Article: Is Paul Molitor the Right Man to Lead the Twins?

[Jerr]

Yesterday, when Molitor voiced displeasure at Texas for stealing a base, in the 4th inning, speaks volumes to me. Unreal for a manager to have that kind of attitude. And it has to affect the teams desire to win and never give up. Never would have thought that of Molitor.

 

[notoriousgod71]

Kapler got crucified for his first couple weeks in Philly. He adapted by allowing his starters a little more leeway and suddenly they are a better ballclub.

 

I haven't seen Molitor adapt or change anything since he's been here.

[Platoon]

It’s always hard to evaluate a baseball manager and it is particularly hard to evaluate Molitor given the very limited contributions this year from Sano, Buxton and Polanco, and the complete absence of Santana. Still, I do think there are three things that he has done so poorly that it should effect his job were it not for his very close relationship with the owner:

(1) He has been slow to react to poor performance by veteran players. He stuck way too long with Reed in a late inning role, left Dozier at the front of the order far too long, and it is still over playing Morrison, Belisle and Presley. I would include Wilson and Odorizzi on that list but he doesn’t have replacements on the roster for them so the Front Office has to take part of the blame for those guys being regular “contributors” to this sinking ship. This is a problem he has had ever since he’s been a manager. I think he is just too loyal and to set in his ways. This isn’t a factory where you can tolerate some performance slippage in long term employees. These guys have to bring it at a high-level every day and every year or they need to be replaced.

(2) Poor bullpen management. He has made decisions on defined roles for pitchers and has been stubborn about changing those roles when pitchers don’t perform. Again, the FO has to share in this a little because they haven’t brought up some of the younger players who might be able to fill those roles but I do think Molitor has to take most of the blame.

(3) Bad baserunning. There is no excuse for all of the outs this team makes on the bases. That’s something that a good manager should be able to fix. He hasn’t.

Look, I actually think Molitor could be a good manager with the right team of veterans who knew their roles, knew what was expected of them, and could consistently perform. Unfortunately, that’s not this team and it’s really not this team with all the injuries. This is a young, developing team that requires a much more hands-on, teaching approach combined with a willingness to reward good play and punish bad behavior and play. I just don’t think Molitor is that guy. I do think he is a good baseball man and could be in asset to the organization. I just don’t think is well-suited to be the manager of this team at this time.

I would kick him upstairs to a teaching and organizational role and replace him as a manager. I don’t know that we have a lot of managerial depth in the organization at this point so I would look outside.

1) .......Dozier is a perfect example of some of the problems. I am sort of a "dance with the one who brung you" type of manager fan. I have never been crazy aboout trying to ride a hot streak by a sub optimal player. To me it seems like day trading stocks. A day late, and several dollars short. But the Dozier thing is a perfect example of blind loyalty. I doubt there is anything Dozier could do to lose his upper half of the order position for over a day. And it looks like the next example is Belisle. Which begs Brian's question. Who exactly wanted Matt Belisle on this roster, this year. He just does not fit.

[Mike Sixel]

No. The hbp yesterday is the last straw for me.