The Terry Crowley effect
by Alex EisenbergJune 18, 2010
This was supposed to be a part of my last article, Trouble in Birdland, which detailed the problems in the Baltimore Orioles organization and offered both a short and long term guide to getting the franchise back on the right track. But in my research of Terry Crowley, I felt a need for a separate article devoted entirely to him.
A quick synopsis of Crowley's career: He played professionally for 15 seasons, mostly as a reserve. He's known as one of baseball's all time best pinch-hitters. Crowley became the hitting coach of the Orioles in 1985, not too long after he retired as a player. He spent four years with Baltimore before moving on to Minnesota, where he spent eight years as the Twins' hitting coach. In 1999, the Orioles rehired Crowley to be the team's hitting coach and he's been there ever since.
Before I go any further, let's get the obvious out of the way:
1. Terry Crowley is not solely responsible for the struggles of the Baltimore offense.
2. Terry Crowley has not had the most talented group of hitters to work with.
3. Most of the blame should fall on the players because they are the ones actually hitting.
All that being said, there have been two constants over the past 12 straight losing seasons in Baltimore: Peter Angelos and Terry Crowley. Crowley has somehow managed to survive six managers: Ray Miller for one year, Mike Hargrove for four years, Lee Mazzilli for one-plus year, Sam Perlozzo for two years, Dave Trembley for three years, and now Juan Samuel for a few games. Can anybody think of any coach who has survived so much turnover on one team with results being as bad as the Orioles have had over the last 12 years?
Maybe the offenses Crowley has presided over have been great and it's been the pitching that has been the organization's downfall? Well, let's examine Crowley's entire career as a hitting coach...
Orioles hitting coach, 1985-1988
Pre-Crowley years, 1983 and 1984
AL Ranking BA/OBP/SLG/OPS, Walks
1983 - 7/1/3/3, 2
1984 - 12/6/8/6, 1
The Crowley years, 1985-1988
1985 - 8/3/1/3, 3
1986 - 8/8/10/10, 6
1987 - 12/13/10/11, 9
1988 - 14/13/14/14, 8
Post-Crowley years, 1989-1991
1989 - 12/7/11/8, 2
1990 - 13/6/13/13, 1
1991 - 11/11/4/9, 8
Twins hitting coach, 1991-1998
Pre-Crowley years, 1989 and 1990
1989 - 2/2/2/2, 11
1990 - 4/10/8/8, 13
The Crowley years, 1991-1998
1991 - 1/1/2/2, 9
1992 - 1/2/7/5, 9
1993 - 8/13/12/12, 11
1994 - 5/7/8/8, 14
1995 - 4/7/9/8, 14
1996 - 2/7/11/10, 10
1997 - 8/10/11/11, 12
1998 - 9/11/13/13, 11
Post-Crowley years, 1999-2001
1999 - 11/12/12/14, 12
2000 - 10/13/13/13, 12
2001 - 4/5/8/7, 9
Orioles hitting coach, 1999-present
Pre-Crowley years, 1997 and 1998
1997 - 9/6/6/6, 6
1998 - 5/4/7/6, 5
The Crowley years, 1999-present
1999 - 6/5/7/6, 4
2000 - 9/10/10/10, 13
2001 - 14/13/14/14, 11
2002 - 14/13/11/12, 13
2003 - 8/11/11/11, 13
2004 - 3/4/8/7, 5
2005 - 7/8/5/5, 9
2006 - 7/8/10/9, 10
2007 - 6/9/10/10, 11
2008 - 8/8/5/7, 9
2009 - 5/8/10/9, 11
2010 - 10/13/13/13, 14
When you take data like these, knowing there are many factors involved in deciphering how good a team's offense actually is, the reality is that you can twist it into anything that fits your agenda. But there are some things we can conclusively take from the numbers.
To start, Crowley generally has coached poor offensive teams. In terms of OPS, his teams have finished 10th or worse 13 times in 24 seasons. His offenses have finished fifth or better four times in 24 seasons and interestingly enough three of those top-five finishes were in his first two seasons as hitting coach for his respective team.
Another thing to take from these data is the startling lack of walks. This goes to the heart of the criticism many fans have of Crowley. His philosophy is to swing at the first good pitch you get to hit because you probably won't get a better pitch one later in the at-bat. It's not go up there and start hacking at whatever it is the pitcher throws at you. It's wait for your pitch and when you get it, don't miss it. It's a philosophy that doesn't make pitchers work. It's a philosophy that is not conducive to getting on base consistently unless the team is hitting for average at the time. It's a philosophy that can be a symptom of a team in a prolonged slump with the bat.
This season has been the nail in the coffin for Crowley. No young Orioles hitter has progressed with the bat and most have actually regressed. Players have been slow to adjust, whether it be in their approach or mechanics, and many are still mired in their slumps. Crowley is not entirely to blame. But sometimes you need a new set of eyes and a different perspective for positive change.
References and Resources
Baseball-Reference
Alex breaks down major and minor league players by using sabermetric and video analysis at his website, Baseball-Intellect. To get full access to his entire collection of prospect video and scouting reports, you can sign up as a Premium Member. You can contact him at baseballintellect@gmail.com
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