Fangraphs interview with Falvey and Levine

[Mike Sixel]

Normally I put non-Twins Daily stuff in a long thread, but here you go:

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/falvey-and-levine-new-leadership-in-minnesota/

 

Long interview from the winter meetings!

[nicksaviking]

Levine states that Jack Goin has a vision and they are looking to surround him with investment and personnel. It also lists Jack as the Director of Baseball Research.

 

I'm don't recall seeing Jack get that title anywhere, sorry if I missed it. If this is new news to Twins Daily, congrats to Jack, I think I can safely say that nearly all of our posters here will be happy that Jack is sticking with the club.

[Mike Sixel]

It was about what you'd expect, other than the Goin part, and continuing to read Molly is open to new ideas (didn't see that in action much last year...)

 

It was good, though, I enjoyed it.

[Monkeypaws]

Nice read - thanks for posting it Mike.

 

Falvey and Levine sure seem pretty sharp.

[PseudoSABR]

I also was heartened (and somewhat surprised) to read that Goin had brought the analytical department a long way.

 

Falvey: “I was impressed by some of the work that already been done. When you work for another team, you really don’t know what’s under the hood of another team when it comes to systems. It felt like there’s a good framework in place, in a system where we could access information. Thad and I both have specific ideas on the types of information we could pull out of it eventually, consistent with what we used with our past clubs. Right now it’s a good framework to build off of.”

[nicksaviking]

 

Molly is open to new ideas

 

 

I'd like to see someone tell their new boss that they weren't open to new ideas!

[Platoon]

>>>>>>> Molly is open to new ideas? Photos? Any chance Molly was wearing a red seed corn cap?

[amjgt]

Falvey: Jack, we're really excited to keep you on board and for all the progress you've made within the analytics system...... BUT....... Never post on that Twins Daily site again.

 

Jack: You bet, boss [deletes account]

[nicksaviking]

 

Falvey: Jack, we're really excited to keep you on board and for all the progress you've made within the analytics system...... BUT....... Never post on that Twins Daily site again.

 

Jack: You bet, boss [deletes account]

 

OR

 

Jack what do you think about using crowd sourcing as a tool even if just for a reference? I think you should hit up the intelligent and dedicated guys and gals at Twins Daily for some hypotheticals and see what the data says.

 

Oh, they might be better equipped to help us out from the Legends Club, make sure they get the tickets.

[amjgt]

 

OR

 

Jack what do you think about using crowd sourcing as a tool even if just for a reference? I think you should hit up the intelligent and dedicated guys and gals at Twins Daily for some hypotheticals and see what the data says.

 

Oh, they might be better equipped to help us out from the Legends Club, make sure they get the tickets.

 

I like your version better

[Han Joelo]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention Mike Sixel and Twins Daily.  Interesting read.  Not much to add, other than is that a little bit of passive-aggressive treatment of Molitor?  "He's the one holding the pen" (He's the one holding the rope, he can hang himself if he wants?)

[ashbury]

Having been a critic of (my outsider's impression of) the analytics department, I am happy to be proved wrong and to see that Jack has a vision that satisfies people with experience in other such groups.

 

There is room to read between the lines that the present state of things may be below par, but also that such state might have been to some degree imposed from above.

[ashbury]

Another quote:

“Levine: One thing we’re trying to evolve to is getting away from the quality-control concept, because it implies that we’ve lost control of our quality and need somebody to bring quality back in.

He then goes on to describe a properly functioning quality-control concept as what he wants.

 

I don't know anyone who thinks having a QC person inside a group of professionals means you've lost control of quality. If I engage the cruise control in my car, does it mean I did it because I lost control of the vehicle?^*

 

^{* _{Those of you who have ridden with me are forbidden from answering this rhetorical question.}}

[GCTF]

 

OR

 

Jack what do you think about using crowd sourcing as a tool even if just for a reference? I think you should hit up the intelligent and dedicated guys and gals at Twins Daily for some hypotheticals and see what the data says.

 

Oh, they might be better equipped to help us out from the Legends Club, make sure they get the tickets.

deletes account

[nicksaviking]

Another quote:

 

He then goes on to describe a properly functioning quality-control concept as what he wants.

 

I don't know anyone who thinks having a QC person inside a group of professionals means you've lost control of quality. If I engage the cruise control in my car, does it mean I did it because I lost control of the vehicle?^*

 

^{* _{Those of you who have ridden with me are forbidden from answering this rhetorical question.}}

I was in quality and control once, I can say I did feel like an outsider from the rest of the company.

 

However I can also say the group we were 'quality controlling' absolutely would have neither quality nor control without oversight or adult supervision.

[ashbury]

 

I can say I did feel like an outsider from the rest of the company.

I said 'properly functioning'.

[Ncgo4]

Molly is open to new ideas!  Even if he didn't know that before he heard this interview, he knows it now.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Thanks for sharing Mike! I think getting to know Falvey's and Levine's personalities will be fun. They both seem to have pretty good senses of humor.

[HitInAPinch]

“The combination of those three mindsets can lead us down a path of building a sustainable winner.”

 

That's all we've ever asked for.