Moon,
Halsey has taken a lot of heat over the years for the events surrounding Leyte Gulf, some of it deserved, but some of it not.
He shouldn't have assumed that the San Bernadino strait was secure, but I think his movement towards Ozawa's carrier force was actually the correct decision.
Some years ago I worked with a woman at Navy Federal Credit Union. Her husband had been a career Marine officer (Col.). The interesting part was that his father was Cmdr. Ernest Evans. You should know that name.
As for Nimitz, no, he didn't get his feet wet. Neither did Eisenhower. Nor did Ernest King.
Patton's not an apt comparison with them, though, because Patton was in command of an army group, Nimitz, Eisenhower and King were in command of entire theaters. It wasn't their job to lead troops into battle, it was their job to ensure that all operations in their theaters proceeded as planned.