Hey, Cleveland, hands off! Kevin Cash is where he needs to be
ST. PETERSBURG — He’s got a job, a contract and bosses who value him. Kevin Cash does not need the flattery or ego boost that inevitably comes with rumors of other teams pursuing him. He doesn’t need to be reminded that his work here has been impactful and admired.
But maybe we do.
Maybe after five consecutive playoff appearances, maybe after the highest winning percentage in Tampa Bay history, maybe after getting double the number of votes for American League Manager of the Year than anyone else since 2018, we should pause and appreciate the man on the top step of the Rays’ dugout.
Admittedly, this is an odd time to heap praise on a manager. The Rays have been swept out of the Wild Card Series for the second straight season, and their losing streak in the playoffs has reached seven in a row. There are those who suggest a change in voice might be just what the Rays need.
Don’t believe it. Cash’s work goes hand-in-hand with a front office that consistently delivers winning rosters on a shoestring budget. He’s the guy juggling lineups that rely on an outsized number of platoons to be effective. He’s the guy who has navigated around a half-dozen elbow injuries in his starting rotation in recent years. He’s the guy who dealt with the distraction of Wander Franco’s suspension and still delivered a 99-win season.
It’s a resume everyone in the game appreciates, even if his work is not always understood by the average fan.
“I’ve tried to explain this to my parents because they are the very definition of the average fan,” said Rays general manager Peter Bendix. “And they’re very interested in this subject because I’ve raved so much to them about Cash.
“His ability to keep everybody motivated over a grind of a season, 180 days showing up at the park, traveling, being away from your family, spending time with the same people in a very contained environment while being very publicly exposed to winning and losing. The whole world knows exactly how you’re doing every single day and they are judging you for it very publicly every single day.
“To keep people on track, motivated, working hard, not getting too high or too low, being the best version of themselves. That is all done behind the scenes with people management, with relationships. And that, in my opinion, is where a manager really separates.”
That’s why Rays team president Erik Neander said Cash’s work this season was the best of his career, which is notable for a guy who has already won two Manager of the Year awards. And it’s why people in Cleveland have been salivating at the idea of Cash possibly replacing the recently retired Terry Francona.
Cash got his start as a 35-year-old bullpen coach on Francona’s staff in Cleveland in 2013 and was snatched up by the Rays two years later. He’s in the final year of his contract in Tampa Bay and, presumably, in line for an extension — and a raise — sometime this winter.
With Francona’s retirement, Cash has now been in the same job longer than any other manager in the majors. And that does not happen by sheer happenstance.
I don’t want to minimize the decisions made by a manager during the course of a game — relievers, pinch-hitters, bunts, stolen bases — but a lot of those calls are obvious.
What makes Cash special is the work he does in the three hours before a game. And the 30 minutes after a game. It’s getting role players to understand they are not going to get 500 plate appearances, but to still be ready at a moment’s notice. It’s getting starting pitchers to realize rest is more important than compiling stats. It’s explaining to a younger player that his future will be better served by playing every day in Triple A instead of sitting on the bench in Tampa Bay.
When you have 40 players with glory and future contracts banging around in their heads, it takes a unique manager to get them to buy into doing what’s necessary for the good of the ballclub.
“It’s really important to be able to keep guys happy and reminding certain players that, ‘Hey, you know we’re putting you in the best position for you to succeed,’ ” Bendix said. “Given how much adversity we had with injuries and other things that happened. Frankly, if you took the equivalent players off other teams, I don’t know that they (could) win 99 games. You take four-fifths of our rotation, our young superstar and, by the end of the season, four-ninths of our starting lineup.
“And we still win 99 games in that division? I really do think it’s a testament to the coaches and players.”
There’s a reason Cash’s name came up so quickly in Cleveland. There’s a reason radio hosts were talking and fans were tweeting about him.
It’s the same reason Rays fans should be grateful he’s still here.
John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
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