Thoughts on Manny Acta

Now that this has fully set in, I do not feel quite so betrayed by the front office. I will support Manny Acta until he gives me a reason not to. Hopefully, that doesn’t come too soon.

Acta is young, energetic, and a hard worker. When he lost the Nationals job, he immediately started scouting rosters of teams he would potentially end up with…including the Indians. How ignorant can the guy be? Even he knew Eric Wedge had one foot out the door.

Sure, Acta doesn’t bring over a winning resume’ as a manager. As noted earlier, he was a third base coach on several winning teams, which says something about him. He has experienced a winning atmosphere before.

I really liked Bobby Valentine for the job, but he completely blew his face-to-face interview. The guy was unsure of whether he really wanted the job, and made that clear to the Indians front office. What were Shaprio and Dolan supposed to do? There is no way you entrust this organization to someone who doesn’t really want to manage the team.

That being said, this race seemed to be between Acta and Torey Lovullo. When the Astros offered Acta a deal, Cleveland responded with a 3-year offer sheet. Acta took Cleveland’s offer over that of his former team. Once again, there is a reason for that. Maybe our Indians aren’t in as bad of shape as the Houston Astros? Maybe Acta sees this young talent as something that can bring Cleveland back to life in a few years?

Lastly, Acta reportedly works well with Latino players. His communication skills are superb, something that can greatly enhance the team chemistry in the clubhouse and on the field.

All of these assets can certainly produce wins, but Acta isn’t alone now. The coaching staff must bring more experience to the table for such a young manager. Are there any former Indians in the mix for these jobs?