Molitor Fired

[Vanimal46]

[Vanimal46]

Makes sense that Falvine wants their own guy. I'm surprised they got approval from Mr. Pohlad to make the move.

[Puckett34]

Color me surprised a little bit on this one.   I'm not shocked, but wow.   What are some potential replacements? 

[HrbekRules]

Not surprised, and not disappointed.  It was coming, the front office wants their own guy.  I also think they could find someone better with bullpen usage, who will also trust young players more, to help development.

[wsnydes]

Never been a fan of his hiring. Nonetheless, I wish him and his staff well in whatever their future holds. 

[blindeke]

Too bad they couldn't just have hired Tony Lovullo in the first place.

 

I wonder if insisting on Belisle was the last straw?

[Vanimal46]

Too bad they couldn't just have hired Tony Lovullo in the first place.

 

I wonder if insisting on Belisle was the last straw?

Certainly didn't help his case if in fact it was Molitor insisting on keeping him.

[MABB1959]

That was swift and so unlike the Twins.  Sad to see it happen but it is probably for the best.  Are they going to take Morris away too?  Three MN icons in one week?

[rghrbek]

We will probably never know what the real reasons are, since we don't have a beat writer like Russo who will actually get in there and do the dirty work, so all we can do is go with he was not their guy.

 

Not a big fan of Molly, but I am truly surprised he was let go.  I thought Polhad's comments were somewhat telling a few days ago.

[woolywoolhouse]

Even though I'm quite certain his mind is already made up... if it wasn't, will this be a final nail in the coffin of "Will Mauer come back?" (Unless someone he really, really wants to play for his hired as manager very soon.)

[Vanimal46]

Color me surprised a little bit on this one. I'm not shocked, but wow. What are some potential replacements?

Chris Gimenez? Only partially kidding there.

[mickeymental]

joe mauer: player/manager.

[mazeville]

Eh not a fan of this. Kinda get it. But honestly this team outperformed expectations considering everything that befell this team this year. 

[Mike Sixel]

We'll see who they replace him with, that's the key ....though I will have no idea (unless it is a retread) what he's like, so I doubt any prediction I make will be accurate.

 

I was never a fan of Molitor in the role, but he did seem to be improving some this year in terms of bunting and other things (RP use excluded, imo).

[D. Hocking]

 

Even though I'm quite certain his mind is already made up... if it wasn't, will this be a final nail in the coffin of "Will Mauer come back?" (Unless someone he really, really wants to play for his hired as manager very soon.)

 

Yes -- both because it points to Lavine and Falvey  wanting to put their own mark and move on from the old Twins and because Joe seemed to really like  Paul.  Whatever his flaws as manager he was probably the perfect manager for Joe (which obviously is not enough to keep the job).  Joe is probably at the point - do I really want to play on another complete rebuild at this point.

 

I remember seeing some national sports figure asked about who he thought would be a good player manager.  Someone mentioned Mauer - and his reply was "he is too nice".

 

I like Paul, I feel bad for him, and I think I would have given him one more year.   While the season was a disappointment, I thought it could have been a bigger shipwreck at the end of the season, and he kept the team playing as well as the talent would provide.  I tend managers tend to get the blame and the glory that largely lays elsewhere.  That said, I can understand why the powers that be want to get their own guy.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

We'll see who they replace him with, that's the key ....though I will have no idea (unless it is a retread) what he's like, so I doubt any prediction I make will be accurate.

 

I was never a fan of Molitor in the role, but he did seem to be improving some this year in terms of bunting and other things (RP use excluded, imo).

I also thought he improved but that bullpen usage... yikes. That alone might have been enough to give him the axe.

 

A manager simply cannot tax half his bullpen that much and ignore the other half of the bullpen for 162 games. It's irresponsible and short-sighted.

[Squirrel]

Okay ... wow ... never did I ever think they'd do it. Never did I ever believe Pohlad would let them ... just ... wow.

[Champuckett]

Gleeman is dead on, this did need to happen last year but due to the team overperformance, Santana being Cy worthy for a lot of the year, both Sano and Buxton looking like MVP caliber players for a few months each, and making the playoffs unexpectedly, despite the low expectations, plus MOY honors, it was more difficult to cut the string.

 

I'm not sure if people forgot, but Molitor presided over the worst season in the history of the Twins just a couple of years ago.  It should have been done immediately following that season, but there was still turmoil with Gardy and then TR being fired and the drama that ensued, so I take it they were afraid to do too much too quickly, being conservative owners.

 

Anyways, there it is, what has needed to be done for years.  Hoping we can make something positive come out of this going forward.

[Mike Sixel]

I'd close this thread....so we only have one....but then I'm sure I said the oppo before, so that's why I'm not a mod.....

[nicksaviking]

 

I'd close this thread....so we only have one....but then I'm sure I said the oppo before, so that's why I'm not a mod.....

 

Can't merge regular threads and Articles without screwing up the OP article. 

 

And yes, you have chewed my butt for closing similar threads as that is the alternative

 

That said, this is a better place to have this conversation:

 

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/31490-article-twins-manager-paul-molitor-fired/

[jimmer]

A lot of people happy about this news.

 

Good luck Paul.

[Circus Boy]

Can't tell you how many times this season when, in the late innings, it was obvious from the first pitch that the reliever of choice was going to serve up BP and BLAM! The lead and game was lost. And on Joe Mauer Day, with a 5-2 lead, the manager brings in a struggling Hildenberger, who gets baled by Rogers, then brings in Belisle, who just got raked the night before, and May Day saves the game. Mystifying choices. If we as casual fans can see the obvious, I'm gratified the FO wasn't blind, either.

 

It looked pretty clear in close-ups during the game that Molitor knew he was toast.  

[Doomtints]

 

It looked pretty clear in close-ups during the game that Molitor knew he was toast.  

 

I think he knew it was coming too. His quote about how he wanted to be back next year was a little strange given his contract situation. He sniffed something out or he was already told.

[Platoon]

Can't tell you how many times this season when, in the late innings, it was obvious from the first pitch that the reliever of choice was going to serve up BP and BLAM! The lead and game was lost. And on Joe Mauer Day, with a 5-2 lead, the manager brings in a struggling Hildenberger, who gets baled by Rogers, then brings in Belisle, who just got raked the night before, and May Day saves the game. Mystifying choices. If we as casual fans can see the obvious, I'm gratified the FO wasn't blind, either.

 

It looked pretty clear in close-ups during the game that Molitor knew he was toast.

 

In what may be the only defense of Molitor that I will ever type, the Belisle thing was Joe's choosing. He wanted Belisle to throw that pitch. I just dropped a way too long post in the article, I will spare you the reprisal. But for the same reasons many have posted already, it was time for him to make way for someone the FO had an investment in.

[ND-Fan]

Molitor is not the reason this team has under performed and didn't meet expectations. The majority of the blame rests with this front office and i truly believe they came here with plan is not to build on what was here but they following the Houston plan of blowing whole thing up and tanking in next few years. I think Molitor delayed that plan last year and they tried to milk something out players that were here but in end they just gutted the team. Buxton now was manipulated this year in doing so  saving year of service time in hopes the young talent will arrive early to play with him if he pans out if not doesn't change the plan. I just wonder if Pohlads are going to stick with this Front office when fans scream about the loosing and quit coming to the ball park. I also believe the analyticals are going to kill baseball for true fan that has been watching baseball for most of their lives. The game changes they have made the game boring, slow, and taken offense out the game with all metrics being employed. I wonder how long before MLB is going to see this only time fans like this in end of the season in last two rounds of the playoffs it makes something like football. The problem is baseball is season of 162 games nobody wants to watch all this strategy for regular season game especially when it takes 4 hours to do this. Even in the playoffs it only works because now we have teams that are loaded up with talent from middle of season from all the teams that were selling there talent to tank to acquire top young prospects. These final teams can make all these moves because they  have the talent. I much preferred it when like our 87 Twins by numbers shouldn't have been there but because of few players they could out perform there counter parts on the other team. I mean we won with two starting pitchers, good set up man and great closer and great performances out 3 or 4 position players. But getting back today I think were just killing baseball for the long term with how game has changed. I think I am right on this because attendance is dropping in baseball and also tv viewership for the regular season is also dropping too the old game was much quicker game and you had teams identified by their star players and today all that is gone.

[old nurse]

 

Chris Gimenez? Only partially kidding there.

He was seen on these boards as a Molitor guy.