Beck: Niko Goodrum to wear many gloves

[Seth Stohs]

https://www.mlb.com/news/niko-goodrum-to-get-chance-to-use-many-gloves?tcid=tw_article_

 

With their signing of Josh Harrison to be their regular second baseman, manager Ron Gardenhire is going to have to work to get Niko Goodrum at bats, but he is expected to get at least as many as he got last year and probably even more to keep his bat in the lineup.

 

 

“I know we want to give him a lot of at-bats,” general manager Al Avila said Saturday, “and we feel we can give him a lot of at-bats playing first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfield. He can even play center field, which would be a good opportunity in combination with JaCoby [Jones] out there. For Niko, I think it’s a great opportunity to do that.

 

Essentially this is the role that Marwin Gonzalez will have with the Twins, playing almost every day but at different spots. 

 

And as for the gloves, I remember 2-3 years ago at spring training, I talked to Niko about his gloves. After a minute, I asked him if he was going to get a catcher's mitt... He laughed, shook his head and say "No Way." 

[ashbury]

I hope Marwin is better than Niko in the field, because my small sample of watching the latter was painful.

[mikelink45]

I was in MI a lot last year and watched Niko in quite a few games.  I felt bad that the Twins essentially threw him away.  He would have been a cheaper Marwin for us.

 

Niko .245 .315 .432 .747 with 1.5 WAR last year. 

Marwin 247 .324 .409 .733 with 2.5 WAR last year

 

[ewen21]

 

I was in MI a lot last year and watched Niko in quite a few games.  I felt bad that the Twins essentially threw him away.  He would have been a cheaper Marwin for us.

 

Niko .245 .315 .432 .747 with 1.5 WAR last year. 

Marwin 247 .324 .409 .733 with 2.5 WAR last year

Goodrum had what could be his career year last year.  He was a .career 250 hitter in the minors and his versatility in the field doesn't mean a hill of beans if he can't be at least be a halfway decent hitter and fielder.  Not so sure he is.  Gonzalez proven, Goodrum most certainly is not.

 

Give me Gonzalez for the 10.5 million 100 times out of 100

[mikelink45]

 

Goodrum had what could be his career year last year.  He was a .career 250 hitter in the minors and his versatility in the field doesn't mean a hill of beans if he can't be at least be a halfway decent hitter and fielder.  Not so sure he is.  Gonzalez proven, Goodrum most certainly is not.

 

Give me Gonzalez for the 10.5 million 100 times out of 100

That is fine, but look at the two hitting lines, they are not far apart.  If Detroit had been better so would Goodrum's WAR.  I am not claiming he is better, but I sure do not feel the difference is as great as you put your odds.  Goodrum was often called on to be one of their better hitters in a poor lineup and still played all over.  I am not looking to argue because I am not a huge Goodrum fan, but I want to share what I saw and I think the Twins missed some opportunities with him.  

[Otto von Ballpark]

Gonzalez was a pretty slight hitter in the minors, and his first 2 years in the majors. Age 25 was when he finally looked like a competent MLB bat, and aside from 2017, he hasn't notably exceeded Goodrum's 2018 offensive, although obviously he's kept it up a lot longer.

 

Goodrum was arguably a better hitter in the minors, but a different shape to his production -- more K's, but also more walks and power. Age 26 opportunity in MLB.

 

I'm guessing Goodrum was/is a worse defender.

[ewen21]

Until Goodrum can sustain the kind of offensive numbers Gonzalez has at the ML level he isnt compatable to him. Maybe he can be in time, but he isn't now.

 

The fact that Gardy loves him cements my skepticism for his game, specifically offensively

[gunnarthor]

My guess is that teams are going to start putting some resources into developing another Zorbrist or Gonzalez type players. Twins have guys like Blankenhorn playing several positions as they come up. I wonder if part of it is to see if they can find some productive versatile players down the road.

[mikelink45]

 

Until Goodrum can sustain the kind of offensive numbers Gonzalez has at the ML level he isnt compatable to him. Maybe he can be in time, but he isn't now.

The fact that Gardy loves him cements my skepticism for his game, specifically offensively

That made me laugh, but I will tell you that when I was watching the games I really enjoyed Gardy and so do the Tiger fans.  He is experimenting, working with almost no talent, keeping a good atmosphere and attitude and doing a good job.  John Hicks, former Twins MiLB catcher had a decent year with the team too.  I have no problem with Gardy, and didn't have a problem with Molitor so I have exposed myself to criticism and scorn!  

[ewen21]

 

That made me laugh, but I will tell you that when I was watching the games I really enjoyed Gardy and so do the Tiger fans.  He is experimenting, working with almost no talent, keeping a good atmosphere and attitude and doing a good job.  John Hicks, former Twins MiLB catcher had a decent year with the team too.  I have no problem with Gardy, and didn't have a problem with Molitor so I have exposed myself to criticism and scorn!  

Why should you feel exposed about that opinion?  Granted, I don't feel the same way as you do, but that's OK.  I went from liking Gardy to developing a strong dislike for his managerial style.  I did not see him last year so maybe he was a little "revitalized" and if you enjoyed watching the Tigers that's OK with me.

...However, I must say, there was not much I enjoyed about him the last 5 or 6 seasons of his tenure here.  It all started when at the trade deadline in 2007 he lashed back at Hunter and Johan's criticism of the FO for Trading Castillo for nothing.  I did not think that Gardy needed to clap back on Torii and Johan the way he did and when he did that I knew both were gone (was almost a foregone conclusion anyway, but I did not like it).  At that stage of the game those were my two favorite Twins and it seemed like Gardy was counting the days to when he'd have them off his hands.  Maybe that is just me, but I think Gardy was looking forward to have a young team that couldn't challenge his authority and just went with his way.  Johan and Torii were not easy, but you knew one thing about them.  THEY BROUGHT IT EVERY GAME 

 

I didn't like that Gardy had a love affair with Nick Punto that bordered on the bizarre and irrational.  Although Punto had a historically (and hysterically) poor season in 2007 you knew that newcomer Brendan Harris (from Queensbury, NY--home of the SIlo: best breakfast place I have yet to experience) had no chance of playing.  Things just got worse from there with me, quite frankly

 

I thought he was way too soft on Mauer to the point where Joe pretty much ran his own program.  I thought he was unnecessarily hard on young players and what he did to Aaron Hicks in Boston that night was absolutely insane.  For him to pitch a fit like that in the dugout for what Hicks did was nuts.  I would not have minded if he did something similar to Joe when he inexplicably bunted in that game against Cleveland.  That game was a one run game, against a division rival in a pennant race.  He was livid about it and yet all he could say was something like: "Ask Joe.  I don't tell my players what to do".  Oh really??   When Hicks flipped that ball in Boston I think we were about 8 runs up late in the game about 50 games out of first place.  He went totally bonkers.  Why?  Because it was easy to smash a guy like Hicks.

 

I can go on and on about Gardy, but the main thing is at some point he became an ineffective manager.  He was pretty good the first 4 or 5 seasons.  After that he was a big part of the problem, in my opinion.

 

No scorn directed your way.  I am just not a Gardy guy anymore.

I was long ago, never again

[mikelink45]

 

Why should you feel exposed about that opinion?  Granted, I don't feel the same way as you do, but that's OK.  I went from liking Gardy to developing a strong dislike for his managerial style.  I did not see him last year so maybe he was a little "revitalized" and if you enjoyed watching the Tigers that's OK with me.

...However, I must say, there was not much I enjoyed about him the last 5 or 6 seasons of his tenure here.  It all started when at the trade deadline in 2007 he lashed back at Hunter and Johan's criticism of the FO for Trading Castillo for nothing.  I did not think that Gardy needed to clap back on Torii and Johan the way he did and when he did that I knew both were gone (was almost a foregone conclusion anyway, but I did not like it).  At that stage of the game those were my two favorite Twins and it seemed like Gardy was counting the days to when he'd have them off his hands.  Maybe that is just me, but I think Gardy was looking forward to have a young team that couldn't challenge his authority and just went with his way.  Johan and Torii were not easy, but you knew one thing about them.  THEY BROUGHT IT EVERY GAME 

 

I didn't like that Gardy had a love affair with Nick Punto that bordered on the bizarre and irrational.  Although Punto had a historically (and hysterically) poor season in 2007 you knew that newcomer Brendan Harris (from Queensbury, NY--home of the SIlo: best breakfast place I have yet to experience) had no chance of playing.  Things just got worse from there with me, quite frankly

 

I thought he was way too soft on Mauer to the point where Joe pretty much ran his own program.  I thought he was unnecessarily hard on young players and what he did to Aaron Hicks in Boston that night was absolutely insane.  For him to pitch a fit like that in the dugout for what Hicks did was nuts.  I would not have minded if he did something similar to Joe when he inexplicably bunted in that game against Cleveland.  That game was a one run game, against a division rival in a pennant race.  He was livid about it and yet all he could say was something like: "Ask Joe.  I don't tell my players what to do".  Oh really??   When Hicks flipped that ball in Boston I think we were about 8 runs up late in the game about 50 games out of first place.  He went totally bonkers.  Why?  Because it was easy to smash a guy like Hicks.

 

I can go on and on about Gardy, but the main thing is at some point he became an ineffective manager.  He was pretty good the first 4 or 5 seasons.  After that he was a big part of the problem, in my opinion.

 

No scorn directed your way.  I am just not a Gardy guy anymore.

I was long ago, never again

Great response.  I have some theories about Gordy and the Front Office and his position to defend them, but I also think all managers have a life span and either need to turn over their group or leave and go to another place where their voice is fresher..  Thanks for sharing all your thoughts.