2019 Twins Coaching Staff News

[redstorm]

According to The Athletic, Garvin Alston won't be back for 2019.

 

Surprising to say the least.

[redstorm]

[Mike Sixel]

I'd feel better about the FO if they could stick to a decision for more than a day or two.... And yes, that's an exaggeration.

[ChrisKnutson]

I’m not feeling this one...

[Seth Stohs]

This one is surprising... But, Baldelli coming in from the Rays... Alston was just brought in a year about BUT Josh Kalk was brought in after that, so they may have had someone in mind all along. Will be interesting. 

[Seth Stohs]

Hayes now reporting that hitting coach James Rowson and assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez will remain on the 2019 staff.

[Seth Stohs]

I changed the Original title of this forum thread to 2019 Twins Coaching Staff... just so we can include all Twins coaching news and updates here. 

[Vanimal46]

So much for being hand-picked by Falvine.

[Moosa105]

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one

[Seth Stohs]

From his article on The Athletic, Hayes wrote:

 

 

Beyond that is even more uncertainty. Multiple sources have said coach Jeff Pickler potentially could be transferred into a front-office role with the team. The futures of bullpen coach Eddie Guardado, third-base coach Gene Glynn and first-base coach Jeff Smith also have yet to be addressed.

 

[Seth Stohs]

Note on Derek Shelton (he's been given permission to interview for an open manager job).

 

https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1057343143643877378 

[Ryan Atkins]

I thought Alston and several of the other coaches did a nice job last year for Paul Molitor. But I also think that when you hire a new manager, you should allow that person to pick his own staff. I hope Baldelli is getting a strong say in the on-field staff.

[Seth Stohs]

LaVelle adds that Jeff Smith and Eddie Guardado also will be gone. 

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

Updated... STrib is reporting that Gene Glynn and Jeff Pickler will also not be back on the coaching staff. Rumors are that there is a good chance Jeff Pickler will move into the front office in some role. 

[DocBauer]

Surprised by Alston and Pickler. Thought Pickler was responsible for our recent trend of shifting and did rather well in his job.

 

Really interested in the future bench coach!

[yarnivek1972]

Could be that leaving was Alston’s call for a different job.

[PseudoSABR]

 

I'd feel better about the FO if they could stick to a decision for more than a day or two.... And yes, that's an exaggeration.

If they don't feel he's a fit, I'm glad they are moving on, rather than staying married to a bad decision.  

[Winston Smith]

 

I'd feel better about the FO if they could stick to a decision for more than a day or two.... And yes, that's an exaggeration.

This may be the first time anyone has exaggerated on Twins daily. I hope this doesn't become a trend.

[Mike Sixel]

 

If they don't feel he's a fit, I'm glad they are moving on, rather than staying married to a bad decision.  

 

I agree, but I'm hoping they don't, you know, extend a manager, then fire him, hire coaches, then fire them, trade like they are in it, then trade off guys.......it's kind of a trend. Now, the ability to admit mistakes and move on is a strong trait, but I'd prefer they be right more often the first move......

[beckmt]

Some of these may be people Molitor picked and the FO let him have.  If that was the case, no suprises here. Outside of Alston, most of those coaches had been here awhile.  Pickler may be moved to the office so only the pre FO coaches will have been moved (outside of Alston).  Maybe Pressly's comments had more effect than we knew.   :shoot:

[nicksaviking]

Throughout the year, outwardly it looked like the pitching coaches were pulling their weight much more so than the hitting coaches.

 

Of course Ryan Pressly went and pulled back the curtain for the WaPo. So there must be much more (or much less) going on behind the scenes. I liked Alston previously, but I really like that this move is very anti-country club.

[TheLeviathan]

I thought Alston did some nice things last year.  Pressley credited him pretty clearly for his breakout.  

 

I don't know all the inner workings, that one just surprises me a bit.  

[wsnydes]

If they don't feel he's a fit, I'm glad they are moving on, rather than staying married to a bad decision.

It may not mean that it was a bad decision, just that Baldelli has a guy in mind that he wants to bring along.

[Thrylos]

It is refreshing to finally see the Twins shredding the plague of the last couple decades that almost good enough was not only acceptable but was lauded as a success, and start holding people accountable for losing instead of giving them tenure for life.

 

The Twins underperformed this year with a team much better on paper that the one in 2017 that went to the wild card game.  The pitchers other than Gibson (who was fixed in AAA last season and continued what he did last second half) either stayed the same (Berrios; who should have been much better by now) or under-performed.  Lynn, Odorizzi, Reed, Hildenberger had career worst seasons.  Lynn and Pressly turned into much better pitchers after being traded.

 

Why keep the pitching coach and the bullpen coach again?

 

 

[mike8791]

It is refreshing to finally see the Twins shredding the plague of the last couple decades that almost good enough was not only acceptable but was lauded as a success, and start holding people accountable for losing instead of giving them tenure for life.

 

Amen to that!  I had been a critic of Alston;s selection, not so much because of his failure for promotions with his previous clubs, but more because of the number of proven major league pitching coaches available last season, e.g., Maddox, Hickey, Bosio, etc.  It just seemed like sheer hubris when Falvine plucked Alston from the depths of obscurity.  Alston was by no means solely responsible for 2018's dismal performance, but can anyone name any pitchers who showed progress last year?  At least the FO seems capable of moving on from their mistakes - a refreshing change from the Ryan regime.  Now let's just hope they don't go to the Tampa well once again(shades of Neil Allen) and instead, look for the best man available.  With a new manager, an experienced, proven pitching coach is an absolute must!

 

I would have liked that Rowson be ditched as well but for whatever reason, the FO sees more in him(they thought he was managerial material) than perhaps is warranted from the team's performance.  If Rowson was responsible for helping the young core surge in the last two months of 2017, shouldn't he bear some responsibility for the drastic falloff this year?  Of course, good hitting coaches stumble too - just look at Chili Davis and the Cubs in 2018.  How much a hitting coach can really help an individual batter is much more of a crap shoot than in case of good pitching coaches who can combine experience with improved analytics to have a more positive influence on their staff.

 

But let's give the wonder boys some credit here.  Kudos to going outside the organization for a dynamic new manager who, on the surface and in person, seems capable of inspiring his players as opposed to just "managing".  Let's hope this trend continues with the new pitching and other new coaches.  It's a good start to the offseason!

 

 

 

[jkcarew]

Any guy who is in the position to aspire to land a MLB manager job has spent plenty of time thinking long and hard about who he would want on his staff.  If the FO is truly giving Baldelli the complete all-clear to build his own staff...then the retentions become the surprises.  Singling Rowson out seems strange given last year's results.  Also, I have a hard time buying that Shelton would ultimately be Baldelli's choice for bench coach.

[Linus]

I doubt Baldelli is driving the bus on this. He has barely had time to meet them much less work with them. Falvine basically hired Mollies staff so I’m sure they will do the same with Baldelli. Interesting that nobody is concerned that they just hired Alston. The wonder boys seem to be striking out quite a bit

[Ben Noble]

It's entirely possible that the FO felt that Alston complimented Molitor really well, but feel that Alston is not a good compliment to Baldelli. 

 

I like fried chicken and I like steak. Chicken and waffles is my favorite thing to eat, but I'd take a hard pass on steak and waffles. 

 

The hiring and firing of Alston isn't necessarily a hastily corrected mistake. What the team needs from a pitching coach in order to optimize the coaching staff probably changed with the hiring of a new manager.

[yarnivek1972]

It is refreshing to finally see the Twins shredding the plague of the last couple decades that almost good enough was not only acceptable but was lauded as a success, and start holding people accountable for losing instead of giving them tenure for life.

 

Amen to that! I had been a critic of Alston;s selection, not so much because of his failure for promotions with his previous clubs, but more because of the number of proven major league pitching coaches available last season, e.g., Maddox, Hickey, Bosio, etc. It just seemed like sheer hubris when Falvine plucked Alston from the depths of obscurity. Alston was by no means solely responsible for 2018's dismal performance, but can anyone name any pitchers who showed progress last year? At least the FO seems capable of moving on from their mistakes - a refreshing change from the Ryan regime. Now let's just hope they don't go to the Tampa well once again(shades of Neil Allen) and instead, look for the best man available. With a new manager, an experienced, proven pitching coach is an absolute must!

 

I would have liked that Rowson be ditched as well but for whatever reason, the FO sees more in him(they thought he was managerial material) than perhaps is warranted from the team's performance. If Rowson was responsible for helping the young core surge in the last two months of 2017, shouldn't he bear some responsibility for the drastic falloff this year? Of course, good hitting coaches stumble too - just look at Chili Davis and the Cubs in 2018. How much a hitting coach can really help an individual batter is much more of a crap shoot than in case of good pitching coaches who can combine experience with improved analytics to have a more positive influence on their staff.

 

But let's give the wonder boys some credit here. Kudos to going outside the organization for a dynamic new manager who, on the surface and in person, seems capable of inspiring his players as opposed to just "managing". Let's hope this trend continues with the new pitching and other new coaches. It's a good start to the offseason!

You mean besides Rogers, Pressly, Berrios and Gibson? That’s basically 1/3 of the pitching staff for the year.

[Vanimal46]

Shelton is coming back to be the bench coach.