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M.V.’s Kubiak: In it to win it
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Mahoning Valley Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak #26 takes questions from members of the local media at Eastwood Field on Saturday afternoon.
The veteran manager believes winning aids player development
By Joe Scalzo
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In 1999, when Ted Kubiak (at left) was just a 57-year-old whippersnapper, he managed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to a division title in their inaugural season with a roster that included two big-names — pitcher CC Sabathia (whose six-game Scrapper career came so long ago that he still used periods in his first initials) and catcher Victor Martinez — and a lot of no-names.
A year later, he did it again.
Both times, the Scrappers advanced to the New York-Penn League championship game.
Both times, they lost in the third (and deciding) game.
“The thing I remember about those years was how great it was here,” Kubiak said. “The fans are terrific and to win the way we did, then get into the playoffs ...
“I didn’t really think we had the best club in both of those years to win everything, but I think they gave everything they had, so that’s all I can ask from them.”
Kubiak, now 70, is an old-school manager who won three straight World Series titles on one of the original new-school teams, the 1970s Oakland Athletics.
He has two ironclad rules — show up on time and play hard — and he believes the best way to develop in a developmental league is by winning.
“It’s really good for players at this level, or any level, for these guys to win,” said Kubiak, who began his fourth stint as the Scrappers manager on Monday. “That teaches them so much, they don’t realize it.
“We try to present that winning atmosphere and try to get them in that frame of mind. It makes everything simpler.”
Kubiak is in his 19th season with the Indians organization. He’s been a manager at various minor league levels for 12 of those seasons, making the playoffs seven times, reaching the championship game five times and winning his lone title, in 2010, with the Lake County Captains.
One of his non-playoff years came in 2003, when he led the Scrappers to a second-place finish in the Pinckney Division.
“He’s not going to accept losing — he’s already said that,” said Scrappers infielder Evan Frazar, a 27th round pick in the 2011 draft who played for Dave Wallace last season in Mahoning Valley. “He told us, ‘We will win.’
“I definitely think his way of going about it is the right way. If you think about it, if you’re losing but developing, you’re developing to lose. If you’re winning, you’re developing to win.”
Kubiak, a switch-hitting infielder who played for five teams over his 10-year major league career, batted just .231 with 13 home runs in the bigs. He was an overachiever, something he expects from all of his players, regardless of their talent.
“Some guys let something go, but if you don’t run out a ground ball, he’s going to get on you,” said Frazar. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the best player or a 50th-round pick, he’s going to get what he wants. And if not, he’s going to take you out of the game.”
That said, Kubiak believes his playing background helps him understand what players are going through.
Effort is one thing. Results are another.
You can only expect one, he said.
“I don’t think a lot of people who look at the game understand the pressure they’re under,” he said. “I hope I have a feel for that. I just try to say, ‘Look, you’re going to have a bad day. You’re gonna have a bad week. You might even have a bad month. But you’ve got to come out here and do your work because that’s going to change.’
“You could be a goat today and tomorrow you’re a hero. That’s just the game.”