Williams and Altherr really weren't factors this season. Williams should have been traded. Altherr would have been waived or traded in spring training had Quinn been healthy.
Klentak gambled on Franco (I disagree he showed any real value) and Herrera, mostly for lack of other options, and because he thought adding four all-stars to the starting 8 meant the last two guys could be marginal. And maybe they could have, if Cutch hadn't been hurt and Hoskins hadn't faltered and the pitching had worked out.
Hoskins is the single biggest issue now. Is he on the same path as Herrera and Franco or was it just a bad several months (he's had those before, but never all in a row)? And is the failure of those three players this season on the GM, the manager/coaches, or the players themselves? I'm more inclined towards the latter myself but it's always easier to blame the hitting coach (remember when that actually mattered for two weeks?) or the manager.
No doubt the ump cost Nola and the Phillies this one, but who cares? Game was meaningless and bad calls even out over 162 games if you're a good team. Unfortunately when your team is 0-6 in your last 6 starts and you were a Cy Young candidate last year bad breaks feel a little bigger than they should.
And can Hughes be fixed? Career HR/9 rate of 0.8, and closer to 0.5 most of the past 5 years. But 1.1 this year with the Reds, and 2.9 with us.
