About time to extend Grossman?

[Oldgoat_MN]

Something about the development culture is failing.

 

Damned if I know where it is, but aren't there some people out there that can figure it out?

 

Seem when you have a roughly $100 million payroll plus several minor league teams that person might be worth finding and paying well.

[jokin]

 

they needed a spark.  they got that and a badly needed with.  I'll take that.

 

So since this is such a great strategy over two games, the course is now set to make and sign a waiver claim or two each week and keep firing up those much-needed "sparks"? That's the plan?

[jokin]

 

 

Something about the development culture is failing.

 

Damned if I know where it is, but aren't there some people out there that can figure it out?

 

Seem when you have a roughly $100 million payroll plus several minor league teams that person might be worth finding and paying well.

 

The only place the Twins would look for said person is usually from within or from a trusted former colleague- which greatly handicaps the potential talent search pool. How about expanding the search to someone who has an athletic background and also attends/attended the best grad schools in business, mathematics and physics?

[twinsnorth49]

So since this is such a great strategy over two games, the course is now set to make and sign a waiver claim or two each week and keep firing up those much-needed "sparks"? That's the plan?

Well, we should all just be happy that it's at least a plan, which is something that has been conspicuously absent for quite some time now.

[jokin]

 

Well, we should all just be happy that it's at least a plan, which is something that has been conspicuously absent for quite some time now.

 

So far, the latest plan appears to be to:

 

1) cut the fringe players and

2) demote the prized prospects...

 

and replaced by more of:

 

3) their own fringe players and

4) other teams' not-so-prized castoffs.

 

So yeah, it's a plan, I guess...

[jorgenswest]

Is there anyway that we can refrain from characterizing to men working hard for a career as trash in a dumpster?

 

Robbie Grossman is 26. He was not a first round draft pick. He didn't enter baseball as a top 100 prospect. Josh Harrison is likely the only guy drafted in his round that will end up with more career WAR. I appreciate the persistence, effort and determination these men put forth to get to the majors and have a career.

 

I can continue to put folks who makes these characterizations on my ignore list but it seems that more are gravitating to that place.

[jokin]

 

Is there anyway that we can refrain from characterizing to men working hard for a career as trash in a dumpster?

Robbie Grossman is 26. He was not a first round draft pick. He didn't enter baseball as a top 100 prospect. Josh Harrison is likely the only guy drafted in his round that will end up with more career WAR. I appreciate the persistence, effort and determination these men put forth to get to the majors and have a career.

I can continue to put folks who makes these characterizations on my ignore list but it seems that more are gravitating to that place.

 

I really don't think that the majority of these guys mind the characterizations one bit. They get highly compensated for playing a child's game- and even if their only true "success" is making a major league roster at the end of the bench. And what the heck, Bob Uecker and Bob Lurtsema made post-careers our of their professional sports careers- based on making humorous light of their athletic mediocrities. It's a fact of life in this sports-obsessed country- athletes are going to be graded, verbally and monetarily- sometimes with cruel clarity- on a sliding scale based on their relative worth at any given point in time.

[Riverbrian]

Location -- The Big Meeting Room at 1 Twins Way.

 

(Terry Ryan walks into a full room of various people and is greeted by Senior Director of Communications Dustin Morse).

 

Dustin: Thank You for coming Terry... We appreciate you taking the time to be here.

 

Terry: Well... Both Jim and Dave thought I should give you some time.

 

Dustin: Great... Great... Terry... This is Sandy from the firm Research Minnesota and she has put together a 30 minute presentation for you and I must say it's very...

 

Terry: (interrupting) 30 Minutes? No... I can't do that... In 5 minutes I've got to take a phone call from someone who is going to tell me about an exciting 30 year old with speed playing right now in Colorado Springs… 30 Minutes… I can’t do that… give me the top sheet… let’s just go with the top sheet… what’d ya got.

 

Dustin: Umm… OK… Sandy… you are up… we best get started.

 

Sandy:  Terry… I’m Sandy from Research Minnesota and I’ve brought along our best and brightest from our research team and that’s these 5 sitting next to me.

 

Dustin: (interrupting) Terry have you been reading the comment sections or the Forums at Twins Daily.

 

Terry: I don’t have time for that garbage… there is no possible benefit for me to read those opinions. I do not read them… I have never read them… and I will never read them.

 

Dustin: OK… that’s a no… You don’t read the public forums… Got it. Well… I’ve been reading them and Public Opinion is turning on you pretty hard. For example… one commenter stated that Terry Ryan clearly doesn’t have a plan or simply can’t evaluate… Either way… it isn’t good and he must go”.

 

Terry: I read that one… and that’s why I don’t read them. These people have no idea what it takes to run a club day to day.

 

Dustin: I’ve been suspicious about public opinion and declining attendance, so I’ve asked Sandy from Research Minnesota to put a poll in the field and she’s here to give you the results.

 

Terry: Top Sheet Please Sandy… Top Sheet.

 

Sandy: Terry you are obviously busy… so right down to the results that matter. You currently have a 5% approval rating. This is down from 43% last year and 89% when you took the job for the 2nd time.

 

Dustin: Terry… this survey was done exclusively from our Twins Database of Season Ticket Holders. I asked Sandy to make sure the results were not corrupted by respondents who may not be following baseball.

 

Terry: You guys called my wife.

 

Sandy: What?

 

Terry: You called my wife. She was polled.

 

Sandy: (looks at her staff) Well… the odds of that happening were

 

Dustin: (looking at Sandy) What Zips did you use?

 

Research Minnesota Assistant #2: Do you happen to know how she responded? Was she favorable or unfavorable?

 

Research Minnesota Assistant #4: What is your phone number? What is her phone number? I guess that’s a better question.

 

Research Minnesota Assistant #5: Yeah that’s a better question.

 

Terry: Is that it? 5% approval rating… Dustin… what do you need me to do?

 

Dustin: Terry… it’s really simple. We got to start walking things back in the other direction. You have to be more transparent with the fan base… you have to start talking about positives of the team… we have to start trying to move these numbers the other way…  talk about the things that you have done well over the past few years.

 

Terry: Like What?

 

Dustin: We came up with a list of things that you’ve done well and we’d like you to talk about them instead of letting the negative churn over and over.

 

Terry: Where’s the list?

 

Dustin: It’s not a list so much… it’s a more of a… umm…

 

Terry: I Got it… I’ll do a press box drive by today. Anything else?

 

Sandy: We think it’s important to show Twins Fans that you care.

 

Dustin: Yeah… If you could show up at the field during practice… Walk around a little… take it in… Jim Pohlad as well…

 

Sandy: Let people know that you are not sleeping at night.

 

Terry: OK… I got it… Thank You All... I’ve got a phone call to catch.

 

(Terry gets up and heads for the door)

 

Research Minnesota Assistant #5: (Shouts Out) 4 Percent!!!  

 

(Terry Stops and turns around and the room looks at the 5th Assistant)

 

Research Minnesota Assistant #5: I found your wife’s questionnaire and I’ve thrown it out. Your new job approval rating is 4%

 

Terry: Thanks (gives the thumbs up sign and leaves)

[Thrylos]

 

TR is smarter than this.

 

Sure

[DocBauer]

Look, I agree with Levi that instead of patting himself on the back for signing an OK AAA OF to help fill in, Ryan should just come clean on some issues. It wouldn't fix things, but it might inspire a little more confidence in the man and his perspective at this point.

 

Cutting through obvious sarcasm brought on by frustration, there is no way Grossman is a guy who gets some nice extension. If he performs adequately, he's signed to a 2017 contact for the minimum probably.

 

But some perspective on Grossman for a moment. I am NOT sugar coating him or this move, and I don't pretend to know much of anything about him really, but is a 26 yo switch hitter with a nice 6' 215 lb frame. If you ignore his very first milb season in which he only appeared in 5 games, a very rough calculation of his career quad slash line looks like the following:

 

.275/ .380/ .402/ .782

 

He's no slugger, only hitting double digit HR twice, and no more than 13 ever. He's reached double digit SB most years, with an OK success percentage overall.

 

All I'm saying is, for a struggling team with a talented group of OF in AAA gaining experience, Buxton, Kepler, Rosario and Walker, who came in to this year with a COMBINED total of only 224 AB, (129 for Buxton, 95 for Rosario), Grossman may not be a bad option as a temporary, fill-in player who MAY help a bit, and may turn out to be a solid AAA or bench player. I think it's unfair to look at the acquisition and player through a lens of frustration with TR and the season in general.

[Otto von Ballpark]

FYI, even if Grossman finishes out 2016 with us, he won't be arbitration eligible.

[Riverbrian]

 

Is there anyway that we can refrain from characterizing to men working hard for a career as trash in a dumpster?

Robbie Grossman is 26. He was not a first round draft pick. He didn't enter baseball as a top 100 prospect. Josh Harrison is likely the only guy drafted in his round that will end up with more career WAR. I appreciate the persistence, effort and determination these men put forth to get to the majors and have a career.

I can continue to put folks who makes these characterizations on my ignore list but it seems that more are gravitating to that place.

 

I agree with you... None of it is fair to Grossman. 

 

I hope you understand that when I make fun of things that I try not to do it directly at him because this is extremely important to him. 

 

I hope Grossman is a diamond in the rough and this is the beginning of a long MLB Career. 

 

However... I am at a loss when you can place Grossman on the 25 man roster after he was not wanted by two different organizations and he instantly becomes our 2nd best player. 

[TheLeviathan]

I actually like us giving Grossman time over someone like Murphy or Mastro.  When you're rebuilding (and we are) taking a risk on a AAAA player to put it together is something I will always endorse.  

 

My problem with this is characterizing two games of production as a "reward" and stating it is already a definitive course of action for Ryan to take in the future.  It's baffling to draw any conclusions from two games.

 

I like the approach, but Ryan should know better than to invest so much into such limited success.  Or perhaps this explains a few other moves in recent history?

[DaveW]

Grossman is making $12500 for every week he is on a major league roster. Nobody is bashing him, so I don't feel too bad about someone poking fun with this thread...

 

I think Grossman could stick for a year or two as a bench guy/back up OF. Which is great and all, but in a 11-32 season Ryan shouldn't be patting himself on the back after 2 games for picking up a guy like this.

 

Pat yourself on the back the next time you find the next David Ortiz on the open market or something...

[jokin]

 

I agree with you... None of it is fair to Grossman. 

 

I hope you understand that when I make fun of things that I try not to do it directly at him because this is extremely important to him. 

 

I hope Grossman is a diamond in the rough and this is the beginning of a long MLB Career. 

 

However... I am at a loss when you can place Grossman on the 25 man roster after he was not wanted by two different organizations and he instantly becomes our 2nd best player. 

 

I challenge your outlandish assertion and too, am at a loss... Just exactly who is our first best player?

[jokin]

 

 

Pat yourself on the back the next time you find the next David Ortiz on the open market or something...

 

Wasn't finding him once already, enough?

[Riverbrian]

 

I challenge your outlandish assertion and too, am at a loss... Just exactly who is our first best player?

 

Centeno

 

Who else would it be!!!

[theBOMisthebomb]

It would be cooler if they signed Marcy Grossman of Big Bang Theory popularity off the waiver wire.