Article: Twins Manager Paul Molitor Fired

[bighat]

 

If ever there was a year when September records and statistics can be ignored completely...this would be it regarding the Twins.  The Twins need to overhaul in a fairly major way.  The manager should be just the first step.

 

Agreed. A few have said that Molitor did a good job winning 78 games with this ramshackle squad. But don't be fooled - those last few series were gift-wrapped and featured clubs with 100+ loss records who were treating the games like a scrimmage. The 2018 Twins lost when they needed to win, and went on 7-game losing streaks when they absolutely needed to get hot. Nothing went right for this team and it was an extremely disappointing year.

[Shaitan]

 

Re: New manager... Six of the nine coaches are FO hires. This leads me to believe that they will hire an inexperienced manager, where they can choose which coaches stay with the team. Or they hire from the inside, like Shelton. Just a guess. 

 

If the FO goes with an inexperienced manager, does that mean they are looking to 2020 and later to compete? If so, Gibson and either Kepler or Rosario may be on the trade block before the 2019 season. My suspicion began with the Pressly trade.  He had another year left and had already made strides with the Twins. Another wild-ass guess but it kind of fits together. 

 

And thanks to Paul Molitor for his tenure with the Twins. Best wishes moving forward.

Agreed.

 

This front office seems to want more control. I think they go with a first-time or relatively unexperienced MLB manager (though perhaps experienced coach) who is willing to take "top-down" instruction. A Showalter, Scosia, etc will want to call all the shots.

[wsnydes]

While admittedly I never liked the hiring in the first place, i was willing to give him a chance and I do think that he actually improved in some areas as he gained experience. He wasn't fired because of this season alone however. While things like the bullpen management, general attitude towards the younger players and playing his veteran favorites more irritated me, there were limitations to what he had to work with. That said, I don't think he took advantage of opportunities to rest his bullpen horses. But what has always bothered me most about Molitor's teams is their inability to play fundamental baseball. They consistently beat themselves. I can live with losing because they other team is better, but if you consistently beat yourself like this team has under Molitor's watch then that has to go back to the manager. The fact that this problem never drastically improved is a worthy of a firing on it's own in my opinion. Those types of mistakes are correctable and they never were.

[djvang]

 

Wally Backman.

 

The worse the season is going the more entertaining it will be.

 

We'll be praying for losses just to see some meltdowns.

Sano and Buxton having been busts so far got me thinking about Steve Gasser and Brian Baumgarner, two minor league pitching phenoms from the mid 80's that the Twins wouldn't trade for anyone.  They never made the majors and eventually were traded to the Mets for .........Wally Backman.

[USAFChief]

While admittedly I never liked the hiring in the first place, i was willing to give him a chance and I do think that he actually improved in some areas as he gained experience. He wasn't fired because of this season alone however. While things like the bullpen management, general attitude towards the younger players and playing his veteran favorites more irritated me, there were limitations to what he had to work with. That said, I don't think he took advantage of opportunities to rest his bullpen horses. But what has always bothered me most about Molitor's teams is their inability to play fundamental baseball. They consistently beat themselves. I can live with losing because they other team is better, but if you consistently beat yourself like this team has under Molitor's watch then that has to go back to the manager. The fact that this problem never drastically improved is a worthy of a firing on it's own in my opinion. Those types of mistakes are correctable and they never were.

Concur 100 percent.

 

The Twins gave Molitor limited talent, and that’s not his fault.

 

But the team, under him, played some miserably bad baseball, unrelated to talent. It doesn’t take talent to throw to the right base, run the bases properly, know how many outs there are, etc etc etc.

 

And for my money, that sort of stuff IS ultimately his fault.

 

Add in the poor pitching management and this was an easy call, IMO.

 

In the interests of full disclosure I’m not in the “managers don’t make much difference” camp. I think they make a great deal of difference. Why would baseball be hugely different than any other group endeavor?

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Well,we all thought Dougie Baseball should've been the pick before, or in the mix later.

No, "we" didn't. Some did. I think Mientkiewicz would be a horrible pick as manager given the direction baseball has gone over the past two decades.

 

Someone in this thread referenced more quotes why that's the case. He doesn't value analytics in an age when analytics should be a part of almost every conversation regarding a player.

[nicksaviking]

 

Re: New manager... Six of the nine coaches are FO hires. This leads me to believe that they will hire an inexperienced manager, where they can choose which coaches stay with the team. Or they hire from the inside, like Shelton. Just a guess. 

 

If the FO goes with an inexperienced manager, does that mean they are looking to 2020 and later to compete? If so, Gibson and either Kepler or Rosario may be on the trade block before the 2019 season. My suspicion began with the Pressly trade.  He had another year left and had already made strides with the Twins. Another wild-ass guess but it kind of fits together. 

 

And thanks to Paul Molitor for his tenure with the Twins. Best wishes moving forward.

 

I wouldn't think so, new managers are quite often a catalyst for a quick turnaround. I couldn't say why, it's perhaps intangible, but it happens very frequently, including with Molitor. 

 

I was in favor of a new manager if for no other reason than to kick-start this club (but there were other reasons also).

[Moosa105]

Twins should target Ryan Garko as a candidate

[ashbury]

My thoughts on managers/supervisors and MOTIVATION.

 

Thirty years ago when I was in the Navy...

"A boss says, Go. A leader says, Let's Go."

 

OTOH I don't think 68-year old Connie Mack was out there doing wind sprints with the boys when his 1931 A's won the pennant. (Or maybe he did, and that's why his teams in his 80s did poorly.)

[Battle ur tail off]

 

Really - Lynn, Morrison and Castro performed as advertised? 

 

Well, kind of. They are all C level guys to begin with. And they gave you C-D level production. These are the types of moves the Twins need to quit making. 

[Battle ur tail off]

I don't care one way or another that Molitor was fired. I think he probably got the axe because all of our young players this year didn't do so well. Sans Eddie Rosario anyway. 

 

We all had to know also, that he is not Falvine's GUY and that they have probably been waiting to get rid of him and would have done so last year had they not made the playoffs/manager of the year, etc. 

 

 

 

[Vanimal46]

We all had to know also, that he is not Falvine's GUY and that they have probably been waiting to get rid of him and would have done so last year had they not made the playoffs/manager of the year, etc.

No doubt about it. That's their prerogative to do so. This firing feels different IMO. At the time when Gardy was fired I think we were all tired of him and ready to move on. There are some who were ready to move on from Molitor too, but I bet if we polled casual fans they would view this as a head scratcher...

 

It can be argued he did better this year than last year given the circumstances... Regardless, we're all living in Falvine's World now. Hope they find what they're looking for to turn around this organization quickly.

[nicksaviking]

 

"A boss says, Go. A leader says, Let's Go."

 

OTOH I don't think 68-year old Connie Mack was out there doing wind sprints with the boys when his 1931 A's won the pennant. (Or maybe he did, and that's why his teams in his 80s did poorly.)

 

No way. You know how bad a classic early century wool suit is going to smell after doing wind sprints? He would have been paying his dry cleaner more than any of his players.

[Moosa105]

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/02/24/jim-thome-wants-to-be-a-manager/

[USAFChief]

No way. You know how bad a classic early century wool suit is going to smell after doing wind sprints?

Yes.

[Battle ur tail off]

 

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/02/24/jim-thome-wants-to-be-a-manager/

 

Sign me up. A winner. That's what Thome was. Not sure if he would be good or not, but he's a great guy and would sure be interesting and probably put butts in the seats. 

[ashbury]

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/02/24/jim-thome-wants-to-be-a-manager/

Apply for a job at Pensacola, and let's see how things shake out next time there's an opening at the top.

[Doomtints]

 

Apply for a job at Pensacola, and let's see how things shake out next time there's an opening at the top.

 

Jim Thome is bored out of his mind right now. He lives in west-suburban Chicago and has been a pollution activist because of a high-polluting factory near his neighborhood.

 

His activism woke up the Governor-Without-A-Pulse when it was pointed out to him by Thome that this is a Republican-voting district. In a rare sign of life for the Governor, he wants the plant closed before the election.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Doomtints

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

 

Jim Thome is bored out of his mind right now. He lives in west-suburban Chicago and has been a pollution activist because of a high-polluting factory near his neighborhood.

 

His activism woke up the Governor-Without-A-Pulse when it was pointed out to him by Thome that this is a Republican-voting district. In a rare sign of life for the Governor, he wants the plant closed before the election.

well that certainly qualifies him to manage a MLB team

[mlhouse]

I think Mollie was actually a good manager.  The two above 500 seasons I think are adequate testimony to that.  

What he wasn't was a guy that could develop the younger players and move them from being prospects to legitimate MLB players.  
 

The Twins need that type of manager, and have needed it even before Molitor.  The manager needs to be patient and teaching, and have a coaching staff that does the same.  

[Nine of twelve]

I think LEN III is a good writer and a fairly intelligent guy. But his article today discussed 13 (13!) possible candidates for the managerial opening. This isn't reporting. This is just brainstorming and finding something to write for the sake of writing something.

[DocBauer]

I am in favor of change that manager but I do think this points out an important distinction. Molitor could have been a good manager for a veteran team with more established roles. The problem is that not what the Twins have. In fact, they have the opposite, a young team hwere roles, spots in the batting order, positions, etc. are all still being defined. Molitor likes to put out a set lineup where players have set goals during the course of the season, just look at his bullpen philosophy.

 

Bottom line, it really doesn't matter if Molitor is a good manager qua manager in a different situation. He is not the right guy for the state this team is at and he needeed to be replaced. I haven't agreed with everything FO has done but I agree with this.

 

100%!

 

You can blame the development, or lack thereof, of some of the young players or the milb coaches. But the fact remains this team is young and getting younger. The core and majority of this team is 26yo and younger. And there is a lack of fundamentals. I'm not saying this was a contending team, but if we could have somehow been even in all those 1 run games, this team finishes above. 500. Now, I don't know how many of those 1 run losses were "given away", but I think I make my point.

 

Whoever comes in doesn't have to be a taciturn leader. But he needs to stress fundamentals. And he and his staff also need to be able to communicate, and be able to instruct. There is no plug and play for any team, much less one with so much untapped potential in their young players.

[jorgenswest]

A lot of stuff happened that was out of Molitor’s control. I don’t question that.

 

Manager’s matter though. Has anyone pointed out some deficit they need to fill now that Molitor is gone? What did he bring to the table that will be really hard to replace?

 

The Twins (or any mid market team) need a great manager and front office to compete. Average won’t do it. “Not his fault” won’t do it.

 

It is on the front office to find that great manager. If they can’t it should be their jobs on the line next.

[Linus]

I think Mollie was actually a good manager. The two above 500 seasons I think are adequate testimony to that.

What he wasn't was a guy that could develop the younger players and move them from being prospects to legitimate MLB players.

 

The Twins need that type of manager, and have needed it even before Molitor. The manager needs to be patient and teaching, and have a coaching staff that does the same.

I thought that was what the minor leagues were for? Mollies job was to win games

[yarnivek1972]

100%!You can blame the development, or lack thereof, of some of the young players or the milb coaches. But the fact remains this team is young and getting younger. The core and majority of this team is 26yo and younger. And there is a lack of fundamentals. I'm not saying this was a contending team, but if we could have somehow been even in all those 1 run games, this team finishes above. 500. Now, I don't know how many of those 1 run losses were "given away", but I think I make my point. Whoever comes in doesn't have to be a taciturn leader. But he needs to stress fundamentals. And he and his staff also need to be able to communicate, and be able to instruct. There is no plug and play for any team, much less one with so much untapped potential in their young players.

Granted, many of those players are gone (or will be), but the Twins were the 8th OLDEST team on opening day.

[mikelink45]

Wanted: Manager

Preferably someone so analytical that you can create a bullpen and rotation out of thin air, make our key players produce despite injuries and suspensions.  You should be a manager who knows how to use great stats to replace great players and is especially good at dealing with misfits that the FO picks off the waiver wire or old players who are past a prime that were never that great.  You must know how to play defense with a SS that has off and on days, find a 2B - somewhere, juggle 1B between players that are not known for their glove and will replace someone who was.  Need to have a speed dial for weight watchers to keep 3B viable and be a psychologist for a potentially great and never really produced keystone CF.  If you feel qualified and have some connection to the Indians who always seem really good but can't win the big one - send your Stats to the Twins FO.  Job to begin in 2019.

Edited October 4, 2018 by mikelink45

[TheLeviathan]

A lot of stuff happened that was out of Molitor’s control. I don’t question that.

Manager’s matter though. Has anyone pointed out some deficit they need to fill now that Molitor is gone? What did he bring to the table that will be really hard to replace?

The Twins (or any mid market team) need a great manager and front office to compete. Average won’t do it. “Not his fault” won’t do it.

It is on the front office to find that great manager. If they can’t it should be their jobs on the line next.

I disagree. Managers add almost nothing. Will it be hard to replace him? No. But that’s true for pretty much anyone with that title IMO. Especially in today’s game.

 

Talent is king, whoever the new guy is better hope he is afforded a lot more of it.

[jokin]

 

A lot of stuff happened that was out of Molitor’s control. I don’t question that.

Manager’s matter though. Has anyone pointed out some deficit they need to fill now that Molitor is gone? What did he bring to the table that will be really hard to replace?

The Twins (or any mid market team) need a great manager and front office to compete. Average won’t do it. “Not his fault” won’t do it.

It is on the front office to find that great manager. If they can’t it should be their jobs on the line next.

 

While I like your post, ownership essentially signed the duo with one hand tied behind their backs by indefinitely forcing Molitor upon them. Admittedly, Falvine agreed to the arrangement, but it still remains true that they have been delayed by 3 years in putting their own personal imprimatur on this team by way of not having "their" guy in the dugout from day one.

 

Regardless, if 2019's results are similar to 2018's, I don't know if these guys are slick enough to convince Pohlad to retain them going forward.

[jokin]

 

 

I disagree. Managers add almost nothing. Will it be hard to replace him? No. But that’s true for pretty much anyone with that title IMO. Especially in today’s game.

Talent is king, whoever the new guy is better hope he is afforded a lot more of it.

 

I think the manager add almost nothing mantra is debatable. Not as true as in the 20th Century. Proper implementation of baseball analytics, both via successful roster deployment and in-game strategies has helped many a shrewd manager gain an edge on the talent-laden "favorites". Quantifiably, the teams with the biggest payrolls presumably have the best talent, particularly starting pitching- but hot mid-market teams with good managers have regularly rained on their parades in terms of World Series titles. The Yankees have been to one, and won another one, WS in 15 years. The Dodgers have had the highest league payroll for at least a decade, yet only finally made a WS appearance last year, their first since what, the 80s?

 

Because of how baseball is played, managers don't add a huge difference, like in football, but the difference is likely much more than "almost nothing."

Edited October 4, 2018 by jokin

[Doctor Wu]

 

Mauer does not have the fire, that this team needs in a manager. No way coach of some kind or pr guy, NOT manager in any way.

 

Mauer does not have the fire, that this team needs in a manager. No way coach of some kind or pr guy, NOT manager in any way.

Gotta agree with that assessment. I just don't think Mauer is manager material, nor do I think he would even want the job.