Article: Can Ron Gardenhire Develop Young Players?

[YourHouseIsMyHouse]

I think Terry Ryan is a pretty smart guy and a pretty good judge of baseball talent. That said, it's also true that I think he (and Dave St. Peter, for that matter) probably have too much job security. Doesn't mean I would have let them go right now, but Pohlad's comment about Ryan being the team's GM for as long as he wants to be was something I cringed at.

 

I like Terry Ryan somewhat as a scout, but overall as a GM I don't. Bill Smith should get more credit for the big names in our minor leagues and did a MUCH better job with international signings, but not drafting. Hardly any of his free agent signing have panned out and even the ones that initially did fell flat (Doumit, Burton, Hammer). His trades are good though. Mixed feelings, but I want a stat head Moneyball guy.

[Jim H]

The decision to retain Gardenhire doesn't upset me, but if he would of been fired that wouldn't of upset me either. It isn't my decision to make, and I don't know nearly enough to make an informed decision. Some of the comments made do seem a bit radical to me. The idea that Gardenhire is too old to relate to young players(not said directly), I don't know how anyone can know that. People said the same thing about Kelly, but when he retired, they kept him around to work with minor leaguers. Go figure. I think people just want change, which is understandable but doesn't guarantee better results.

 

What is true is that decisions have been made, Ryan and Gardenhire will likely both be with us for the next 2 years, minimum. I hope people can come to terms with it, because it sure will get old reading comments on every thread why both of them should be fired.

[Halsey Hall]

So Gardy does not coach during the season?

 

And paragraphs are your friend.

 

I had paragraphs, but it was timing out, so I copied quick as I could. When the posting finally timed out, I pasted it back, and it came out with no paragraphs. LOL, just my luck, but at least I didn't lose it all.

 

I don't know if he coaches during the season, but he's got coaches that should be doing that.

[LaBombo]

I had paragraphs, but it was timing out, so I copied quick as I could. When the posting finally timed out, I pasted it back, and it came out with no paragraphs. LOL, just my luck, but at least I didn't lose it all.

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070623213803/indianajones/images/8/80/Hitler_Indiana_Jones.jpg

Supreme Chancellor of Composition has signed your pardon. Please continue posting.

[beckmt]

I think Terry Ryan blamed himself as much as Gardy for the mess the Twins are. Will have to see how the offseason goes to address next year. Remember the coaches are all on 1 year contracts, the only contract the Twins would have to eat would be Gardy's if they changed direction. My feeling is that Gardy would have walked rather than sign a one year contract, a two year contract at least stops the players from thinking the manager does not matter because he will be gone at the end of the year.

[Mr. Brooks]

I think Terry Ryan blamed himself as much as Gardy for the mess the Twins are. Will have to see how the offseason goes to address next year. Remember the coaches are all on 1 year contracts, the only contract the Twins would have to eat would be Gardy's if they changed direction. My feeling is that Gardy would have walked rather than sign a one year contract, a two year contract at least stops the players from thinking the manager does not matter because he will be gone at the end of the year.

 

He gave himself a 2 year extension too? Great.

[JB_Iowa]

He gave himself a 2 year extension too? Great.

 

Actually it sounds like he is czar for as long as he chooses. From the PP interview with Jim Pohlad:

 

Q: Does Terry Ryan's status change at all with this extension?

A: As long as Terry wants to be the GM, he's our GM. He knows that. He's in agreement with that. We have no reason to believe there's any feeling other than long-term continuity.

 

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_24214163/minnesota-twins-owner-ron-gardenhire-was-terry-ryans

[ThePuck]

Actually it sounds like he is czar for as long as he chooses. From the PP interview with Jim Pohlad:

 

Q: Does Terry Ryan's status change at all with this extension?

A: As long as Terry wants to be the GM, he's our GM. He knows that. He's in agreement with that. We have no reason to believe there's any feeling other than long-term continuity.

 

Minnesota Twins owner: Ron Gardenhire was Terry Ryan's call - TwinCities.com

 

Trying to convince people accountability is stressed in this organization is hard to pass off when we're told the guy making all the decisions has a job for as long as he wants it.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Guess I'm among the people who just didn't care that much whether Gardy was retained or not, since I feel he had very little to do with the results.

 

Personally, I think it has nothing to do with the results and everything to do with the idea that he's not the right guy for the job going forward. The premise behind this thread was whether or not Gardy can develop talent. There's a subthreads here:

 

1) Once a guy hits the bigs, does he still need to develop? If so, whose job is that? I'd argue "yes" as rarely does one make the big leagues as a finished product. That's a baseball thing too, not a Twins thing (though you can still argue whether or not they could stand to do a better job developing their guys in the minors). As for the second question, I'd say everyone.

 

2) Is Gardy the best option to manage THIS team under THESE circumstances going forward? It has nothing to do with the talent level of the last 3 years. I get that it was bad. The question is whether or not Gardy is the right guy to man the ship going forward. This is where I really struggle. I see a guy who plays favorites (looking at you Doumit) and routinely throws those who are not one of his guys under the bus on many occasions. I get that I'm not in the clubhouse and that I don't know what is going on, but as a pattern, this is not something that people are just making up. It's been observable since he took over managing, and there's plenty of evidence (albeit circumstantial) that this hampers player's development.

 

3) Is he willing to sacrifice short term success for the long term development of the team? Again, I say no here. Ryan Doumit's PT is a perfect example of that. While I don't know if Parmelee will ever be an above average player, Gardy's treatment of him really did not answer any of the questions we had. As such, we walk into next season with the same question.

 

In all, I see this as a terrible decision on the part of Terry Ryan.

[howieramone1406390264]

Parmelee has been in the Twins Organization since 2006 and has 562 AB's. You can never answer all the questions, develop each and every player to their maximum potential etc., on a 25 man roster because the team comes first. I don't understand the agonizing over Parmelee, and I know others share your concern. I see him as a short term piece of the puzzle, no more, no less. Let me know if you see something I'm missing.

[mlhouse]

Parmelee has been in the Twins Organization since 2006 and has 562 AB's. You can never answer all the questions, develop each and every player to their maximum potential etc., on a 25 man roster because the team comes first. I don't understand the agonizing over Parmelee, and I know others share your concern. I see him as a short term piece of the puzzle, no more, no less. Let me know if you see something I'm missing.

 

Parmalee is probably an example of a failed prospect. That is one aspect of rebuilding that is often ignored and why it takes time. Not every prospect works and you need to give them a chance before moving on. But the Twins simply have not done enough of this elimination and have definetly not found any keeps.