
Maybe it isn't Molitor - take a look at our new Front Office
falvey twins front office molitor levine

So what has the Front Office done for Molitor - they brought in LaMarre, Cave, Morrison, and Motter. We lost our catcher and they brought in Bobby Wilson. Tell me how Mauer compares to Goldschmidt? Who are the leaders for the team.
On the pitching side the analytical geniuses bring in Lynn and Odorizzi - its been a roller coaster, but I am not upset by those moves. On the other hand our aging bullpen additions do nothing for me. We have a 41 year old Rodney and 38 year old Belisle. Then we tell Molitor not to over use the one or two arms that are actually delivering. Reed and Duke - two more old vets are okay, but Reed failed as the eighth inning arm.
The FO brought in more coaches, consultants, good old twins guys than I can count or remember, but we watched our two premier players for the future - Sano and Buxton fail and flounder. How many consultants can we assign to them. Fernando Romero looks like the real thing, but as he reached that point where some adjustments are needed we send him down - sorry calling all our consultants.
We have had Adrianza and Petit at SS when we have Gordon in the minors. Gordon might be needing some more development, but can't he match these two or perhaps spell a struggling Dozier.
Of course Molitor does not want a 224 lead-off hitter like Grossman, but we started with Dozier who is batting 218 and Mauer who is batting 254 and looks lost since his occurrence of concussion symptoms. So who else can bat first? We need the two Eddies to be in the top of the lineup, but do you move them to one and two and put powerless Mauer at number 3 with 191 batting Morrison and 218 batting Dozier in position to drive them in?
Who does Molitor bring in from the pen - Hildenberger is doing great, Magill does not seem to have anyones confidence, Reed lost his position, Duke scares us, Rogers and Pressly have eras over 4 - terrible for a reliever. So FO guys, where is the help? How do you give your manager a roster he can actually work with?
- Highabove, Sconnie, dbminn and 1 other like this
in defense of the front office, they probably do have a plan.
The plan became derailed a bit last year when the Twins had a flicker of competitiveness. Then, suddenly, the Dave St. Peter end pushes to keep the train going up hill, because rebuilding teams are tough to sell and the name of the game is fans in the stands. So, if you can build on a momentum that might not actually be there, you try your best to do so.
The front office did. They put out feelers with $$$ for the top free agents. But unless they vastly overpay, why would someone come to Minnesota when they can play for a champion for the same amount of monies.
But it derailed the longterm plan with a short one to keep momentum going and Twins Territory viable after a football season that saw The Super Bowl as well as a Vikings team that ALMOST made it. ALMOST is a word commonly heard in Minnesota.
The front office is evaluating the talent from the former administration. They are giving long looks to the upper talents, like Sano and Buxton. That is what the new coaches and advisors and such were brought in to fix and motivate. But you can't motivate if the person isn't there.
Or maybe the manager (and his staff) can in other ways.
The reaity is that the front office is remaking the minor leagues, the "Twins Way" according to their own book. They [probably didn't want Molitor to begin with, but had to take him, and then how can you fire a "Manager of the Year." With Skinner at AAA, we see the potential replacement coming from outside, especially since all promising internal candidates were jettisoned this past offseason.
Admit it, folks. The front office did good getting some decently priced free agents to keep the momentum going. The disappointment has been in the injuries, the fallback of major league guys who might still comeback in another season (or two), and the lack of leadership in the clubhouse. Who leads when your stars are potential free agents, your veterans are one-year rentals, and you got a bunch of guys who still haven't learned that all the natural talent in the world doesn't help if you don't work it on the field each and everyday. it's a new game, and if you don't cut it, someone is there to take your place.You need to play the game and be a baseball player to make the big bucks, get the big contract. You have to last the seasons.
But, don't blame the front office entirely either. They wanted to build a team in their image and got sidetracked and the powers higher want to sell tickets, concessions and parking places.