Berardino on Mientkiewicz, managerial positions

[JB_Iowa]

I've been wondering what was going on with the minor league manager positions,  Berardino sheds some light:

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/12/14/twinsights-doug-mientkiewicz-leaning-toward-return-2015/

 

Steil has some work to do.

[Lakeside]

Interesting article. . .I didn't know of Doug M's family committment (9 yr old son) to West Florida nor did I know of Smith's desire to be near Naples because it was his home.  Sounds like we have some difficult decisions to make.  I know first hand that money isn't everything. . family's matter and these are big decisions.

 

However, in a fluid employment world like baseball managing. . .if you have a quest for the Big Leagues you have to be able to go where you are needed to build your resume.

 

Interesting to note that the article somewhat insinuates that Mientkiewicz was really disappointed in not getting the Twins job.  Time will tell if Molitor was the correct choice.  I do believe that he was the "safe" choice by management as far as 2nd guessing will go.  I'm guessing that Mientkiewicz figured that if he was named Twins manager his family would move and it is probably not the same case with a job in Chattanooga and/or Rochester.

 

The decision somewhat reminds me though of how the University of Minnesota has hired basketball coaches in the past.  We've generally went for a "name" who had succeeded elsewhere (Monson, Tubby Smith) instead of the home-grown talent who showed promise at the lower levels (McDermott, Jacobsen, Miles, Joerger) who have went on and had success at other places when given the chance.  I've worked in the professional and collegiate basketball world and always thought this was a bit odd when coaches right under our noses were there..For the record. . . I think the PItino hiring (as well as Jerry Kill in football) somewhat reverses this trend and gives the U of M an up and coming coach wanting to "make" his name.

 

Back to baseball. . .there are many who thought Mientkiewicz was this "up and comer".  However, since Molitor has never coached he somewhat fits in that same category. i.e the desire to succeed burning to prove his managerial mettle.   Again, for the record, I'm okay with Molitor but would have been equally ok with Mientkiewicz.

 

It will be interesting to see how this all works out.

[Thrylos]

I think that it is about time the Twins let Smith go and cater to Mientkiewicz.  Would be really mad, if this organization loses Mient. because they picked Vavra over him for a coach job or Smith over him for the Miracle job, if that is what he wants...

[JB_Iowa]

But it is also a question of what group of prospects you want him working with.  I'd love to see Dougie with the AA guys,

 

They don't open play until April 9.  Here there would only be about 5 weeks of school left but then we start and end early.

 

The family situation is important but I would think moving up a level would help position Mientkiewicz for a manager's job down the road.

[nicksaviking]

Doug got an interview for the big gig, Smith did not. There would be a pretty big disconnect if Smith were to get first choice of assignment. Ryan saying the decision wasn't his, but Steil's may imply there is a disconnect and Ryan doesn't want to be involved in the tough decision.

[Seth Stohs]

I think that it is about time the Twins let Smith go and cater to Mientkiewicz.  Would be really mad, if this organization loses Mient. because they picked Vavra over him for a coach job or Smith over him for the Miracle job, if that is what he wants...

 

This is the key point I have from reading the article. I mean, If they lose Mientkiewicz in order to cater to Jeff Smith, that would be HORRIBLE!!!

 

Mientkiewicz was never an option for the bench job, was he? 

[Seth Stohs]

Doug got an interview for the big gig, Smith did not. There would be a pretty big disconnect if Smith were to get first choice of assignment. Ryan saying the decision wasn't his, but Steil's may imply there is a disconnect and Ryan doesn't want to be involved in the tough decision.

 

Steil is the minor league coordinator. Ryan is his boss, but Ryan will let Steil make the decision, obviously with his input. And that's how it should be. 

 

I don't think it says anything about Ryan not wanting to be involved in tough decisions. It's about giving people their responsibilities and then trusting their input.

[Bark's Lounge]

When a person is working towards something they really want, to me it seems to be a big turn off if they don't want to make sacrifices for the overall end outcome. In order for Doug to maybe reach his desired end outcome, he needs to be a company man and be able to be flexible.

 

The whole sour grapes about not getting the Twins Manager position is dumbfounding. Come on Doug, you should be honored that the Twins even considered you for that position. Free yourself, whether it be Fort Meyers, Chattanooga, or Rochester - go with it. If you want to pout and remain in Florida, hang it up, throw in the towel. You are a long time baseball player - you know how that works.

 

Obviously, the Twins should probably cater to Mientkiewicz, instead of Smith, but Doug should look at the  coaching hire history the past few years - the Twins rearranged the coaching staff to get Brunansky in the fold and I would figure in the not too distant future they will do the same for him.

 

Go with it Doug. No other organization is going to look favorably on the reasons you left this organization, and your opportunities will not be as fruitful somewhere else.

 

See the long view Doug, I bet your family will be supportive if they understand the long term plan.

[nicksaviking]

Steil is the minor league coordinator. Ryan is his boss, but Ryan will let Steil make the decision, obviously with his input. And that's how it should be.

 

I don't think it says anything about Ryan not wanting to be involved in tough decisions. It's about giving people their responsibilities and then trusting their input.

Yes but Ryan interviewing Mientkiewicz and not Smith should imply some kind of pecking order at least in the eyes of Ryan. If Steil goes the other way, Ryan could over rule him should he want to. If Ryan thinks Doug is more valuable, he should use his veto regardless if he would prefer it to be Steil's call.

[JB_Iowa]

Sometimes we act as though what's happening is in a vacuum.  Steil has relationships with both guys -- let's credit him with some interpersonal skills and common sense. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Sounds like Douggie has a big decision. Stay in Ft. Myers where your family is rooted, or move to Chattanooga to pursue your management track career. And then will your family come with you. These are not easy choices.

[jokin]

Interesting article. . .I didn't know of Doug M's family committment (9 yr old son) to West Florida nor did I know of Smith's desire to be near Naples because it was his home.  

 

 

Actually, the wife is a clinical psychologist and practices in Miami, which is also Dougie's hometown. He also has been dealing with both his mother's cancer battle and mother-in-law's terminal illness, although I haven't read any updates on those situations, of late.

 

Losing or keeping Jeff Smith shouldn't factor much into this equation, there are plenty of retired MN Twins players on Terry Ryan's speed-dial that could be plugged in at a moment's notice- and Gene Glynn and Neal Allen can recommend plenty of Rays personnel looking for a change-  I'm surprised Bartlett hasn't already gotten a call-  I think he still lives in Ft Myers.

[Shane Wahl]

Seems like they should just promote everyone a step if the geography is acceptable for everyone. Obviously, Smith is at the bottom of the pecking order in terms of having wants pleased. Dougie and Jake are future MLB managers in the making. Smith probably shouldn't even be around.

[minnesota transplant]

Dougie should have gotten the bench coach gig and am still trying to figure out how in the he-- Varve got it.

[TKGuy]

Never been impressed with Smith and does not even seem to have a good repoire with the players.  I have no problem with Doug staying in Ft. Myers, and if that happens, if Jake in Chattanooga or Rochester?

[nicksaviking]

Sometimes we act as though what's happening is in a vacuum.  Steil has relationships with both guys -- let's credit him with some interpersonal skills and common sense. 

 

I'll hold off on credit until we see a decision.  Of course that also means holding off on criticism. 

 

There does seem to be a pretty clear cut right answer though, if Steil were to keep Smith at the expense of Mientkiewicz, there would be plenty of room for criticism and we might conclude that Steil's relationships might have been an instance of being too far into the forest to see the trees.

 

Either way, looks like this team is going to have to find a second man who can stomach to manage a team in Tennessee, looks like it's not a popular place.  Does Ray Smith get consideration after winning Manager of the Year in the Appy League again?  After all his decades of work with E'ton, perhaps he's not moving, but if the job stays in-state, maybe?

[big dog]

Dougie should have gotten the bench coach gig and am still trying to figure out how in the he-- Varve got it.

Any reason to think he was even interested in it?

[beckmt]

Agree with much of the above.  Losing Dougie over assignment would be very bad.  For his own good he should take either Rochester or Chatanooga if he does not, it will be harder for him to advance in the future.  If Jeff Smith leaves the organization to me it would be no big deal.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Either way, looks like this team is going to have to find a second man who can stomach to manage a team in Tennessee, looks like it's not a popular place.  Does Ray Smith get consideration after winning Manager of the Year in the Appy League again?  After all his decades of work with E'ton, perhaps he's not moving, but if the job stays in-state, maybe?

 

About 3-4-5 years ago, we wrote that Maple Street Press Twins Annual. I did a story on Ray Smith and the dominance in ETown... At that time, he told me that now that his kids were out of college, he would be happy to move around a bit. I was kind of hoping he might get the bullpen coach job, or some sort of job in the big leagues. That said, he is an Athletic Director at a college in Elizabethton too, so maybe that's no longer an option. Chattanooga might be a real good opportunity for him.. and the organization. 

[jokin]

 

 

Either way, looks like this team is going to have to find a second man who can stomach to manage a team in Tennessee, looks like it's not a popular place.  Does Ray Smith get consideration after winning Manager of the Year in the Appy League again?  After all his decades of work with E'ton, perhaps he's not moving, but if the job stays in-state, maybe?

 

I'm wondering if there IS anything wrong with Chattanooga.  The Dodgers seemed to have left due to them purchasing the AAA team in Oklahoma City, and finding it convenient to put their AA team close by in Tulsa.

 

Easy connections to anywhere thru Atlanta, plus direct flights to FL, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Washington.  The weather has to be much better than New Britain was, and seriously, the whole situation in Connecticut seemed a bit muddled, probably good to get out when they had the chance to do so.  The Chattanooga stadium is only 14 years old.  

 

And particularly for the managers, coaches and support staff, Tennessee has no state income tax.

[big dog]

Lots of people, including me, have made the decision to keep a job for family reasons rather than take a promotion or a new job elsewhere.  That's a wonderful choice, but it's a choice.  We also have to face that perhaps that better job isn't going to be there next time we want it.  If that job happens to be one of only 30 such jobs in the world, then perhaps we'd better set our sights lower.

 

If someone doesn't want to manage the rising studs at AA or AAA I would have to question whether they were willing to do what is necessary to succeed as a major league manager.  Not a value judgement, just a concern.  Players need to be hungry to succeed, so do minor league managers.  Nobody's going to go from Fort Myers to Minneapolis.

 

And if Smitih sees Fort Myers as a landing place, rather than a temporary spot, that's even less likely to be in the best interests of the organization.

[brvama]

Really enjoyed the posts so far. Also got some good NEW information, thanks.

 

As far as Mientkiewisc disappointment, I'd be concerned if he wasn't. Given his personal concerns maybe we shouldn't read too much into his disappointment, of which would be disappoint anyone in the same situation. I have to believe, b/c I'm an optimist, the family culture of the Twins will indeed take into account his situation for this year. They could certainly shuffle coaches next year, which has been done in the past.

 

Finally, it would shock me that the Twins would create an environment for one of their in-house managerial finalists to leave shortly afterward.

[Steven Buhr]

It will be interesting to see how Steil works through this.

 

However, if, as the story seems to indicate, all of these decisions are being held up by Mientkiewicz simply not having decided whether he's even interested in staying in the Twins' organization or not, because he's disappointed he didn't get the Twins' manager gig, that would significantly lower my opinion of the man.

 

Yeah, he's had 2 great years of minor league managing... at Class A... with, frankly, some of the best rosters anywhere in minor league baseball. He should get recognized for that, and he has been. But 2 years of Class A managing - and absolutely nothing more than that outside of his time playing ball - doesn't make you entitled to a MLB manager job.

 

I know absolutely nothing about Steil's management or communication style or abilities. But every person in management eventually has difficult decisions to make concerning promotions and conflicting interests by their employees. I would certainly hope he's capable of working through this issue without calamity... assuming Mientkiewicz is even interested in working through it.

[ashbury]

Doug wasn't high on my list of preferences for the manager's job for 2015.  The on-field loss of temper suggested to me that he needs a few more seasons of demonstrated ability to maintain an even keel.  If there is any truth to this current discussion, I consider it further evidence that he would have been a ticking time bomb on the major league bench; something inevitably would have not been to his liking at some point in his tenure.

[Mike Sixel]

Well, that is unexpected......good luck to him no matter what he decides. 

[lightfoot789]

Why would we or anyone judge a man when it is said he has a mother and In law with health issues?  Damn the job if i isn't the job of a lifetime.  His hesitation is understandable from where I'm looking.

 

Send Jake to Chattanooga

Send Watkins to Cedar Rapids

Send Smith to Rocheser (or he can quit) or bring Lucas back to actually manage

 

Play ball

[nicksaviking]

Doug wasn't high on my list of preferences for the manager's job for 2015.  The on-field loss of temper suggested to me that he needs a few more seasons of demonstrated ability to maintain an even keel.  If there is any truth to this current discussion, I consider it further evidence that he would have been a ticking time bomb on the major league bench; something inevitably would have not been to his liking at some point in his tenure.

 

He wasn't my choice either, he reminded me too much of the previous manager in that he seemed to prefer "old school" baseball.  Who doesn't?  But "old school" baseball isn't winning games these days.

 

Still, if the organization thought enough about him to interview him, I'd hope they would wish to retain him more than Smith.  If Mientkiewicz is disgruntled though, perhaps it's less that he didn't get the job Molitor won, but perhaps it's because he never got asked if he'd like the bench job after hearing that the Twins were shot down by a bunch of other candidtates for the position then gave it to retread Joe Vavra.

[Linus]

I'm wondering if there IS anything wrong with Chattanooga.  The Dodgers seemed to have left due to them purchasing the AAA team in Oklahoma City, and finding it convenient to put their AA team close by in Tulsa.

 

Easy connections to anywhere thru Atlanta, plus direct flights to FL, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Washington.  The weather has to be much better than New Britain was, and seriously, the whole situation in Connecticut seemed a bit muddled, probably good to get out when they had the chance to do so.  The Chattanooga stadium is only 14 years old.  

 

And particularly for the managers, coaches and support staff, Tennessee has no state income tax.

I know nothing about the "franchise" but have visited that part of the country numerous times.  It is a surprisingly beautiful place that probably doesn't get the attention it deserves as an outdoor landscape.

[big dog]

Why would we or anyone judge a man when it is said he has a mother and In law with health issues?  Damn the job if i isn't the job of a lifetime.  His hesitation is understandable from where I'm looking.

 

Send Jake to Chattanooga

Send Watkins to Cedar Rapids

Send Smith to Rocheser (or he can quit) or bring Lucas back to actually manage

 

Play ball

His hesitation is entirely understandable, I completely agree.  To me, it's just a question of whether I should look for a candidate that doesn't hesitate.  No reflection on Doug as a person, and maybe I'm willing to wait a year.  That would depend on how the other dominoes are stacked.

[DJL44]

I must have read it differently. I thought Smith was asking for the Ft Myers job assuming Mientkiewicz would be promoted.