2018-2019 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

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BleedGopher said:
Coach Pitino chimes in:

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Win Twins!!
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Richard is still the youngest coach in town. By a hair.
 

Twins name Rocco Baldelli Manager
The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have named Rocco Baldelli the 14th Manager in club history, agreeing to a three-year contract that covers the 2019-21 seasons. This will mark the first managerial assignment of Baldelli’s career and the first time for the Twins to hire a manager outside the organization since Ray Miller in 1985.

Baldelli, 37, joins the Twins for what will be his 20th season in professional baseball. The former outfielder most recently served as the Tampa Bay Rays major league field coordinator in 2018. In that role, Baldelli assisted Manager Kevin Cash and Bench Coach Charlie Montoyo during games, worked with outfielders and focused on continued development of major league players. Prior to that, he served as Tampa Bay’s first base coach for three seasons from 2015-17 and was in charge of outfield defensive positioning. He spent four seasons with the Rays from 2011-14 as a Special Assistant to Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman. In that capacity, he worked with outfielders and held several scouting assignments, including serving time as a national cross-checker. In addition, he also spent time serving as a coach during the Rays Instructional League.
 

I like that they went outside of the organization. Don't know anything else about the guy but if it's who the new front office guys wanted I'm all for them trying it their way. Go all in, let them try it for x number of years and see what happens. It's not like things could get worse than they have been for the last 6 years or so.
 

bottlebass said:
I like that they went outside of the organization. Don't know anything else about the guy but if it's who the new front office guys wanted I'm all for them trying it their way. Go all in, let them try it for x number of years and see what happens. It's not like things could get worse than they have been for the last 6 years or so.
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The way they use analytics now, I'm not sure you need a manager. Have a robot make the decisions.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
The way they use analytics now, I'm not sure you need a manager. Have a robot make the decisions.
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Maybe this guy is most open to allowing a computer program to make decisions for him and roll with it?
 


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Oh God, here we go - the Twins hire a woke manager. He'd better stick to sports or the next time bombs get mailed out it's gonna be on him.
 

BleedGopher said:
Coach Pitino chimes in:

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bottlebass said:
Maybe this guy is most open to allowing a computer program to make decisions for him and roll with it?
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I think its something like that.........I dont believe that the current regime wants anything close to a traditional manager (not sure if its right or wrong at this point)
 

Then before and now once more, I'm bouncing round the room
 



JimmyJamesMD said:
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I think its something like that.........I dont believe that the current regime wants anything close to a traditional manager (not sure if its right or wrong at this point)
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We won't know if it's right or wrong until it succeeds or fails. But whatever we have been doing recently isn't working so I'm happy they are trying something else. Let these new guys try things their way.
 

I don't know who spoke first at the press conference (Falvey or Levine), but they sounded like they were going to cry.
 


Ogee Oglethorpe said:
It takes a big man to cry.... and an even bigger man to laugh at that man.
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Jack Handey!

When it comes to head coach/manager candidates, I always ask:

Are they good organizers?
Are they good at managing human beings?
Are they bold and confident?
Are they humble and admit when they need to change course?
Are they skilled coaches in their own right?
Are they delegators?
Can they see the big picture?
Can they understand the details?
Do they have guiding and organizing principles?
Are they strategic thinkers?
Are they innovators?
Do they love the burger (i.e. do they love the game and do they love to coach/manage)?
 



Souhan: All analytics aside, new Twins manager's prime task hasn't changed: salvage careers of Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano

And now that we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way, Baldelli will, like his predecessor, find his fate determined by whether Byron Buxton can learn to lay off breaking pitches in the dirt, and whether Miguel Sano can avoid running over the feet of police officers at 3 a.m.

Most competent baseball professionals can read a stat sheet, follow orders and run a game. If the transition from Molitor to Baldelli is to succeed, he will have to prove he can somehow improve key players who have faltered in the past year or two.

Meaning: Most of the Twins roster.

He is being hired because of his diverse background and because of his direct personality. If the Twins viewed Molitor as having a flaw, it might have been that as friendly and engaging as he could be, he wasn’t always forceful in the clubhouse. Baldelli will be expected to perform better in that difficult-to-measure area.

Buxton requires a new hitting approach. Sano remains a mystery veering toward a sad ending. Max Kepler has stalled. And the Twins have a wave of talented youngsters on the way who might not possess as much raw ability as the crop that got Molitor fired.

Baldelli is being credited with helping the Rays win 90 games with a $68 million payroll. The Twins won 78 with a $115 million payroll. Of course, the ledgers might have been better balanced had the Twins not acquired two former Rays — Jake Odorizzi and Logan Morrison. Odorizzi underwhelmed. Morrison imploded. In both cases, the Rays’ front office proved wiser than the Twins’.

The hiring of someone as inexperienced and presumably moldable as Baldelli offers an important reminder of the importance of big-league managers:

The good ones can steal a few wins a year for their team. The bad ones can ruin a pitching staff and clubhouse morale. It’s much more important to avoid having a bad one than it is to have a great one, but at the going pay rates, having a great one would be nice.

I asked Baldelli, hours into his tenure, how much difference a manager can make.

“I bet a manager can make all the difference or no difference,” Baldelli said. “I think it’s hard to put your thumb on the value an individual brings to leadership. But when it’s right, you know.”

If Baldelli can avoid being a bad manager — a low but necessary bar — the Twins’ current and future youngsters will determine the franchise’s success.

And Baldelli’s.

http://www.startribune.com/all-anal...areers-of-byron-buxton-miguel-sano/498602281/

Win Twins!!
 


Sid Hartman: Jim Pohlad puts his faith in Twins front office

If there was ever a dividing line between the Twins ownership of Carl Pohlad, who ran the team from 1984 to 2009, and Jim Pohlad, who took over when his father died, it happened Thursday with the announcement of the hiring Rocco Baldelli as manager.

It was not easy for Jim Pohlad to agree to firing Paul Molitor, because he had such a close friendship with the Hall of Famer.

But it is clear that much like how Carl had total trust in Andy MacPhail and Terry Ryan when those two served as general manager, Jim has put that kind of faith in Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.

And in Baldelli, the 37-year-old former Tampa Bay coach and field coordinator, hired Thursday, Falvey and Levine have found the manager they believe will be able to implement their kind of analytics-driven baseball and produce results on the field.

Pohlad said that his front office kept him involved in the hiring process, especially when the choices were narrowed down.

"I didn't interview every single person," Pohlad said. "They had a big pool of candidates, they narrowed it down and I ended up talking to a handful."

What impressed him about Baldelli?

"I think the person that he is — I didn't evaluate him on his baseball acumen — he is our kind of person," Pohlad said. "He is inquisitive, he wants to learn, he wants to develop and he wants to develop our players. I could relate to him. Not to say I couldn't relate to the others, but I could relate to him as a human being, and that is really important to us."

http://www.startribune.com/jim-pohlad-puts-his-faith-in-twins-front-office/498599721/

Win Twins!!
 

As others have said, for better or worse, Falvey and Levine have "their guy," and we'll see how it all works out. Clear from some of the comments from Pohlad that the Twins are planning to model the franchise after Tampa Bay, in terms of incorporating new ideas, etc.

On first blush, Rocco comes off like a decent guy. And, like it or not, I think Souhan was right - the immediate future of the team depends on whether Baldelli can get through to Buxton and Sano and get them to produce.

For me, the big picture comes down to this: the Twins' farm system has some good prospects (look for John Sickels' evaluation - gave their top 20 prospects very good grades). But, those prospects are at least 3 or 4 years away from the majors in most cases. So, what does the team do to bridge the gap? Do they hunker down and wait for the kids to get here, or do they go out, make some trades, sign a couple of free agents, and try to field a respectable team while they wait for the kids to get here? And that has very little to do with the manager- it's up to the front office.
 

Rand Ball: Rocco Baldelli's friends and family agree: He might be MLB's first hipster manager

While interviewing Rocco Baldelli for the Twins managerial job that officially became his Thursday, General Manager Thad Levine said one of the most curious — but interesting — answers emerged from a basic question: What do you do in your spare time?

Baldelli told his soon-to-be Twins bosses he likes to travel extensively to see live performances by Phish, a rock band known for an improvisational style.

“I think it just speaks to how down to earth he is and how relatable he is — that he has interests outside of baseball,” Levine said. “We weren’t looking for someone who was so consumed by the game. He’s not giving his life to the game of baseball. He’s giving a healthy portion of his life to baseball, and he has genuine other interests.”

That sentiment might not fit the profile of a traditional manager, but tradition isn’t what the Twins were seeking when they hired Baldelli, 37, as the youngest current manager in Major League Baseball.

In a sports market filled with thirtysomethings in positions of power — Twins executive Derek Falvey is 35, Lindsay Whalen and Richard Pitino are 36 while P.J. Fleck is 37 — Baldelli blends in. But even within that mix, he stands out.

Dare we say the Twins just hired a Renaissance man — or perhaps the first hipster manager in MLB history?

“I think that’s an appropriate description,” Baldelli’s brother, Nick, said with a laugh. “He has the style of clothing. He has the hipster beard going on. The sandals.”

http://www.startribune.com/rocco-ba...ght-be-mlb-s-first-hipster-manager/498587451/

Go Gophers!!
 

His answer to Reusse's ridiculous question/editorial about opening pitchers was perfect: to paraphrase, necessity is the mother of invention. That's not any kind of new concept, just common sense your grandma taught you. Amazing how horse sense gets trumped by rigidity, inertia, and reflexive resistance to change. I think what we have here is an industry (baseball) that's the most innovative of all the major professional sports and a baseball fan base and mainstream media that's generally the most stodgy and curmudgeonly of all the sports. So naturally you're going to have this conflict.

As I've thought about it over the past week or so, since Molitor was fired, I've come to believe that the baseball manager and coaching staff is more impactful than many observers give them credit for. How well they develop their players has an untold impact on wins over the course of time, and I do think that a good strategist and sound decision maker in the field manager position is good for at least 5-10 wins in a year. Just in this postseason so far, the little things have resulted in big differences and shifts in the games.
 
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Bad Gopher said:
His answer to Reusse's ridiculous question/editorial about opening pitchers was perfect: to paraphrase, necessity is the mother of invention. That's not any kind of new concept, just common sense your grandma taught you. Amazing how horse sense gets trumped by rigidity, inertia, and reflexive resistance to change. I think what we have here is an industry (baseball) that's the most innovative of all the major professional sports and a baseball fan base and mainstream media that's generally the most stodgy and curmudgeonly of all the sports. So naturally you're going to have this conflict.

As I've thought about it over the past week or so, since Molitor was fired, I've come to believe that the baseball manager and coaching staff is more impactful than many observers give them credit for. How well they develop their players has an untold impact on wins over the course of time, and I do think that a good strategist and sound decision maker in the field manager position is good for at least 5-10 wins in a year. Just in this postseason so far, the little things have resulted in big differences and shifts in the games.
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Actually, I think the Dodgers have over managed this series so far.

I’ve paid for next season, and hope this is the year we see real forward progress. If it requires supplementing Gibson and Berrios with openers, so be it, it will take success doing that to make it not seem gimmicky.


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saintpaulguy said:
Actually, I think the Dodgers have over managed this series so far.

I’ve paid for next season, and hope this is the year we see real forward progress. If it requires supplementing Gibson and Berrios with openers, so be it, it will take success doing that to make it not seem gimmicky.


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Agreed the Dodgers have outsmarted themselves in this series, but that's not a matter of whether to use data - it's more about understanding the data and its limitations.
 


STrib: Twins' Rocco Baldelli has plenty of homework to do as he takes on first managerial role

The Twins managerial search has ended with the selection of Rocco Baldelli — a young, bright, engaging former player who won over the young, bright, engaging minds who run the team’s baseball operations department.

But after winning the news conference on Thursday, it’s time for Baldelli to roll up his sleeves and see what he can do for a team with lots of issues. The 37-year-old has never managed at any level, so the Twins are running on faith.

Jake Odorizzi, who pitched for Tampa Bay for five seasons before being traded to the Twins in March, watched Baldelli grow as a member of the Rays front office before joining the coaching staff in 2015.

“Biggest thing is that his playing career wasn’t that long ago,” Odorizzi said. “So talking to him is like talking to a teammate. Matt Belisle [who is 38] is about his age and he was a teammate of ours. Having a teammate as your manager and the personal relationships he can establish with people is pretty remarkable. He’s very, very bright, and his people skills are off the charts. So he will establish good relationships with everyone, and everyone will play their hearts out for him.”

Baldelli put those skills to use Thursday. He will remain in the Twin Cities through the end of the weekend as he begins the get-to-know-you process.

Odorizzi was one player Baldelli spoke with on Thursday. Baldelli contacted Joe Mauer to remind him that he’s wanted if he decides play one more season. He also spoke with former Twins manager Tom Kelly, mindful of the history of the organization and recognizing how the Twins view their alumni.

The plan through the weekend was for Baldelli to contact more of his new players and introduce himself.

“I want to learn as much as I can about these guys, talk to people who have spent a lot of time around all of them, and also meet them and actually talk to them before I feel like I have any ability to help them,” Baldelli said Thursday. “Right now, I don’t have any answers. I can only say it’s a process and I’m very much looking forward to connecting with these guys and talking with them.”

One player will warrant more than a phone call — outfielder Byron Buxton. The young center fielder and his agents were not happy about his not being called up in September, with the specter of not gaining enough service time to reach free agency a year earlier looming over the situation.

Buxton did not return several messages left for him. Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey indicated on Thursday that Baldelli will fly to Atlanta during the offseason to meet with Buxton.

Baldelli also will contact Miguel Sano, who is working out in the Dominican Republic. After injuries and ineffectiveness marred his 2018 season, the Twins are closely monitoring Sano as he intends to be in top shape next season. Dominican scout Fred Guerrero will check in with him regularly to make sure he’s on the right path. Baldelli, undoubtedly, will remind Sano how important it is for him to be healthy in 2019.

Sano’s left knee, which he injured during a Sept. 4 slide in Houston, has healed.

“The leg is fine,” Falvey said. “He’s doing full workouts. He’s fully healthy.”

http://www.startribune.com/twins-ro...-he-takes-on-first-managerial-role/498802271/

Win Twins!!
 

Reusse: Are the Twins' Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano 'best' of the local busts?

Byron Buxton will turn 25 on Dec. 18. Miguel Sano will turn 26 on May 11. At this moment, after 306 big-league games for Buxton and 381 for Sano, they are in position to be ranked as the leading tandem of busts to populate simultaneously a local sports franchise since the Twin Cities officially became a major league market in 1961.

Buxton and Sano could lose that label, either by showing a high level of competence in 2019, or by being pushed aside if the $330 million combination of Karl-Anthony Towns (23 on Nov. 15) and Andrew Wiggins (24 on Feb. 23) doesn’t shape up considerably before the start of the next decade.

The category here is athletes who were universally anticipated to reach the plus side of stardom. Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider? Nope. Getting Laettner (rather than Shaq or Alonzo Mourning) was a disappointment from the start, and Rider arrived with a head case label.

In 2018, at the age when the best of hitters enter their prime, Buxton batted .156 in brief Twins duty, with most of his at-bats at Class AAA Rochester. Sano batted .199 with the Twins, and also spent a large hunk of the summer in the minor leagues.

They had injuries. Before those, Buxton had returned to guess-hitting and flailing in spring training and early in the season. Sano couldn’t make contact when he was bloated in the 290s; and he couldn’t make contact when he returned looking reasonably fit.

“We have to get Miguel and Byron right,’’ said Derek Falvey, the Twins’ CEO for baseball. “We have a good plan that Miguel is involved with this offseason. Byron is getting fully healthy this winter, and we’re confident that he will be in a good place for spring training.

“We are not going to spend sizable assets looking for starting players at third base and center field. We will go to spring training expecting Miguel and Byron to make it clear that those positions belong to them.’’

And if that fails and they still can’t hit in 2019? “We could have a tough season,’’ Falvey said. “But we don’t anticipate that will be the case.’’

http://www.startribune.com/are-buxton-sano-best-of-the-busts/498799621/

Win Twins!!
 

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I don't expect Baldelli to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but it's sometimes amazing the transformative power of leadership. If anyone here thinks the Twins would have won the World Series in 1987 if they'd retained Ray Miller, I want you to come forward and make your case right now. I remember those days. Prior to Kelly's tenure, the widespread take among fans was that that team was talented, but they didn't have the type of players who would ever be team leaders, so they'd never realize their potential. Funny - whatever Kelly did in that clubhouse, from 1987 on forward nobody ever talked about the team lacking player leadership again. My assumption/theory has always been that he sat down with certain guys and said it's time to grow up and become leaders on this team, and those guys were inspired by that and became self motivated. Ron Gardenhire did something similar with Justin Morneau a number of years later. It may be that Miguel Sano will never grow up no matter what Rocco says to him, but imagine if he does and, instead of just keeping his weight down and increasing his discipline, actually takes it a level or two higher and matures into a team leader.
 

...and if you don't have guys like this in your clubhouse, now's the time to go out and get one or more. That was the tragedy of losing Escobar.

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STrib: With World Series over, Joe Mauer officially becomes free agent

With the World Series over, 145 players have become MLB free agents. Players must wait five days to sign with another team, so Saturday is the first day they can negotiate and sign. Unlike the NFL, NBA and NHL, the early action is very slow however.

Joe Mauer, still deciding whether to retire; Logan Forsythe, who came to the Twins in the Brian Dozier deal in July; veteran catcher Chris Gimenez; and veteran reliever Matt Belisle are the Twins' free agents.

The Twins have options on Ervin Santana and Logan Morrison that aren't likely to be exercised, which would put them in the free agent pool as well.

Here is our chart from the season ending stuff on status of the Twins (with ages at the start of next season):

Under contract for 2019: RHP Addison Reed, 30, $8.5 million; RHP Michael Pineda, 30, $8 million; C Jason Castro, 32, $8 million.

Team options for 2019: RHP Ervin Santana, 36, $14 million; DH Logan Morrison, 31, $8 million.

Free agents (with 2018 salary): 1B Joe Mauer, 36, $23 million; 2B Logan Forsythe, 32, $9 million; C Chris Gimenez, 36, $545,000; RHP Matt Belisle, 39, $545,000.

Arbitration-eligible (with 2018 salary): RHP Jake Odorizzi, 29, $6.3 million; RHP Kyle Gibson, 31, $4.2 million; OF Robbie Grossman, 29, $2 million; IF Ehire Adrianza, 29, $1 million; RHP Trevor May, 29, $650,000; OF Eddie Rosario, 27, $602,500; 3B Miguel Sano, 26, $602,500; OF Max Kepler, 26, $587,500; CF Byron Buxton, 25 (Super 2), $580,000; LHP Taylor Rogers, 28, $565,000.

Under team control: 1B Tyler Austin, 27; C Willians Austudillo, 27; RHP Jose Berrios, 25; RHP Alan Busenitz, 28; OF Jake Cave, 26; RHP John Curtiss, 26; RHP Chase De Jong, 25; RHP Oliver Drake, 32; RHP Tyler Duffey, 28; OF Johnny Field, 26; C Mitch Garver, 28; LHP Stephen Gonsalves, 24; OF Zack Granite, 26; C Juan Graterol, 30; RHP Trevor Hildenberger, 28; RHP Zack Littell, 22; RHP Matt Magill, 29;

LHP Adalberto Mejia, 26; LHP Gabriel Moya, 24; IF Gregorio Petit, 34; SS Jorge Polanco, 25; RHP Fernando Romero, 24 (pictured); RHP Aaron Slegers, 26; RHP Kohl Stewart, 24; LHP Lewis Thorpe, 23; LHP Andrew Vasquez, 25.

http://www.startribune.com/with-world-series-over-joe-mauer-officially-becomes-free-agent/498923911/

Win Twins!!
 

RandBall: Bert Blyleven's FSN role reduced to 50 games in 2019 (and 30 in 2020)

Bert Blyleven’s steadily declining role as a Twins TV analyst on Fox Sports North broadcasts will decrease again in 2019, team president Dave St. Peter confirmed Monday.

Blyleven, who did 80 games in both 2017 and 2018, will do 50 games in 2019 and just 30 in 2020.

Earlier on Monday, Blyleven tweeted that he was selling his condo in downtown Minneapolis, prompting a question of whether he was leaving the booth.

He replied to that: “Actually the Twins/FSN offered me less games for the next 2 seasons because they said they are going in another direction. I agreed to their request. Go Twins!”

St. Peter said Blyleven’s role as a special assistant with the Twins should expand as he does fewer games on TV. He added that the full analyst lineup isn’t set yet for next season.

Jack Morris, Roy Smalley, Torii Hunter, LaTroy Hawkins and Justin Morneau all did work as analysts last season. The Twins and FSN want to hear more of their voices.

“We could include some new folks, but the large majority of those games will go to people who were involved last year,” St. Peter said. “Hopefully, we’ll see most if not all those guys back as part of our TV mix.”

St. Peter said he understands some fans might be upset to hear less of Blyleven. Before doing 80 games each of the past two seasons, he had a five-year deal to do 100 games each season. Before that, he did virtually every game alongside play-by-play voice Dick Bremer.

“I think Bert is an incredible character who has a strong connection to a lot of our fans,” St. Peter said. “We’ve also had positive reactions with some of the other folks involved.”

http://www.startribune.com/bert-bly...to-50-games-in-2019-and-30-in-2020/498939251/

Win Twins!!
 

When the product on the field sucks, you need to have some kind of entertainment value that folks might be inclined to tune in for. This move makes sense. And I like Bert. But I like some of the other guys too and the variety is good overall.
 


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