Rocco

[Brock Beauchamp]

51 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

No, the roster provided a 2 run lead with a starter who had 83 pitches, given up 1 hit, and had retired 15 consecutive. He's cruising. Looked as good in the 7th as the 1st. No loss of velo or location. No long, stressful innings.

And...We agree the bullpen isn't overflowing with good options. So maybe try not to use your 2 best options when there's a very good possibility you don't have to?

If, for some unfathomable reason, that situation required removal, the roster gave him perhaps the league's best setup guy and a closer who was 20 for 22, including near perfect the last 4 tries...all 9th inning saves.

But none of that mattered to the manager. 

A little honest evaluation would be refreshing. 

And you know that guys are cruising until they're not. At best, this is a 51/49 decision.

If a manager can't trust his best arms in a late and close situation, the manager isn't the problem. Full stop.

[USAFChief]

6 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

And you know that guys are cruising until they're not. At best, this is a 51/49 decision.

If a manager can't trust his best arms in a late and close situation, the manager isn't the problem. Full stop.

I'll quibble with 51/49, but whatever. 

As for part 2, exactly.  Then why the need to swap Duran and Jax? Why change roles for anything other than his own ego?

[ewen21]

Evidently the GMs are 100% satisfied.  Anyone ever stop and think that they hired Rocco and they can fire him?  He is the Yes Man they wanted and if they fire him they’ll get another one like him.  Everyone needs to understand that

I would also suggest there are managers all over baseball making head scratching bullpen moves.  For years I wanted Molitor and he might have mismanaged the pen worse!

Rocco is a distraction.  There are far bigger problems.  I say fire him but so much more has to be done.  This roster is straight up weak heading into next year.

[Brock Beauchamp]

10 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I'll quibble with 51/49, but whatever. 

As for part 2, exactly.  Then why the need to swap Duran and Jax? Why change roles for anything other than his own ego?

I would have kept Duran and Jax in their established roles but it's not insanity to put your best reliever, which Jax has been by a country mile, into the closer's role.

Personally, I don't want my best reliever in the closer role but that's a baseball opinion and plenty of smart people disagree with me on it.

[Halsey Hall]

There’s no doubt in my mind, Rocco’s got to go.  I’ve seen enough.  

[ewen21]

1 hour ago, Halsey Hall said:

There’s no doubt in my mind, Rocco’s got to go.  I’ve seen enough.  

 

1 hour ago, Halsey Hall said:

There’s no doubt in my mind, Rocco’s got to go.  I’ve seen enough.  

I don’t like Rocco.  Period.

I called for him to be fired after that first round sweep in 2019.  The “I’m not frustrated at all” comment put me over the edge.

HOWEVER, let’s be honest….He was supposed to have this terrific trio of Correa, Buxton and Lewis and none of them played over 90 games.  What about THAT?  How come we aren’t talking about that a lot more??

Are these players above criticism?

 

[lecroy24fan]

1 hour ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

And you know that guys are cruising until they're not. At best, this is a 51/49 decision.

If a manager can't trust his best arms in a late and close situation, the manager isn't the problem. Full stop.

Why did Rocco go with Duran in the 8th though? He has shown all year he doesn't get it done in the 8th.

[Brock Beauchamp]

7 minutes ago, lecroy24fan said:

Why did Rocco go with Duran in the 8th though? He has shown all year he doesn't get it done in the 8th.

Is that really a thing, though? I mean, if your closer can't pitch the eighth, that's just weird.

[karcherd]

4 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Is that really a thing, though? I mean, if your closer can't pitch the eighth, that's just weird.

History says it is, closers have always struggled in non save situations and Duran is no different.  And not everybody can close out a game, it is a different mindset.  Just ask Ron Davis, who still gives Twins fans nightmares when thinking about him.

[USAFChief]

28 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Is that really a thing, though? I mean, if your closer can't pitch the eighth, that's just weird.

weird or not, it's a thing. Why fight it?

And Duran was given the 9th in the previous four save situations. Virtually perfect. Why change?

[lecroy24fan]

29 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Is that really a thing, though? I mean, if your closer can't pitch the eighth, that's just weird.

Somebody replied to me on X that Duran has given up runs in 45 % of the games he's come in in the 8th. Abnormally high. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

weird or not, it's a thing. Why fight it?

And Duran was given the 9th in the previous four save situations. Virtually perfect. Why change?

I agree in that I wouldn't have done it. But it's not the dumbest thing in the world to put your best arm at the back of the game while a team is struggling.

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 minute ago, lecroy24fan said:

Somebody replied to me on X that Duran has given up runs in 45 % of the games he's come in in the 8th. Abnormally high. 

Yeah, but he has only had ten eighth inning appearances all season, including last night. That's not a large enough number to draw much of a conclusion.

[howeda7]

7 hours ago, ewen21 said:

I’m mystified as to how Falvey and Levine get literally no mention.  I give them full marks for making moves and taking chances the likes of Terry Ryan would never make.

HOWEVER…they need to go

Some analytics are needed. But the Twins require a GM who knows when to go for it and when to pull back and how to get ownership on board with that. Falvey is good at drafting but bad at free agency and trades. But most of all he is way too timid to go for it when they are in a winning window. 2019 showed us that and nothing since has changed it. 

[TopTwinsFan]

On the one day anniversary of the worst managing job I have seen as a Twins fan, I ask those Twins fans older than myself:

Is Baldelli the worst Manager in franchise history?

He is hand down the worst Manager of my lifetime -since Tom Kelly.

Enjoy that sweet Purple win Minnesota! 💜

[BiggestRoccoFan]

8 hours ago, ewen21 said:

 

I don’t like Rocco.  Period.

I called for him to be fired after that first round sweep in 2019.  The “I’m not frustrated at all” comment put me over the edge.

HOWEVER, let’s be honest….He was supposed to have this terrific trio of Correa, Buxton and Lewis and none of them played over 90 games.  What about THAT?  How come we aren’t talking about that a lot more??

Are these players above criticism?

 

They are not but Rocco has been giving games away like there is no tomorrow!