Was on the road Thursday and Shelton was a guest on one of the MLB radio shows. He is well spoken, easy to root for and I like his booze stash in his office. There were discussions on , not sure his or the front office or both, on player positions and starting pitching philosophies.
He had different takes. He specifically stated he likes versatility in his everyday players. Sounded like he believes they should be interchangeable, playing anywhere that is needed in the field. Talked about Clemens, Arcia, Lee, Lewis and more..... I am not saying anything bad about him, but I don't understand this approach. We see more games than not where the defense is botching plays, whether there is an error associated or not. Today's game was a great example.... a missed DP that couldn't have been easier to turn. It's really hard to blame Lewis for failed execution, he's not ready to play the position and to put him there is a disservice to him and the team. The failed DP cost Ryan extra pitches and stress that shouldn't have been needed. Than the sac fly that ended up being the winning run.... When it was caught the initial thought was the runner would be thrown out by 10 feet. Moving ifrom first to LF should be easy, but you don't see that move often, or maybe Clemens arm is just that weak... if that's the case he's not OF material.
On the starting pitching. He wish he didn't have to use BP starts, would love to have 5 starters he could count on, but injuries have derailed that ability. And he was pretty clear that he was on board with cutting ties with SWR. Nothing negative, just it was time for both sides to part ways. Hopefully Abel and Ober are back soon.
An interesting interview, and a little insight in someone's philosophy, whether him or the organization that these guys need to be able to play multiple positions to give the team options. I think it's a mistake, but that's why I'm on the computer and not coaching.