The Twins Need to Shake Things Up with Two Obvious Changes

[JD-TWINS]

3 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I think if you are expecting Wallner to outperform Kepler, you will probably be disappointed. 

I mean, I'm expecting to win the powerball. That'll happen at some point, right?

 

(I'm NOT saying to not ditch Kepler. It's been time for a while now. I just don't see Wallner being this massive upgrade, or even an upgrade.)

How can Walner perform at a lesser level?

I don’t think he’s going to hit .280 but he can certainly hit the occasional surprise HR every 6-10 games and butcher up opportunities with RISP……….the difference is at the same time he’s gaining experience. Max has had more than reasonable opportunity!!!

We’re to the point of the definition for insanity with Max & Joey……..same approach expecting a different outcome…….it doesn’t change - still nuts this week, just like last week!

[Clyde Scheevel]

Lots of speculation here.  Yes you have to take a good look at the hitting coach Popkins.  I mean usually everyone goes thru a hitting lull.  One..two..or even three guys at a time..but not the whole team for this long.  Something has to change and you just as well do it now..before it gets any worse.  Yes...Kepler needs to either get better or get rid of him.  The other thing which isn't mentioned...Buxton.  Rocco has come out and said he's not physically able to play outfield.  So put him on the disable list and get someone who can play in the outfield.  I mean if he was hitting .300 yes keep him at DH.  But at barely .200 he's a wasted space right now.  He isn't hitting...can't play defensive position...what good is he doing on the roster.  One last thing...the season is half way done...I would like to know..who wants to be a leader...be it a veteran or youngster that has the balls to fire this team up.  Who wants to show me that they have the willingness to show the others that we want to win..we want to get to the playoffs.  It's easy to sit on your hands and just go thru the motions.  I think it would be very hard to sit in that dugout and lose game after game..just taking the easy way out.  You watch these guys...all of them...take good pitch after pitch for strikes...and then swing at a ball in the dirt.  What I have to say is....boys get your **** together...you are being paid millions of dollars to play a kids game.  You should be embarrassed to be looking like you do.  That's just not the players...it goes all the way up the ladder..to the coaches..manager..front office..to the owners.  I love the TWINS.  I've been a fan my whole life..I'm 64.  But it's pathetic with the talent we have..to look like a college team.  I know I don't have all the answers..but these guys got to take a big long look ..deep inside their souls...and right the ship.  Or know they can and will be replaced with someone who fights and wants to win   

[LastOnePicked]

3 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

What do people think is the impact of replacing the hitting coach right now? I highly doubt it’s going to change the direction this team is heading. 

Well, it would send a rare shiver of actual accountability through the organization. Don't produce results, don't stay employed here. I know, that's a unfamiliar concept for the Twins.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

3 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Everyone wants to bring up Wallner but Larnach hits just as well and plays a lot better defense.

send Gallo packing too

[HokieRif]

13 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

Well, it would send a rare shiver of actual accountability through the organization. Don't produce results, don't stay employed here. I know, that's a unfamiliar concept for the Twins.

[Cory Engelhardt]

38 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

How can Walner perform at a lesser level?

I don’t think he’s going to hit .280 but he can certainly hit the occasional surprise HR every 6-10 games and butcher up opportunities with RISP……….the difference is at the same time he’s gaining experience. Max has had more than reasonable opportunity!!!

We’re to the point of the definition for insanity with Max & Joey……..same approach expecting a different outcome…….it doesn’t change - still nuts this week, just like last week!

Please believe me that I am not advocating to keep Kepler around.

I just don't have a ton of faith that Wallner is a starting level corner outfielder. I do think Larnach can be, if he can ever stay healthy, but that's another question mark.

 

I'd love to be proven wrong. He is ready for his shot. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Schmoeman5 said:

If they're doing so well. Or close to norm. Then why aren't they winning? 0-23  risp vs Atlanta.  Your rose colored glasses are fogged up and the metrics are too. Under .500. Never been more than 6 games over all year. Correa bad. Gallo bad. Buxton bad Kepler bad. While Castro and Solano Farmer and Taylor have been ok at best. These are the guys that you want to contribute, and not to carry the load. 

hahahaha. Rose colored glasses? He's calling for changes all over the board. 

[Fred]

1 hour ago, Craig Arko said:

If it were me, I’d pay whatever is necessary to lure Molitor in for the job. He’s probably too smart to take it.

The things I know, for sure, 1: Their approach has put them in the bottom 1/3 of the league in runs scored per game, and that won't change unless they try for change, and 2: I am not qualified to find a better hitting coach. The guys getting the big bucks are getting paid presumably because they have some knowledge of what is needed. If you're not getting what you want, use your big bucks elsewhere.

[kenneth frank]

It's going to take more than than getting rid of Kepler and Popkins. Since when is the manager not held accountable. He ripped his team yesterday, yet the buck stops with him. Ripping them as he did yesterday will only result in alienation of the players from management. 

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, kenneth frank said:

It's going to take more than than getting rid of Kepler and Popkins. Since when is the manager not held accountable. He ripped his team yesterday, yet the buck stops with him. Ripping them as he did yesterday will only result in alienation of the players from management. 

The buck stops with the FO not giving him any good OFers at all....and a DH that isn't healthy. 

[Fred]

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

There are ways to tacitly admit Popkins isn't getting it done without throwing him overboard or making a big scene.  It's also dumb to fire someone who is 33 and had enough promise to get the job in the first place at such a young age.  Honestly it should be expected that he has some adjustments to make as he figures out what the heck hes doing in this job.

This is where Molly comes in.  Throw him a million bucks for the rest of the year as a special assistant/bench coach and assign him to Popkins.  Popkins remains hitting coach but Molly coaches Popkins (and a sounding board for Rocco).  Molly gets a nice paycheck and back around the game but not full time.  He might like it, and the wall was broken in spring training. 

It feels like Popkins is the darling because of his technical hitting knowledge but probably lacks the art and feel.  Engineer vs artist mindset, Molly can fill that in without butting up against Rocco.

It also fills a gap I believe they have had in the coaching staff since Derek Shelton left.  Who's representing the old school in these meetings?  There has to be a voice to simplify things when the data boys get out over their skis.  To much data on the brain could really screw up a hitters approach.

The Popkins approach works markedly better in the minor leagues where pitchers make many more mistakes. Guys who make a lot of mistakes aren't the guys getting promoted to the Bigs.

[Wilco1]

I agree Kepler and popkins should go. I’m sad to see what max has become but wonder if a new hitting coach could save his career. We know what Joey gallo is and he should go also.
listenining to Royce Lewis say he is going BACK to the way he was hitting seems to indicate he was instructed to do something different. After watching him strike out three times yesterday I’m worried that he and kirriloff and julian will be screwed up under this coach.

I love Buxton as much as anyone but  if he can’t play somewhere in the outfield he should be put on the Injury list until he is able to. It’s clear now he is hurting the team by wasting the dh spot to him.

Carlos has no excuses. He should be moved down to 7th in the order until he remember not to swing at pitches a foot out of the zone. I hope it will wake up the self proclaimed leader of this team.

I would bring up Wallner and larnach and also Camargo to catch and dfa vazgueze.

[Fred]

31 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

send Gallo packing too

When they signed Gallo I thought it was as a Kepler replacement, which would actually have been an improvement. Gallo is an improvement over Kepler in everything but BA in addition to playing a decent 1st base. That was fine with me, however, there is no room for both on the roster.

[jorgenswest]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I don't know how you "change your approach" to the fact that pitch velocity is up to it's highest peak ever. There is a never-ending supply of relievers throwing in the high 90s with a slider that spins like crazy.

I honestly don’t either. For a long time I have favored power and on base over contact but I am wondering if that is still true in this baseball context of a never ending supply of relievers.

It might be the skills of the players they choose to roster rather than their approach. They have the worst contact rate in the major leagues this year. They can’t change the roster easily. There are more of the same low contact players in AAA.

The players that do tend towards contact like Kepler, Miranda and Celestino don’t seem to be thriving under their guidance. Even a successful contact hitter like Arraez has taken a stride forward after leaving.

I do know that there isn’t a linear correlation between runs scored and strike outs. I did notice that the teams that have scored more runs per game this year have a team strikeout rating that tends toward the middle. Maybe that balance has value.

I have a lot of questions and wonders. I know this isn’t working. I believe it is bigger than the failures of the individuals. I don’t think it can be fixed without making more contact. That can’t happen without a different preparation or approach.

The first half is behind them. They ranked first in strikeouts. What can they do to move that second half strikeout ranking into the second quartile?

[Adam Friedman]

4 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Add Gallo. Drop Correa and Buxton to lower spot in the lineup. 

I definitely thought about Gallo. I think with Buxton's health issues, maintaining some level at depth at least for now is important. And I'm not completely convinced it's not possible Gallo can be productive. For this offense, his power potential could be very useful. 

[Adam Friedman]

4 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

I don’t disagree with the moves, but I’ve got to ask… What do people think is the impact of replacing the hitting coach right now? I highly doubt it’s going to change the direction this team is heading. 

My thought when bringing him into it is that a different voice could kickstart things. Obviously, I'm not in the hitters' meetings, but it's hard to see a group with solid talent like this one getting any worse. 

[Mr NovaKid]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Everyone wants to bring up Wallner but Larnach hits just as well and plays a lot better defense.

Larnach has not hit well at the major league level. Don’t know where you have been. He does play better defense though. 

[Fred]

14 minutes ago, Wilco1 said:

I agree Kepler and popkins should go. I’m sad to see what max has become but wonder if a new hitting coach could save his career. We know what Joey gallo is and he should go also.
listenining to Royce Lewis say he is going BACK to the way he was hitting seems to indicate he was instructed to do something different. After watching him strike out three times yesterday I’m worried that he and kirriloff and julian will be screwed up under this coach.

I love Buxton as much as anyone but  if he can’t play somewhere in the outfield he should be put on the Injury list until he is able to. It’s clear now he is hurting the team by wasting the dh spot to him.

Carlos has no excuses. He should be moved down to 7th in the order until he remember not to swing at pitches a foot out of the zone. I hope it will wake up the self proclaimed leader of this team.

I would bring up Wallner and larnach and also Camargo to catch and dfa vazgueze.

Vasquez signed for 3 years. Are they willing to pay him 11 million in each of the next 2 years just to free up a roster spot?

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, Fred said:

Vasquez signed for 3 years. Are they willing to pay him 11 million in each of the next 2 years just to free up a roster spot?

If Carmago came up and was even good, why not? They are adding almost no cost. (note, I have no idea if he's any good at the MLB level, certainly no team saw this coming this year).

[DJL44]

10 minutes ago, Mr NovaKid said:

Larnach has not hit well at the major league level. Don’t know where you have been. He does play better defense though. 

Which should give you a clue of how well Wallner will hit at the major league level. Wallner's downside is Joey Gallo with awful defense.

[DJL44]

10 minutes ago, Fred said:

Vasquez signed for 3 years. Are they willing to pay him 11 million in each of the next 2 years just to free up a roster spot?

Vazquez has been as advertised as a defensive player. He's part of the reason the pitching staff is performing so well.

[OvertheHill]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Vazquez has been as advertised as a defensive player. He's part of the reason the pitching staff is performing so well.

Agree with this. I too am puzzled at his power drop off but think he deserves at least some of the at credit for the pitching success so far. I like Jeffers, and hope he gets more starts, but I don't think moving on from Vazquez should be a priority with so  much other dysfunction with this organization right now.

[Whitey333]

It's becoming quite obvious it's the FO first and foremost need to be replaced.  Probably Rocco as well.  I would DFA Kepler and Gallo today.  This team is listless and obviously doesn't care about winning.  I think that's a fault of management.  Let's get karnach and wallner up here.  Let them play.  Don't pinch hit for them half way through the game.  Sure They will take some lumps but hopefully will bring some enthusiasm.  Some of these veterans have got to go.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, Whitey333 said:

It's becoming quite obvious it's the FO first and foremost need to be replaced.  Probably Rocco as well.  I would DFA Kepler and Gallo today.  This team is listless and obviously doesn't care about winning.  I think that's a fault of management.  Let's get karnach and wallner up here.  Let them play.  Don't pinch hit for them half way through the game.  Sure They will take some lumps but hopefully will bring some enthusiasm.  Some of these veterans have got to go.

I don't think for one minute the players don't care. Not one single player. 

[howeda7]

Reusse mentioned on a podcast that Tony Oliva had a meeting with a player or two recently. I think Buxton for sure. I doubt he's up for any formal role but a new voice with him around to supplement couldn't hurt.

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, Adam Friedman said:

My thought when bringing him into it is that a different voice could kickstart things. Obviously, I'm not in the hitters' meetings, but it's hard to see a group with solid talent like this one getting any worse. 

A different voice might kickstart things. It’s still going to be the same philosophy/approach set by the FO. If Popkins is fired today, they’re not very likely to hire someone who is unemployed at this time. It will be one of the 2 assistants named as the interim. Or one of the minor league coaches. I just don’t see the move making much, if any, impact the rest of the season. 

That being said, it’s absolutely a move I make in the offseason. 

[MABB1959]

3 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Someone else.

Nelson Cruz

[MABB1959]

1 hour ago, Mr NovaKid said:

Larnach has not hit well at the major league level. Don’t know where you have been. He does play better defense though. 

I think he could greatly improved with a good leader or mentor but we are missing that too,

[umterp23]

5 hours ago, strumdatjag said:

This is not the time to adjust the coaching staff.  That is in the off-season (unless the team gets to 3rd place or 5 games under .500). 

So can the staff at the ASG break, seems like that is where this is headed

 

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

What can they do to move that second half strikeout ranking into the second quartile?

Difficult issue to solve. 

League Averge K% is 22.9. Only Solano and Kepler are better than average and Kepler... I don't want.

The rest of the team... so almost the entire team is below average. How can you fix that? I have no idea. 

We have 4 players currently over 30% with Gallo leading the way at 40%. 

In 2022... Only Byron Buxton at 30.4% eclipsed 30% mark. 

In 2023... The K is like a virus. A bad virus that has spread through everything.