When the going gets tough, blame it on the manager.
For good or ill, that's how it is in baseball. Managers aren't the ones throwing the pitches or swinging the bats, but it's almost always their fault when things aren't going well.
So it goes this year. The 2012 MLB season has seen several surprise contenders pop up throughout the landscape, and it's also seen some would-be contenders struggle to live up to expectations. As always, their managers are to blame.
The Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels come to mind. The Angels looked like they had one of the best teams in the land when they signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this offseason, but they haven't played like one of the best teams in the land. Similarly, the Tigers have also underachieved after signing Prince Fielder to a massive contract this past offseason.
Clearly, Jim Leyland and Mike Scioscia are to blame here. Both of them should be run out of town on a rail.
They just might be when all is said and done. Even if they are, though, that won't mean that their teams' struggles were all their fault. They're just a couple of several managers around baseball who don't deserve the blame that's been placed on them.
Let's take a look at six in particular.
Note: Stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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