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MLB WINTER MEETINGSDecember 6, 2010Manny ActaLAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA Q. What are your expectations coming into the meetings and maybe going out of them as well? Do you think anything will get done? MANNY ACTA: Well, there's always more opportunities, obviously, here seeing all the different teams up close. Chris has kept up with just about everybody on our needs and their needs. I think it's obvious that we're not going to walk out of here with any of these big names because that's not our plan and our vision right now. But there is a chance that we'll walk out of here with some of our needs being resolved. Q. What has been your impression of some of the other moves going on in the Central right now with the White Sox and Tigers? MANNY ACTA: Well, they've been doing it for a while, you know, the Tigers and the White Sox. They've picked up some big-time players with Don and Victor Martinez, and Benoit. But our bulk of improvement is going to come from within. We feel good about our kids. I really like the way they played the second half of the season. We're pretty clear on what happens here. Only about six to eight guys come here and go to Arizona or stay here in Florida during spring training, having every one of you guys picking them to go all the way. The rest of us just come to camp or come here to work hard and try to prove all of you guys wrong and shock the world. Basically that is what we're going to do because not too many people pick the San Diego Padres to be where they were last year. Not too many people picked Seattle to be where they were last year. It's baseball. Our mentality is we like the way our kids play the second half. We like the way our pitching got better toward the end, and also we like the way our bullpen is set up and the young kids that are coming up. Q. Given that situation, is there an advantage in your division? You see everybody in the East trying to catch up with those guys throwing the money around. More room to move up-and-down and make an impact quickly? MANNY ACTA: I love our division. That was one of the reasons why I took this job is because, yeah, we know how good the Twins have been, and the Sox and the Tigers. And our team, ourselves, in 2007 and 2005, winning over 90 games, I think a lot of people like to call our division weak. We're not weak, we're just balanced. That's what a lot of people want in baseball. I like our division. I like our chances. Q. How much are you hoping that Grady and Carlos end up being big acquisitions for you guys? MANNY ACTA: How much am I hoping? About 100% hope. Those guys are doing very well. We were offensively challenged a little bit last year, and it was due to the fact that our best player didn't play for five months. Having him back along with Choo and then Carlos, who was able to change our lineup completely by himself when he came up. Cabrera and Hafner, and those young kids that are coming up, I think it will be different. But I think everybody saw, you win the game with pitching. The Giants were a great example of that. I'm very happy about the progress we've made. The fact that we've allowed 113 fewer runs than the year before and the fact that the second half of the season our pitching staff overall ranked pretty high. I have high hopes. Q. When you sit back and reflect on what you did well as a manager this year and what maybe you should have done differently, which stands out on each extreme? MANNY ACTA: Well, some things I can't control. I can't control players' health. I think this year was a good opportunity for me to sit back and watch some of those kids that got called up prematurely. Some of those guys were not even supposed to be in the big leagues up until September. So I sat back, I thought that was the best thing I did. I sat back and let them play at the beginning, let them settle down. Some of those kids are always looking over their shoulder when they first come up, whether am I going to stick up here, am I going to be sent down? We let them play. I think it helps that we set out that plan as an organization, and we knew that we were going to have to let guys like Lou and guys like Brantley, and guys like LaPorta go through some struggles. And I think the fact that we sat back, let them go through their struggles and allowed them to fight through it was the best thing that we probably could do. Q. What about conversely? What maybe should you have done differently? MANNY ACTA: I don't know, man. I did everything I can. None of us are perfect. I leave that to you guys. I'm not very hard on myself. Q. You're going to have more young players with the chance to make the club this year, and the infield pitching staff. What do you look for as far as how much can you let these guys go out? You were forced into some of it last year, but how much can you let certain guys fail while they learn? MANNY ACTA: Well, as an organization, we did a very good job last year not allowing kids to come up when they weren't ready. It's easy to fall for the peer pressure about a young kid swinging well in the minor leagues or a guy throwing in the mid-90's and having a decent ERA or decent whip or whatever you want to call it. Case No. 1 is Carlos Santana. We knew from the git-go that Carlos could compete offensively. We never felt the pressure. We knew that he had some time to develop. His defense, his game calling and everything, and allowed him to go back. How much you want to let some of those guys play, it also depends on your options. I think last year, obviously, a team like ours can't absorb those type of injuries that we had. So a guy like Jason Donald who wasn't supposed to be in the big leagues up until September, had to be in the big leagues in May, and all we had to do was work with the kid and let him go through some struggles. He kept his head above water, and we were happy for that. But if you do have choices or options, then I think we're doing a pretty good job of just staying away from some guys just because of the public or whoever is claiming that they should be up. Guys like Lonnie, guys like Kipnis are the next generation of guys that we're going to have to monitor and make sure that they're ready, and when they come up here they don't hit too many bumps on the road. Q. Is there a chance that Donald, you could move him to third base or get some reps? MANNY ACTA: There is a chance of everything in the world. There is a chance. We're very deep and our depth is great up the middle. Unfortunately, we have some issues at third base, but we're very deep. Unless we do something here or throughout the rest of the off-season and find our answer at third base, hey, the answer is going to come from one of those guys. It could be him, it could be Nix, it could be Phelps. It could be you name it, guys that are coming into camp. But got a couple of months left. A few guys out there still. Q. Last year after you parted ways with the Nationals, you were fortunate enough that you drew interest from more than one club. What was that like? And what do you think you had established during your time there with the Nationals that even though they didn't do well you still became a viable commodity? MANNY ACTA: I think the industry knows that this job is just not the X's and O's. It's about how you handle yourself, and how you handle certain situations. I think very few of us are geniuses. I think all of us understand that we're going to be as good as our roster, and we do have to deal with the situation, the task at hand that is in front of us. I knew going in that my job was going to be to start a rebuilding process. A lot of managers before me have gone that route. I mean those top six, seven jobs, they're taken already and are reserved for people. I have never shied away from any of those jobs because there are only 30 of them. There are a million doctors and a million accountants, but there are only 30 Major League managers. It's a privilege to have one of those jobs. I take it as a challenge. I always want to make sure that I can turn the situation that I'm handed into a good one. This one, I had a vision before I even took this job that it's going to turn out and be okay because these people have done it in the past. And because the young talent that we have, and the young talent that we have coming up. Q. We see the case like today of Terry Collins after an 11-year hiatus coming back. What was it like for you not to have that big wait? MANNY ACTA: That's a good question because after I lost my job, I knew that I was going to manage some day again, I just didn't know how quick. I really enjoyed having half of a summer off, because I haven't had a summer off since 1985. I had already jobs lined up to be a third base coach on different teams, and these opportunities arise, these interviews, and I'm blessed to have my chance right away. All I can do is take advantage of it now. But I can't tell you how it would feel if I had five, six, seven years go by and I don't get a job. But this is what we do for a living, and I knew I was going to do it again. Q. Have you talked to Grady? MANNY ACTA: Yes. I keep in touch with him, and I saw him just two months ago in Arizona when I went over there to instructional league. Q. How is he? MANNY ACTA: He's doing very well. Yesterday he had another check-up by Dr. Steadman, and things are moving along very well. He's right on target to be ready for us on opening day. Q. If Chris calls you up or walks over and says I have a chance to acquire so and so and he's a veteran player, how quickly do you ask what is his character? What is he going to bring into this clubhouse? MANNY ACTA: Before the character or anything like that, is he going to be able to help? I mean, is it a veteran that is going to contribute offensively, defensively, pitching, doing something? I mean, I made it known for years during rebuilding that I don't go for veterans just because they're 40 years old and they've been around 15, 17 years. I need a guy that is going to contribute at this point, not only to be a leader in the clubhouse. If I really want a leader in the clubhouse, I just take a plane and go to Washington and hire somebody over there from the government or something. I need people that can help me in the field. I can be a leader, and my coaches should be leaders, and then these kids are going to develop into leaders. Really don't want somebody around just because he's going to be a leader. I need somebody that can hit, catch the ball, throw the ball, run the bases and pitch. Q. How much more do you think -- are you satisfied with the bullpen right now? Can it get better? Because you have so many young guys, will it just get better from their experience? MANNY ACTA: You can never get satisfied, and you can never have enough pitching. But we were very happy with our bullpen last year. We're extremely happy with the guys that are knocking on the door too. You have Josh Judy, you have Zach Putnam, and you have guys like Bryce Tolle who are getting ready to take one of those jobs too. You know, Vinnie Pestano came up at the end of the season and threw the ball well. So we're going to go into spring training. If we can improve it, we will. Because I think everybody knows how unpredictable bullpens are, and it has happened here in the past. But we feel pretty good right now with the guy who is closing our games at the end, Chris Perez, and Tony Sipp, and Rafael Perez, and Smitty, and Jensen Lewis all those guys. So the competition's going to be good in spring training. Competition brings the best out of people and we're happy with those arms that are coming out. (Spanish questions.) Q. Do you feel right now -- how big a concern is third base for you? MANNY ACTA: Oh, you understand some Spanish, huh? That is the same thing that he asked. It is a concern because it was a problem for us last year once we traded Johnny and because the guys that are internal options are not third basemen. You know, Nick's moved, there is a case where Cord Phelps could move, there is a case where Donald could move. But that's not their natural position, so there is some concern on that. Again, those guys don't grow on trees. They're working hard, and we have to find the right fit. Chris is working really hard at it. Q. How much do you value defense at that position with the type of young pitching staff you have, and the type of pitchers that they are? MANNY ACTA: It's very important for us, because that position, it's key to us because our five starters last year for the most part were right-handers, and our guys are sinker ball pitchers. So you're going to get a lot of groundballs toward the left side of the infield. So that's why it's so important to us. Even if you get a left-hander that can sink the ball against the righties, they're going to roll over. So the left side of our infield is very important to us. We feel good about the right side. LaPorta played extremely well defensively. And we're deep. I mean, our depth at second base is very good. So it is key for us. Q. Have you been encouraged by the way John Valbuena is playing winter ball. He seems he's been on base, and his play discipline has improved? MANNY ACTA: It's been up-and-down. The on-base percentage has been good. He's been up-and-down. Some other guys played well in winter ball, too, like Goedert, and Mike McBride some of those guys. The main thing is Louie's playing. He needs to get his confidence back. Hopefully before the year's over, he gets up there in the .270s, .280s, .300s, and comes to camp re-energized. Q. With your past ties to the Nationals, wondered what your reaction was to the Jayson Werth signing? MANNY ACTA: Well, good for them. They have a very good fan base. Those people were very nice to me. So they got a very good player to their roster. It's a tough division. You need to get guys like him in order to compete with the other clubs, so good for them. That's all I can tell you. I like Choo, so we're fine. Q. What do you say about Pedro Feliz or another guy you hope to find like that in the American League? MANNY ACTA: Those guys are out there. But we're working diligently on finding the right fit for us. So there is no name out there that we have to kick around about it. Even the guys that are free agents, we're talking to some free agents. We're trying to find the right fit. That's what we're trying to do. Q. Is Tracy a guy, Chad Tracy? Did you guys talk at all about him? MANNY ACTA: Chad Tracy went to Japan. Q. No, I mean Andy, the Arizona third baseman, Reynolds. I'm sorry. MANNY ACTA: He got traded? End of FastScripts |
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