Ron Washington or Gardy?

[darin617]

I just heard that Ron Washington has resigned as manager of the Texas Rangers citing personal matters. Texas GM Jon Daniels said it was not drug related. I would think they probably told him he could resign or he would be fired either now or after the season so he chose to resign now.

I would like to see Gardy shown the door and bring in a new manager. Texas had so many injuries and could not get anything going with so many high priced starters out for the season.

The best thing to happen for the future of Minnesota is to completley start from fresh from the top all the way down. Replace Terry Ryan,Gardy, and Rick Anderson to get started rebuilding the franchise.

[Monkeypaws]

Not sure Ron would make my short list.

 

Mint would be an interesting choice if you want your manager to have some fire in his belly.

 

If you prefer the cerebral approach, then Molitor is your guy.

 

Carew could be a sort of hybrid. Never heard his name as a potential manager.

 

Sadly, all are somewhat internal candidates though.

[old nurse]

Ron Washington said he resigned for personal reasons. It has no effect on his future if he was fired or resigned. He does lose money by quitting. I will have take his word for it on why he is quitting and hope for the best foe him.

[Platoon]

Not sure you would walk away from the cash? Unless they said, Ron you go quietly and we will pay you. Or we fire you and pay u, your choice!

[EephusKnuckler]

I wouldn't be upset if they swapped Rons and brought in the former Twin. The Rangers have been contenders for years with Washington as skip, can't blame him for bad injury luck this year. Also probably can't blame him for letting Cruz leave and trading Kinsler for Fielder, those are the GM's call. Maybe Ron is miffed about those moves and how the season turned out. Or maybe he really does have some serious personal matters to focus on and is stepping away from the game. I'm not so sure this is the upper management forcing him to step down.

 

Now that Nolan Ryan is serving in some type of adviser role with Houston, I gotta think the Astros will be giving Washington a call after firing their manager days ago.

 

Edit: so I just read a little bit more about this and it seems like Washington might have a health issue

[goulik]

I just heard that Ron Washington has resigned as manager of the Texas Rangers citing personal matters. Texas GM Jon Daniels said it was not drug related. I would think they probably told him he could resign or he would be fired either now or after the season so he chose to resign now.

I would like to see Gardy shown the door and bring in a new manager. Texas had so many injuries and could not get anything going with so many high priced starters out for the season.

The best thing to happen for the future of Minnesota is to completley start from fresh from the top all the way down. Replace Terry Ryan,Gardy, and Rick Anderson to get started rebuilding the franchise.

Posts like this are driving me nuts!! Get started rebuilding? Rebuilding takes a while and it is obvious looking at the whole system that the rebuild started 2-3 years ago. Vargas, Arcia, Santana, Sano, May, Meyer, Buxton, Burdi, Stewart, Berrios, hughes, and Gibson are all major pieces of the rebuild. Saying let's start a rebuild is suggesting you scrap what's been done by Ryan and none of these guys are scrap heap fodder!

[snepp]

In my best Chief, "No."

[gunnarthor]

Washington might have been the best fit for the Rangers to deal with Hamilton's addiction and recovery.  Gardy is a better game day manager.  I think Washington won't manage for a while and Gardy will eventually retire as the Twins manager, just like Kelly did.

 

And Dougie Baseball will take over.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Washington might have been the best fit for the Rangers to deal with Hamilton's addiction and recovery.  Gardy is a better game day manager.  I think Washington won't manage for a while and Gardy will eventually retire as the Twins manager, just like Kelly did.

 

And Dougie Baseball will take over.

You had me until "Mientkiewicz"

 

I just think Mientkiewicz brings too much hands-on Type A energy and I want Arcia & Co. to feel like they are the new guys in charge.

[Thegrin]

Gardenhire, every day, every time, in every way. 

[oldguy10]

Arcia and company (the new guys) in charge?   In what universe are the ballplayers in charge................hmm, come to think of it, perhaps they are and there in may lie the problem for many franchises.  

 

And taking this a little further - how about Kevin Towers as the new general manager?   Good idea or not?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

By "putting players in charge" what I mean is allowing the personality of the players to come to the fore. Gardy has been around a long time and his presence is just too big anymore. That's my main beef with keeping him as manager.

[gunnarthor]

Arcia and company (the new guys) in charge?   In what universe are the ballplayers in charge................hmm, come to think of it, perhaps they are and there in may lie the problem for many franchises.  

 

And taking this a little further - how about Kevin Towers as the new general manager?   Good idea or not?

I don't see why we'd bring him in.  He and Ryan are too similar.  If you want to get rid of Ryan (and I don't) you wouldn't bring in the same sort of guy.  Towers has a lot of baseball smarts and I'd love it if he were a part of our org - scouting guy, assistant to the GM, whatever - but not as a GM.

[snepp]

And taking this a little further - how about Kevin Towers as the new general manager?   Good idea or not?

 

Gag me.

[biggentleben]

Gag me.

 

You drastically understated that.  You are far, far too kind to Towers.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

As long as the next Twins GM is not David Kahn, I'll be happy.

[nicksaviking]

Posts like this are driving me nuts!! Get started rebuilding? Rebuilding takes a while and it is obvious looking at the whole system that the rebuild started 2-3 years ago. Vargas, Arcia, Santana, Sano, May, Meyer, Buxton, Burdi, Stewart, Berrios, hughes, and Gibson are all major pieces of the rebuild. Saying let's start a rebuild is suggesting you scrap what's been done by Ryan and none of these guys are scrap heap fodder!

 

I think the rebuild started 2-3 months ago, they seemed pretty intent on playing stopgap vets prior to that.

 

I like the Rangers approach to pitching, even if it does lend to injuries, though I don't know how much of that had to do with Washington, likely it was Mike Maddox and/or Nolan Ryan. 

 

I'd prefer an external option, but a younger one assuming this team can't a Terry Francona/Buck Showalter type.

[ashbury]

I think the rebuild started 2-3 months ago, they seemed pretty intent on playing stopgap vets prior to that.

The rebuild IMO started in earnest the day they traded their cost-controlled starting center fielder.  How a team bridges to a next generation that isn't close to being ready doesn't affect the rebuild.

 

As to the topic, no thanks to Washington, no thanks to Towers.

[drjim]

The rebuild IMO started in earnest the day they traded their cost-controlled starting center fielder.  How a team bridges to a next generation that isn't close to being ready doesn't affect the rebuild.

 

As to the topic, no thanks to Washington, no thanks to Towers.

 

Correct.

 

I want to repeat my question - would people think differently of what Ryan actually has done if he said in clear language what his actions clearly showed what he was doing?

[Brock Beauchamp]

I know some people want "fresh blood" just for the sake of fresh blood but I think Molitor is the no-brainer for the next Twins manager position.

 

"Fresh blood" shouldn't be as important as "fresh thinking" and given that Molitor is open to advanced metrics and is a student of the game, he seems like a gimme choice.

 

Hometown guy, Hall of Fame player, has worked with the organization for years, is willing to learn 21st century baseball... What more do you want from a manager?

[Thegrin]

Given the Twins terrible baserunning and the terrible baserunning from the called up minor leaguers,  I think Molitor is a no-brainer to be fired.  I have never understood why people think he would be an effective manager, given his shortcomings as a coach.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Wait, can't we blame the bad baserunning on Scott Ullger?

[Thegrin]

NO!  Molitor has  been the roving baserunning coach for 8 years and is the current baserunning coach. He obviously has not been very successful.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Weren't people singing the praises of Molly and the baserunning at the beginning of the year? Dozier in particular was getting a lot of compliments for his aggressive baserunning.

 

I actually think Vargas is a pretty smart baserunner - he's not very fast, but he seems (from the admittedly unreliable eyball test) to take extra bases when he can and he limits mistakes.  

 

Schafer and Nuñez are the two guys that have been, in my opinion, particularly bad baserunners, especially given the fact that they are among the fastest guys on the team. They are the "new" guys....  

[Parker Hageman]

Thanks for the topic idea. We used this as part of the inaugural No Juice Podcast VidCast. You can watch that section below:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDEGhe9gqo4

[ashbury]

I actually think Vargas is a pretty smart baserunner - he's not very fast, but he seems (from the admittedly unreliable eyball test) to take extra bases when he can and he limits mistakes.  

Not impossible.  I always thought Hrbek for instance was a very good baserunner, not simply with the obvious low bar of "given his physical tools" but knowing when to exploit an opponent and go first to third.