Dominican Winter League Team Cuts Brett Wallace

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 19, 2011 7:39 PM CST

The Houston Chromicle reports a Dominican Winter League team released Brett Wallace after 20 games. Brett was batting .173 (9-for-52) with two home runs and nine RBIs. Being released this quickly has got to be a bad sign. I thought he needed to spend the winter changing his swing to use his thighs and butt more instead of being an arms and shoulder swinger. Maybe he can still work on that over the winter. But there must be something really wrong if he can't stick with a Winter League team for a full month.

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And it’s Moises Alou who manages the team and apparently thinks that Wallace is over -matched in the DWL. Wade defends Wallace by saying that the DWL is “a very competitive league.” That defense is almost amusing.

by clack on Nov 20, 2011 10:47 AM CST reply actions

I had same response to Wade's defense of Wallace

Like the National (er American) League is not so competitive.

I did not pick up on Moises Alou being the manager. That makes the release more significant.

Nonetheless I still hope Brett Wallace gets ihis act together.

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 20, 2011 12:36 PM CST up reply actions

Figures that he would flame out in an Astro uniform...

by mike_o on Nov 20, 2011 11:39 AM CST reply actions

Salt to the wound

Team GM Moises Alou also canned the team’s manager Sunday morning, the canned manager being Astros own Oklahoma City manager, Tony DeFrancesco.

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 20, 2011 1:45 PM CST reply actions

More like nitric acid being forced down the throat.

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.

by BustaPozee on Nov 20, 2011 2:26 PM CST up reply actions

It feels like the Astros have hit rock bottom

but keeps falling at a faster rate

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 20, 2011 3:51 PM CST up reply actions

I wonder if DeFrancesco was sticking up for Wallace. Wallace did spend time with DeFrancesco at AAA.

Follow my ramblings on Twitter .

by Timothy De Block on Nov 20, 2011 4:01 PM CST up reply actions

..wondered the same thing….

by clack on Nov 20, 2011 5:38 PM CST up reply actions

Maybe we need to bring Moises Alou into the Astros’ front office…:)

by clack on Nov 20, 2011 5:38 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Maybe . . . but

the team lost 5 of the last six ; and the interim coach says DeFransco was not motivating the players.

The preferred new coach is Ken Oberkfell, who coached the team to winning the past two seasons but was unavailable until recently when the Mets fired him

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 20, 2011 10:40 PM CST up reply actions

Fired...

Why did the Mets let this cat go? I’m not sticking up for anyone in the Astros organization, but you have to wonder what Oberkfell did to warrant being fired.

by LonerATO on Nov 21, 2011 12:34 AM CST up reply actions

I think Oberkfell may have been subject to the usual off-season carousel of MLB coaching changes. I haven’t seen anything to suggest that he did something terrible to warrant firing by the Mets. Oberkfell was Jerry Manual’s bench coach and continued as bench coach when Terry Collins became the new manager last year. I think that managers can be particular in wanting their own personal choice as bench coach. Apparently Collins wanted Bob Geren (fired as manager of the A’s during 2011) as his bench coach.

by clack on Nov 21, 2011 8:32 AM CST up reply actions

"Fired" may have been too harsh a verb

His contract was not extended or renewed in October

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 21, 2011 10:45 AM CST up reply actions

Here's a Wikipedia entry in part

On January 28, 2010, Oberkfell led the Leones del Escogido to their 13th championship in the Dominican Baseball Winter League as their manager.

He was interviewed for the Mets managerial opening in November 2010.4 The Mets hired Terry Collins and named Oberkfell bench coach for the 2011 season.1 On October 5th, 2011, Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson announced Oberkfell’s dismissal as part of a larger coaching staff shakeup.2 He was later replaced by Bob Geren.

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Nov 21, 2011 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

Maybe Alou just has it out for ...

… anyone associated with the Astros?

by super_shredder on Nov 23, 2011 11:31 AM CST reply actions

…seems doubtful to me. Wallace’s performance was horrendous (he was striking out 1/3 of the time in the DWL). If the team is losing and there is pressure to turn it around, the release looks justified to me.

by clack on Nov 23, 2011 3:26 PM CST up reply actions

Someone brought up an interesting question at SnS: since Alou and Bagwell are close friends, they wondered if Alou might have talked with Bagwell about Wallace.

by clack on Nov 23, 2011 3:27 PM CST up reply actions

The word is out on how to pitch him!

Just like it will be out in 2012 on some of our “first year flashes”!

by huntingbambi on Nov 24, 2011 10:31 AM CST reply actions

Good point.

by firemills on Nov 28, 2011 11:35 AM CST up reply actions

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