Clubhouse guys

[gocgo]

It occurred to me after reading the link below how the Twins really got lucky this year when AJ Pierzynski turned down a 2 year contract offer. I know in the past Gardy has been criticized about keeping "clubhouse guys" around and in some cases that criticism has come from me. However, after reading the article on Pierzynski, it occurred to me how underrated good clubhouse guys are in comparison to a clubhouse cancer. When you think about where the Red Sox were, it's hard to think that one guy could bring them that far down and I think there are other factors that contributed to the fall, but it's hard to ignore what the article points out about how one guy can create such a drag on a clubhouse.

 

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/rob-bradford/2014/07/10/aj-pierzynski-problem-was-worse-anybody-could

 

In the past, the Twins have had some clubhouse cancers like Kevin Slowey, but I am curious why they were willing to ignore Pierzynski's reputation enough to offer him a two year deal knowing of his subpar catching skills. Also, do we have any current guys in the clubhouse that have a similar effect as AJ?

[JB_Iowa]

Here's the counter to the AJ effect:

 

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/07/15/heres-what-makes-kurt-suzuki-an-all-star/

 

http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26154694/all-star-kurt-suzuki-helping-twins-and-oakland

 

Apparently Suzuki is the ultimate clubhouse guy.

[gocgo]

Here's the counter to the AJ effect:

 

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/07/15/heres-what-makes-kurt-suzuki-an-all-star/

 

http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26154694/all-star-kurt-suzuki-helping-twins-and-oakland

 

Apparently Suzuki is the ultimate clubhouse guy.

 

I feel like the Twins dodged a bullet while intentionally stepping out in front of a firing squad when I read all three articles.

[Badsmerf]

Sounds like a bunch of crying little bitches to me. Obviously the personalities didn't mix. AJ wasn't welcome in SF either. I don't remember much negativity about him in the clubhouse when he was with the Twins or the White Sox.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It's a lot easier to deal with a player's bad attitude if he's good at baseball.

 

AJ Pierzynski is no longer good at baseball.

[nicksaviking]

AJ isn't the reason the Red Sox aren't winning, that team has enough vocal veterans to drown out any kind of distractions.

 

I'm relieved the Twins didn't get him simply because Suzuki has been better on the field.

 

Do I want positive clubhouse guys? Obviously. But only if it doesn't come at the expense of on field production.

 

Also, if the Red Sox were in contention, AJ would still be on the team, they were just making the wise move by cutting bait with a veteran to give a young guy some development time.

[Badsmerf]

AJ

cutting bait with a veteran to give a young guy some development time.

Twins could learn a thing or two.

[gocgo]

The whole thing makes me want to lock up Suzuki. Obviously, him and Bruno are working well together regarding his hitting.