchers. That didn’t happen. If he can’t dominate younger players, how will he produce when the players are older and better?

Stubbs needs to make substantial improvements very soon and I just don’t see it happening. The Reds passed up Tim Lincecum (#10), Max Scherzer (#11) and Travis Snyder (#14) to take Stubbs. Revisionist history says they’d love to have any of those three over Stubbs. Revisionist history will be proven correct.

The Greatness of Joe Torre

Baseball Handyman — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:27:03 -0000

Torre-ble!

Was it Yankees fans, the front office, or both who never fully appreciated the work of Joe Torre at the helm. After four world championships and two more American League titles, he was unceremoniously dumped by Yankees management for a younger, more energetic Joe Girardi in a show of desperation which aided in the Yankees not making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.

In one of Ned Colleti's finer moments, he seized the opportunity and signed Joe Torre to manage a combination of kids and veterans in the hopes of winning it all after two decades of disappointment in Dodger Town.

While Yankees fans' sour grapes led to their saying big deal to the Dodgers winning the NL West, game three of the divisional series against the Cubs was an unquestionable display of Joe Torre's greatness. Only a manager of Torre's character, stature, and good standing could sit the high salary players he did in favor of youth and ability without hearing as much as a whisper of dissent from the clubhouse or front office.

Let's take a look at the Dodgers starting lineup in game 3:

1. Rafael Furcal - 13 Mil.
2. Russ Martin - 500 K
3. Manny Ramirez - 20 Mil.
4. Andre Ethier - 425 K
5. James Loney - 411 K
6. Matt Kemp - 406 K
7. Blake Dewitt - 390 K
8. Casey Blake - 6.1 Mil.

Total - $41, 232,000

Now for the Bench:

Nomar Garciaparra - 8.5 Mil.
Jeff Kent - 9 Mil.
Juan Pierre - 8 Mil.

Left off the Roster:

Andruw Jones - 18.1 Mil. (Annual Avg.)

Total - $43.6 Mil. not including additional bench players

In many organizations, a manager benching more in salary than what appears in his starting lineup leaves the General Manager, players, and the manager himself open to infighting and criticism from outside the organization. Nomar was great in Boston, but a Boston Globe Reporter observed, " no player polluted the clubhouse more than Nomar, and in the end, he was the ultimate non-team guy." Jeff Kent tried to fight Barry Bonds in the clubhouse and recently took a shot at Vin Scully of all people for mentioning his offensive improvement with Manny Ramirez is hitting behind him in the Dodger lineup. And while Pierre and Jones do not have the reputation for having problems in the clubhouse, both players have enough of a major league resume to expect every opportunity to play even if not warranted.

Torre's decisions also put the job Ned Coletti has done as General Manager into the spotlight. In addition to the 43.6 million plus on the bench, he also has another 20+ million in pitching on the disabled list in Brad Penny and Jason Schmidt. Penny has had great success as a Dodger until this season, but Schmidt has been a mess since day one and will likely take his place just behind Darren Dreifort in the annals of the most useless players in Dodgers history. Calls for Coletti''s head have been numerous until his coup of adding Manny Ramirez for next to nothing.

Obviously winning the divisional series makes the organization look good, but doesn't it also expose Coletti? In other organizations, would a General Manager try to throw his weight around in order to get high priced players in the lineup? Brett Sullivan from Project Prospect mentioned Bobby Cox as another manager who's beyond reproach and I agree. Beyond Cox, I doubt any manager could manage the full gamut of egos Torre has had to deal with and not only survive unscathed, but turn in possibly his finest managerial performance cementing himself as a true managerial legend.