When you're looking at young baseball players, it's pretty easy for a seasoned scout, or even amateur, to get a good idea of what their skill level is at and (with a little more difficulty) where that skill could project to be in 5 years as a player ages and advances through baseball levels. There are 5 (arguably 6) tools for a player.

 

But what about for coaches/managers? Is it strictly wins and losses? I don't think it's that black and blue. Maybe it should be, especially after four seasons of 90+ losses.

 

Here's what I want to know, specifically about Rick Anderson (whom I find detestable as a pitching coach) and to a lesser extent Ron Gardenhire and some others on the Twins staff).

Attitude: what is Rick Anderson like on a day to day basis with the players?

 

Communication (instructive or corrective at wrong times?) How are his communication skills? Does he speak in abstract terms, or can he be specific and enticing, getting his message past obstacles for the listener?

 

Energy giver vs Energy Sucker: Does Rick Anderson suck... the life ouf of his players, or does he give them the extra pep talk or word of confidence to push them ahead?

 

Is he/she morally and ethically above reproach? Does he need to be? As long as he's not Ray Rice, we're probably safe here, this goes back to my first question of attitude. Do his actions support his attitude and the talk he's giving, or is he a hypocrit?

 

Competency (Can he/she teach?) What does Rick Anderson do to make players better. We've seen a lof of pitchers come to Minnesota and give up less walks. We've also seen them get less strike outs. And we've seen guys fail here and then go on to success. Who gets credit for Johan Santana? Johan? Cuellar? Anderson? Is Rick a good teacher? From the reports we hear from ex-Twins pitchers, I'm not so sure. I'd love to talk with Jared Burton, Ricky Nolasco, or another veteran player who has been around the league about Anderson and the pitching coaches. Can they teach?

 

Sources of knowledge. (Does he know what he's talking about?) Does Rick Anderson know how to pitch effectively at the MLB level. The better way is for the pitching instructor to understand what is causing the problem, and have the pitcher make the needed adjustment. Can Rick Anderson recognize a short stride, inconsistent weight shift? Does he? Honest question.

 

Video. Does Rick Anderson use video to help pitchers find their own flaws? I have to believe the Twins do, but really, what does a day with Rick Anderson as the pitching coach look like?

 

Delivery Styles. With so many different and personalized deliveries, how can anyone, how DOES Rick Anderson, find flaws in guys delivery?

 

I'm not a fan or Rick Anderson, but maybe I just don't know enough to make an informed decision.

 

Or maybe he's just a bad pitching coach.

Source: How to evaluate a coach