Henry Rodriguez rewards confidence of manager Davey Johnson - MLB Update
Henry Rodriguez was in hot water after failing to see the side home as closer on a number of occasions. He was lucky enough that manager Davey Johnson kept faith in him. He was dull and down and looking for solace a couple of weeks ago. In-particular, during
the game following his worst outing, his confidence was at its lowest ebb.
However he will be relieved now as he carried out his closing job successfully on Wednesday.
Handling players as they go through a lean period is the most difficult thing for a manager. Even great players are discouraged and start thinking of quitting confidence in their ability after one bad day. This takes a toll on performance and their potential
never materialises as a result.
Similar was about to happen with Rodriguez. Thanks to an inspirational managerial tactic by Johnson, he has been saved from getting worse.
Instead of talking about baseball with Rodriguez, he discussed unrelated issues, to make him feel at-ease and be aware of trust he is being shown by the manager. The strategy has worked as Rodriguez is back to his best, throwing fastballs at horrific pace
and outwitting batters and drawing strike-outs.
Johnson was upright in acknowledging his ability. Sure of getting his best out soon, even Rodriguez knew the kind of trust being put in him, Johnson stated.
“It doesn’t matter what I say to them, either beforehand or whatever,” Johnson said. “I called his name. He knows that I’m calling on him because I’ve got confidence in him. It’s that simple. Every time you put a guy’s name in the lineup, they know you’ve
got confidence in him. Sometimes, it’s harder when you’re managing, because you know what you expect out of them, and you know you’re going to get it, but you’ve got to stay with them. That goes for every player, not just the closer.”
Relievers are playing critical role for the Washington Nationals in the season. The games which witness below par performance from them more often are ending in defeats.
In this context, Rodriguez will like to embrace consistency and make sure he is never derailed in his quest from now onward.
Tags: