With the Twins deciding to renew the contract of manager Ron Gardenhire for another two years through the 2015 season, many Twins fans have expressed a lot of negative feelings toward the decision. Based on the recent track record of the club, those negative feelings are more than justified.
In an era of "What Have You Done For Me Lately?", the Twins front office has decided to make Memory Lane their permanent home. After three consecutive 96-loss seasons, what fans receive as an explanation for why the current coaching regime remains in tact is nothing short of a campfire story about how good the team was between 2003-2010. Unfortunately, reputation alone doesn't win ball games.
Ron Gardenhire may be the nicest guy around. He may be the best "players' coach" in the game. In fact, he still may be one of the best managers in all of Major League Baseball. But not for this team. Not anymore. In order to succeed in the future, you can't rely on the successes of the past.
The role of the manager can be both undervalued and overhyped at the same time. The sad fact is, managers often take the heat for the failures of a ball club, even if it's not necessarily their fault. Many believed that the 2012 demise of the Boston Red Sox wasn't Terry Francona's doing, but rather that his players quit on him. The same could be said for countless other managers who lost their jobs over the years. But, regardless of the sport, there does come a time where, no matter how nice a guy, and no matter what the past has brought, that a manager or coach's message becomes stale and lost.
To many Twins fans, that time was after 2012. The Twins' front office, however, has a different opinion.
On Monday, while Gardenhire was being notified of his two-year extension, another manager was being given his walking papers. Dale Sveum, the first-time manager for the Chicago Cubs, was fired after two seasons, in which he went 61-101 in 2012, followed by a 66-96 campaign in 2013. Two seasons. That's all it took for the Cubs to pull the trigger. Now, it's understandable to say that Sveum doesn't have near the track record that Gardenhire has with the Twins. But that is really where the comparison should stop.
For the last three seasons, Twins fans have been force-fed the excuse that Gardenhire "hasn't had much to work with." That statement should be an indictment on both the General Manager as well as the Owner, but instead, by most accounts, the Pohlad Family and Terry Ryan are given a pass by most members of the media. Not all...but most. The players Gardenhire "has to work with" are players drafted and/or signed by Ryan and the ownership. These are young, "talented" players we were told a couple of years ago would be the future of this Twins franchise. Players like Aaron Hicks. Players like Chris Parmalee. Players like Kyle Gibson. Now, the sample size for the likes of Hicks and Gibson are only a small portion of the 2013 season, but these were guys we were told would help bring this team to prominence again.
One of the reasons given for the Cubs making the decision to fire Sveum as their manager was that they felt that he hadn't developed their young talent the way they'd expected. Couldn't that very same thing be said for Gardenhire? Now, I have not heard this suggested by anyone else, but I personally feel that Gardenhire is solely responsible for stunting the growth of Aaron Hicks.
How, you ask?
I have absolutely no problem with the Twins bringing Hicks up to start the season on the big-league club. I have no issues making him the starting center fielder, even though he skipped right over Triple-A. Where my issue lies is that an experienced manager, a manager who is touted as one of the best in baseball, should have realized that beginning the season with Hicks as your lead-off hitter, with no real experience against Major League pitching, was something that could mentally hamper the young man from Day 1. In his first 10 games, Hicks was 2 for 43 at the plate, striking out 20 times during that stretch. Something as subtle and simple as positioning someone in the lineup is not something that can be blamed on the player, nor can it be blamed on the GM or the Owner. That falls on the manager.
Had Gardenhire done the responsible managerial thing, he would have started the season with someone more equipped to possibly lead off. Someone like Brian Dozier, whom Gardenhire eventually put into the lead-off spot later on, and watched him flourish. But for 10 games, Hicks struggled, trying to impress out of the gates, when he may have been more comfortable hitting in the bottom third of the order. This seems like a logical thought, but one that seemed to have eluded the manager. There are no doubt other examples.
It could also be debated whether or not Sveum had even less with the Cubs to work with than Gardenhire had with the Twins. But, regardless of the tools in his toolbox, Sveum was let go, while the Twins front office continues to make excuses for their fledgling manager. But as I've said many times, it's important to note that, if you're going to place most, if not all, of the blame on the roster for three straight 96+ loss seasons, then the roster is what brought the Twins to the playoffs six times in nine seasons from 2002 through 2010. But, we don't hear that. We always hear what a great job Gardy has done with this team. We heard during his first few seasons as manager, what a terrific job he did given the payroll he was given. How are the last three seasons any different. One word: Reputation.
As I stated earlier, the manager's role isn't a glorious one most of the time. People continue to say that "Gardy isn't the problem," or that "manager's are overrated." If the latter is truly the case, then why not make a change? Even if he's not the problem, but the role itself is overrated, what harm would it do to bring a new voice into the clubhouse? It's worked for many other teams over the years. Why should the Twins be any different, or be the exception to this rule?
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Twins Miss Another Opportunity To Be Smart At The Trade Deadline
Simply put, the Minnesota Twins dropped the ball.
If you believe that statement refers the fact that the Twins pulled the trigger on only one deal at the Trade Deadline involving Drew Butera, you could possibly be right. If you believe that statement refers to the fact that Justin Morneau wasn't traded at the deadline, you could also possibly be right. However, if you believe that statement refers to the fact that Morneau began the 2013 season WITH the Twins, and wasn't traded during the offseason, you absolutely would be correct!
As the clock ticked down to the 4pm Eastern deadline for non-waiver trades, there was speculation the Twins would deal Morneau, but no trade was finalized. Many in the Twins' media brigade attributed this to the lack of a market for the first baseman. In fact, a few concluded that Morneau's rankings among all Major League first basemen were simply just too low to warrant any substantial value in return. The only thing they all seemed to miss was that, frankly, any deal for Morneau shouldn't have been made at the Trade Deadline, but rather during this past offseason.
Surely, if you look at the numbers, many "experts" were correct. Morneau's numbers simply don't justify much for trade value. There were plenty of teams looking for a bat at the deadline, but few looking to offer up what the Twins were more than likely asking for. But therein lies the problem. The Twins waited far too long to ask for the level of talent they were looking for should they decide to deal Morneau. And, as a result, with visions of Delmon Young in their heads, they missed yet another opportunity to trade a player at their peak value.
After suffering the concussion he did during the 2010 season, it was almost an absolute certainty that Morneau would never again be the same player. With concussions being as prominent in sports as they are today, it truly is difficult to gauge who has come back from them successfully and who has not. Sure, there may have been players in the '70s, '80s, and '90s that suffered concussions and found themselves playing again, probably because they didn't realize what actually happened. But in today's game, there is a much bigger spotlight on them.
If the Terry Ryan were as intelligent a general manager as many Minnesota sports writers believe him to be, he would've realized that we, no doubt, would never see Morneau regain the same form that led him to the 2006 American League MVP. Taking that into account, the moment Morneau began to even resemble a glimpse of his former self, he should've been shopped to potential suiters immediately! That point was after his first full injury-free season since the concussion, which was his 2012 campaign. Knowing a contract would be looming after the 2013 season, Ryan never should have entered this year holding out hope that Morneau would once again become an MVP threat. Instead, he should have attempted to bolster the Twins' already poor pitching staff by finding a taker for Morneau, who at the end of last season ranked 16th in Avg, 13th in OBP, 18th in SLG, 19th in HR, and 16th in RBI among all Major League first basemen. Instead...by not pulling the trigger during the offseason, Ryan went into the Trade Deadline fielding calls about Morneau, who entering the morning of July 31st ranked 13th in Avg, 19th in OBP, 24th in SLG, 29th in HR, and 14th in RBI among first basemen. And to make matters more difficult, he was no doubt trying to trade the 2006 MVP, and not the 2013 shadow of that MVP.
All told, the Twins stand pat at the deadline with their current Major League roster, not addressing any needs, and putting themselves in a position to now have to negotiate a deal with Morneau come the 2013 offseason. Given their current rebuilding mindset, Morneau should've been dealt, if for no other reason than to give his playing time to a younger, up-and-coming potential replacement at first base, whoever that may have been. Instead, Twins fans will have to watch their "power-hitting" first baseman struggle to reach 15 HRs during the final two months of the regular season.
If you believe that statement refers the fact that the Twins pulled the trigger on only one deal at the Trade Deadline involving Drew Butera, you could possibly be right. If you believe that statement refers to the fact that Justin Morneau wasn't traded at the deadline, you could also possibly be right. However, if you believe that statement refers to the fact that Morneau began the 2013 season WITH the Twins, and wasn't traded during the offseason, you absolutely would be correct!
As the clock ticked down to the 4pm Eastern deadline for non-waiver trades, there was speculation the Twins would deal Morneau, but no trade was finalized. Many in the Twins' media brigade attributed this to the lack of a market for the first baseman. In fact, a few concluded that Morneau's rankings among all Major League first basemen were simply just too low to warrant any substantial value in return. The only thing they all seemed to miss was that, frankly, any deal for Morneau shouldn't have been made at the Trade Deadline, but rather during this past offseason.
Surely, if you look at the numbers, many "experts" were correct. Morneau's numbers simply don't justify much for trade value. There were plenty of teams looking for a bat at the deadline, but few looking to offer up what the Twins were more than likely asking for. But therein lies the problem. The Twins waited far too long to ask for the level of talent they were looking for should they decide to deal Morneau. And, as a result, with visions of Delmon Young in their heads, they missed yet another opportunity to trade a player at their peak value.
After suffering the concussion he did during the 2010 season, it was almost an absolute certainty that Morneau would never again be the same player. With concussions being as prominent in sports as they are today, it truly is difficult to gauge who has come back from them successfully and who has not. Sure, there may have been players in the '70s, '80s, and '90s that suffered concussions and found themselves playing again, probably because they didn't realize what actually happened. But in today's game, there is a much bigger spotlight on them.
If the Terry Ryan were as intelligent a general manager as many Minnesota sports writers believe him to be, he would've realized that we, no doubt, would never see Morneau regain the same form that led him to the 2006 American League MVP. Taking that into account, the moment Morneau began to even resemble a glimpse of his former self, he should've been shopped to potential suiters immediately! That point was after his first full injury-free season since the concussion, which was his 2012 campaign. Knowing a contract would be looming after the 2013 season, Ryan never should have entered this year holding out hope that Morneau would once again become an MVP threat. Instead, he should have attempted to bolster the Twins' already poor pitching staff by finding a taker for Morneau, who at the end of last season ranked 16th in Avg, 13th in OBP, 18th in SLG, 19th in HR, and 16th in RBI among all Major League first basemen. Instead...by not pulling the trigger during the offseason, Ryan went into the Trade Deadline fielding calls about Morneau, who entering the morning of July 31st ranked 13th in Avg, 19th in OBP, 24th in SLG, 29th in HR, and 14th in RBI among first basemen. And to make matters more difficult, he was no doubt trying to trade the 2006 MVP, and not the 2013 shadow of that MVP.
All told, the Twins stand pat at the deadline with their current Major League roster, not addressing any needs, and putting themselves in a position to now have to negotiate a deal with Morneau come the 2013 offseason. Given their current rebuilding mindset, Morneau should've been dealt, if for no other reason than to give his playing time to a younger, up-and-coming potential replacement at first base, whoever that may have been. Instead, Twins fans will have to watch their "power-hitting" first baseman struggle to reach 15 HRs during the final two months of the regular season.
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