Dave Martinez dips into Dusty Baker’s human resources playbook

OPINION:

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. | On Thursday, new Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez met with the ’Circle of Trust’ at their spring training complex.
Friday, he met with the circle of mistrust.

Martinez met with the media officially for the first time this spring, on the second day of pitcher and catcher workouts and the third day since the club’s reporting date.

Then again, there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about. This is, for the most part, the same Nationals team that won 97 games last year.

It’s still hard to believe that the manager who led that team to those 97 wins —Dusty Baker — is gone, replaced by a rookie skipper in Martinez, who would be hailed as a great manager if he can match those victories.

The former Chicago Cubs bench coach met with reporters after Friday’s workout. There were no stories about Bill Walsh or Jimi Hendrix. No, Dave Martinez is simply a well-liked and respected baseball man, and it will never be about him.

You get the feeling that it will always be about the players.

“The biggest thing I have is all this energy when I wake up and my brain is constantly going,” the 53-year-old said. “You’re thinking about Max Scherzer and Gio (Gonzalez) and (Stephen) Strasburg and (Tanner) Roark and (Bryce) Harper and (Anthony) Rendon and those guys, a lineup, wow, I get excited about just coming to the ballpark and watch these guys perform every day.

“I try not to think about lineups too much,” Martinez said. “I think about the players and what I can do that particular day to help one of them. My job is to help get these guys ready and be the best they can be.”

Don’t worry. Martinez didn’t forget his marching orders from the Lerner family — speaking a World Series championship into existence.

“It’s all about communication, culture and competing every day,” he said. “Like I said before, we’re here to play in the last game of the World Series and win. That’s going to be the message we send, and they get it.”

This is such a strange set of circumstances. No manager communicated better than Baker, who went out of his way to get to know his players personally.

“When I had a meeting with our coaches, my big thing with them was there is no negativity,” Martinez said. “I don’t care what a guy can’t do. Tell me what a guy can do and let’s make the best of that. If we can do that, all the perceived things he can’t do seem to go away.”

Baker’s language was all about being positive. We are talking about two managers who use the same human resources playbook.

This is different from the previous Washington managerial changes. Davey Johnson appeared to lose energy and interest in his second season, so he was replaced with the untested “Marine,” the law and order manager Matt Williams.

When he lost control of the clubhouse, he was replaced by Baker, the manager with the velvet gloves.

This time? What’s is the difference that Martinez will bring to this team?

It’s not fair, to everyone involved.

Martinez earned his place in the managerial line, a 16-year veteran player who lost out on numerous managing jobs before finally getting his shot here in Washington.

And he may not have to bring anything different. He may just get lucky and, for once, be the manager who has these Nationals players perform in big postseason moments, instead of folding like lawn chairs.

“I know we are going to compete every day at the highest level,” Martinez said. “These guys are good, they’ve been good for the last couple of years. All winter long I heard about this hump they need to get over. I think we need to get to the hump first. My message is clear. To stay in the here and now and worry about today. If we do that, we’ll be in good shape.”

I’d say trust Martinez, but then we’re not part of that circle.

“I know there have been a lot of rumbles about the ’Circle of Trust,’” he said. “It’s all about us. Stras said it best, you have to be in the circle.”

There’s a city about 1,000 miles north of West Palm Beach that hopes the circle can help break the cycle of missed championship opportunities. That is Dave Martinez’s job.

⦁ Thom Loverro hosts his weekly podcast “Cigars & Curveballs” Wednesdays available on iTunes, Google Play and the reVolver podcast network.