It was among the first questions on the lips of baseball observers entering this season. Would Leo Mazzone's switch from the Atlanta Braves to the Orioles leave one pitching dynasty in shambles and herald the coming of another?
Today, as Mazzone makes his first return trip to Atlanta as Orioles pitching coach, the question remains unanswered.
Orioles pitchers got off to a terrible start. And even after pitching better of late, they rank first in the majors in walks and second to last in ERA.
Meanwhile, the Braves are experiencing their worst pitching season and worst season overall since 1990. Mazzone's staffs led the National League in ERA 10 times in his 15 seasons (they finished sixth in 2005). But this year, the Braves rank 10th at 4.67.
In the quest to discern Mazzone's impact, this year's data could hardly be less conclusive.
Mazzone backers point to the careers he turned around - John Burkett, Jorge Sosa, Jaret Wright - and to the fact his Braves pitchers posted an ERA .63 lower than they did for all other teams.
"The bottom line is the guy is good," said catcher Javy Lopez, who has watched Mazzone work with pitchers in both Atlanta and Baltimore. "You've got to give him credit. They said in the beginning that he just had good pitchers but you compare the last few years, he didn't have the same kind of pitchers. He had a bunch of rookies and he still brings that team up to the division championship. What's the excuse then?"
Orioles reliever LaTroy Hawkins agreed.
"They already had the stuff, but I'm pretty sure he helped them mentally," he said. "He knew what buttons to push to fire them up, what buttons to push to calm them down."
Doubters have noted that Mazzone had the luxury of building his Atlanta staffs around three potential Hall of Famers in Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. And, he never operated without manager Bobby Cox or general manager John Schuerholz.
Mazzone is the first to say he worked no miracles.
"I was just a small part of the equation," he said. "Just a small part. You had a whole lot more than a pitching coach involved in the greatest pitching run ever in the big leagues. One, you had the pitchers. Two, you had the manager. And I slid in behind them. I didn't put them on the map; they put me on the map."
Regardless of the debate about his impact, Mazzone said he'll enjoy going back to the city where he became famous.
