Change At The Top?

bird · May 31, 2016

I have two gripes about St. Peter, and they're both major.

The first is that he suffers from the same cursed obliviousness, or maybe ambivalence, regarding the importance and value of good PR. And more to the record, the enormous damage that is done by bad or nonexistent PR.

The second gripe is that he inserts himself into conversations about the baseball side of the business, and when he does, he invariably sounds so foolish.

Bring back young Andrew MacPhail.

dgwills · May 31, 2016

St. Peter didn't get a very good TV deal. It's the most important part of his job. Considering he failed at that he would have to be excellent at everything else to be considered a good president. I'd give the Red Sox more credit for the improvements at Hammond than the Twins, so I'm not willing to count that. He did help fleece Minnesota tax payers which would be seen as a positive to ownership though.

From a fans perspective there's little to like about the front office these days.

Edited May 31, 2016 by dgwills

tobi0040 · May 31, 2016

Great article Nick.

Completely agree with Bird here. St. Peter does insert himself in the baseball talk and it doesn't come out well.

Winston Smith · May 31, 2016

"Hiring a man above TR would enable the organization to keep the longtime GM in place......."

Why keep Terry?

Kwak · May 31, 2016

If a new President is hired and there isn't a thorough housecleaning of management--this is just another shuffling of chairs and placecards--absolutely no change at all! I wouldn't be surprised if the Twins make another deflect and deny move by screaming "Change" without there actually being any. But all the spin in the world won't work after the next disappointing season. Then back to deflect/deny and either actually change--or continue this charade until the team is sold to a new owner.

ashbury · May 31, 2016

"Hiring a man above TR would enable the organization to keep the longtime GM in place......."

Why keep Terry?

Because he seems good at some things. Just not "the vision thing", in the immortal words of the first President Bush.

Rosterman · May 31, 2016

I also see the front office having too many general managers, minor league directors and such. Too many people with power over certain segments, not enough oversight, perhaps, of the big picture, unless it is The Twins Way of thinking. Does Terry really make hardline decisions, or it it a groupthink vote to do things one way or another. In some ways, saw that the new baseball would be more body oriented, with the GM and assistants handling various duties. But not sure if that REALLY does work in the world of baseball.

Riverbrian · May 31, 2016

"Hiring a man above TR would enable the organization to keep the longtime GM in place......."

Why keep Terry?

He may or may not keep Terry.

More importantly... A new Pres of Baseball Op (From the outside... please) could take the time to look at the entire operation to determine the right changes needed and he could start that process right away but he doesn't have to move immediately. He can take his time and do it right.

I'd appreciate that he could immediately serve as checks and balances for any decisions that will need to be made this season.

I'm not trusting of the front office right now and I'd appreciate someone who could stop them from making a serious mistake like moving Buxton to the Brewers for Jimmy Nelson or something.

This front office made some serious assessment mistakes this off season and I think a supervisor ASAP is a great idea.

The other alternatives are:

Replacing your GM right away or replacing him in the off season or not replacing him at all.

Which Would Mean: Interim GM while a rushed search is conducted or interim GM eventually becomes the GM.

New GM hired after the season and he walks into the job cold and has to rebuild a front office while all the other teams don't have to do that.

and of course... the easiest answer of all of them... not replacing Terry Ryan at all.

DJSim22 · May 31, 2016

This topic sadly reminds me what is needed most, new owners. New owners wouldn't keep the status quo.

The Wise One · May 31, 2016

Does St Peter make Pohlad money? When the answer sustains no there will be changes.

Does there need to be someone above Ryan? To do what? Big picture thinking is the GM's job. Long term planning is the GM's job.

diehardtwinsfan · May 31, 2016

That actually does make more sense to start with St. Peter if there's a culling to be had. That could probably happen sooner than later while giving the new guy a chance to observe what is and is not working well in the org and then make changes as needed at an appropriate time.

Mike Sixel · May 31, 2016

Well, most of these new Presidents are really the GMs, and it is title inflation.....

that said, from the times St. Peter talks about baseball.....he really shouldn't. He's not good at that part of his job. Well, he's not good for over involved fans with lots of knowledge. Maybe he's good overall.....

I really have no idea how well he does at the other aspects of his job.

Platoon · May 31, 2016

This topic sadly reminds me what is needed most, new owners. New owners wouldn't keep the status quo.

As much as I dislike decisions Ryan has made, the next example being our new $13M a year long reliever, and our almost historic inability to develop middle infielders and SP, I tend to agree with DJ. What the last twenty years tell us is that Ryan should go. This season is simply icing on the cake. What those years appear to also tell us is that the Pohlads have no desire to win anywhere else than on the P&L. Some of this is obvious by the retention of almost the entire management staff regardless of the W/L record, and some by the rarer than a hens tooth siting of a Pohlad. While TSF is now a catchphrase, the other significant part of that interview was simply anyone quoting him on anything. St. Peter is there to decide what kind of food they sell, and how much to charge for beer. Until something drastically affects the bottom line, no changes are forthcoming. And sadly if they do, the marching orders will be "get that bottom line up"!

Seth Stohs · May 31, 2016

To be fair, when St. Peter is asked about baseball-related topics by whoever, he needs to answer the questions. He often will qualify his comments by saying "That's Terry's group" or something like that.

I think St. Peter is very good at his job, and I don't care in the least what his thoughts on on player personnel,etc. I suspect he knows what he needs to know.

HitInAPinch · May 31, 2016

He may or may not keep Terry.

More importantly... A new Pres of Baseball Op (From the outside... please) could take the time to look at the entire operation to determine the right changes needed and he could start that process right away but he doesn't have to move immediately. He can take his time and do it right.

I'd appreciate that he could immediately serve as checks and balances for any decisions that will need to be made this season.

I'm not trusting of the front office right now and I'd appreciate someone who could stop them from making a serious mistake like moving Buxton to the Brewers for Jimmy Nelson or something.

This front office made some serious assessment mistakes this off season and I think a supervisor ASAP is a great idea.

The other alternatives are:

Replacing your GM right away or replacing him in the off season or not replacing him at all.

Which Would Mean: Interim GM while a rushed search is conducted or interim GM eventually becomes the GM.

New GM hired after the season and he walks into the job cold and has to rebuild a front office while all the other teams don't have to do that.

and of course... the easiest answer of all of them... not replacing Terry Ryan at all.

Does Andy McPhail have any children ??

TheLeviathan · May 31, 2016

What, exactly, is his job and how has he excelled at it?

Mr. Brooks · May 31, 2016

To be fair, when St. Peter is asked about baseball-related topics by whoever, he needs to answer the questions. He often will qualify his comments by saying "That's Terry's group" or something like that.

I think St. Peter is very good at his job, and I don't care in the least what his thoughts on on player personnel,etc. I suspect he knows what he needs to know.

It's amazing how everyone is great at their job on a team about to lose 90+ games for the 5th year out of six.

Just awful luck, I suppose.

tobi0040 · May 31, 2016

As much as I dislike decisions Ryan has made, the next example being our new $13M a year long reliever, and our almost historic inability to develop middle infielders and SP, I tend to agree with DJ. What the last twenty years tell us is that Ryan should go. This season is simply icing on the cake. What those years appear to also tell us is that the Pohlads have no desire to win anywhere else than on the P&L. Some of this is obvious by the retention of almost the entire management staff regardless of the W/L record, and some by the rarer than a hens tooth siting of a Pohlad. While TSF is now a catchphrase, the other significant part of that interview was simply anyone quoting him on anything. St. Peter is there to decide what kind of food they sell, and how much to charge for beer. Until something drastically affects the bottom line, no changes are forthcoming. And sadly if they do, the marching orders will be "get that bottom line up"!

No question the best thing that could happen would be the Pohlads selling. The Pohlad kids are in way over their heads here.

Seth Stohs · May 31, 2016

It's amazing how everyone is great at their job on a team about to lose 90+ games for the 5th year out of six.
Just awful luck, I suppose.

If his job has pretty much nothing to do with baseball (which I assume to be true), then saying that he's somehow responsible for the losing makes little sense to me.

Mike Sixel · May 31, 2016

If his job has pretty much nothing to do with baseball (which I assume to be true), then saying that he's somehow responsible for the losing makes little sense to me.

I think the point, Seth, is that most people here see you defend pretty much every employee as a great.....and some wonder, then, if your opinion has much weight.

OTOH, I've seen you be critical of some employees, or question them, so I'm not sure that view is completely fair. But, I think you realize you rarely say anything bad about the employees/players, despite going on a pretty bad run here lately.

Mr. Brooks · May 31, 2016

If his job has pretty much nothing to do with baseball (which I assume to be true), then saying that he's somehow responsible for the losing makes little sense to me.

1) Our TV deal is often cited as an excuse for why we can't spend more. Is St. Peter not responsible for that?

2) Is there even one specific member of Management, front office, scouting, or field staff that you think is bad at their job? Because I've seen you defend all of them, which was my overall point.

Seth Stohs · May 31, 2016

I think the point, Seth, is that most people here see you defend pretty much every employee as a great.....and some wonder, then, if your opinion has much weight.

OTOH, I've seen you be critical of some employees, or question them, so I'm not sure that view is completely fair. But, I think you realize you rarely say anything bad about the employees/players, despite going on a pretty bad run here lately.

I often wonder what people say about my work in my job too... even if they don't know what I do.

I don't know the complete list of things that Dave St. Peter is responsible for as the President of the Twins. I believe that it has little if anything to do with baseball. I may be wrong. But I think the stadium is nice, they do good updates each year, the food selections are strong, the gameday experience is great. The Twins do a terrific job in the community. They give back. They're adding the Dominican League facility. The baseball academy in Ft. Myers is terrific. He's involved in social media and generally responsive to fan interaction.

That's all I know. I think he's done very good at those things. My assumption is that he has very little to do with the baseball operations, so in my mind, firing him because the baseball team is bad doesn't make sense. If there are other reasons, then fine.

Also, I don't think Nick is advocating firing St. Peter in here at all. He's just encouraging maybe a new hierarchy with a baseball man above the GM. And the Twins right now - and most teams - don't have that. But there now are a handful of teams that do, so it's worth looking into.

Seth Stohs · May 31, 2016

1) Our TV deal is often cited as an excuse for why we can't spend more. Is St. Peter not responsible for that?

2) Is there even one specific member of Management, front office, scouting, or field staff that you think is bad at their job? Because I've seen you defend all of them, which was my overall point.

I think Bill Smith was bad as a GM, but he's good at what he's doing now which is also important.

I don't know that any of the front office types, etc. are bad at their jobs. I think the results right now are really bad, and I understand that many think that means everyone is doing bad. I tend to look at it differently.

I generally like most of the people themselves, so I'm not going to sit and badmouth them as people. I also believe that every move, or non-move, deserves to be judged on its own. Everyone is going to have their "good" moves and everyone is going to have their "bad" moves. Just like all of us in our jobs. I believe in judging process, and that certainly differs than judging just big league results. There are just so many layers to it.

Mike Sixel · May 31, 2016

I often wonder what people say about my work in my job too... even if they don't know what I do.

I don't know the complete list of things that Dave St. Peter is responsible for as the President of the Twins. I believe that it has little if anything to do with baseball. I may be wrong. But I think the stadium is nice, they do good updates each year, the food selections are strong, the gameday experience is great. The Twins do a terrific job in the community. They give back. They're adding the Dominican League facility. The baseball academy in Ft. Myers is terrific. He's involved in social media and generally responsive to fan interaction.

That's all I know. I think he's done very good at those things. My assumption is that he has very little to do with the baseball operations, so in my mind, firing him because the baseball team is bad doesn't make sense. If there are other reasons, then fine.

Also, I don't think Nick is advocating firing St. Peter in here at all. He's just encouraging maybe a new hierarchy with a baseball man above the GM. And the Twins right now - and most teams - don't have that. But there now are a handful of teams that do, so it's worth looking into.

I agree with all of this. Outside of baseball and the tv contract, I'm not sure how anyone can say bad things about the Twins (now that I don't live there anymore, I don't have to see the terrible ads, but I realize those ads aren't aimed at me.....).

I also agree, I don't know what all he does.....so it's kind of hard to say how well he does it.

I'm not sure that was the point that the poster we both are responding to made.

Mike Sixel · May 31, 2016

I think Bill Smith was bad as a GM, but he's good at what he's doing now which is also important.

I don't know that any of the front office types, etc. are bad at their jobs. I think the results right now are really bad, and I understand that many think that means everyone is doing bad. I tend to look at it differently.

I generally like most of the people themselves, so I'm not going to sit and badmouth them as people. I also believe that every move, or non-move, deserves to be judged on its own. Everyone is going to have their "good" moves and everyone is going to have their "bad" moves. Just like all of us in our jobs. I believe in judging process, and that certainly differs than judging just big league results. There are just so many layers to it.

I also believe in process.....but plenty of MLB players follow good process, but aren't good MLB players. Outcomes matter. They really do. Otherwise, you could hire my 18 year old and tell him what process to follow as a scout or as a sales lead, or whatever, but that wouldn't make him good at it. Process is not sufficient to judge performance.

Riverbrian · May 31, 2016

I often wonder what people say about my work in my job too... even if they don't know what I do.

I don't know the complete list of things that Dave St. Peter is responsible for as the President of the Twins. I believe that it has little if anything to do with baseball. I may be wrong. But I think the stadium is nice, they do good updates each year, the food selections are strong, the gameday experience is great. The Twins do a terrific job in the community. They give back. They're adding the Dominican League facility. The baseball academy in Ft. Myers is terrific. He's involved in social media and generally responsive to fan interaction.

That's all I know. I think he's done very good at those things. My assumption is that he has very little to do with the baseball operations, so in my mind, firing him because the baseball team is bad doesn't make sense. If there are other reasons, then fine.

Also, I don't think Nick is advocating firing St. Peter in here at all. He's just encouraging maybe a new hierarchy with a baseball man above the GM. And the Twins right now - and most teams - don't have that. But there now are a handful of teams that do, so it's worth looking into.

That's what I got from Nick's suggestion.

I have no idea about St. Peter and what he does and he isn't really a part of my equation.

I like Nick's idea because I like the idea of immediate supervision while being able to take some time making important assessments about who and what went wrong.

Bottom Line for me... This current front office got a lot wrong to be asked to make it right. I'd rather bring in an outsider for clean up supervision.

This has nothing to do with St. Peter in my mind. Unless he meddles and if that's the case... the new guy can make a note of that.

Nick Nelson · May 31, 2016

1) Our TV deal is often cited as an excuse for why we can't spend more. Is St. Peter not responsible for that?

He is not responsible for the circumstances that have led to this outcome, no. The Twin Cities have a low cable subscriber rate and there isn't really any competition with FSN to drive up demand/cost for TV rights. There's no grounds for this being continually cited as an example of poor negotiating.

TheLeviathan · May 31, 2016

I'm not sure that was the point that the poster we both are responding to made.

I'm not him, but a similar conversation happened on the Paul Allen show last week. I was stuck in a car with limited options, so while I was forced to listen to the drivel I heard him talking to Gleeman about not wanting to criticize individuals he feels a personal connection to.

The problem with that (while totally understandable, by the way) is that it automatically makes your analysis far less useful and relevant. I don't want to read about what Bernie Sanders' policies would mean for the country from Ted Cruz's website. Likewise, I don't give a rip what his campaign manager says either. If you can't keep a objectivity for reasons that are understandable, that does hurt my view of your analysis.

I'm curious if there is anyone out there that isn't worried about hurting St. Peter's feelings can tell me what he actually does. He seems like an affable, pleasant guy but also one that has a talent for saying baffling, idiotic things from time to time.

DaveW · May 31, 2016

DSP never should have been kept around after the Cordova/Cancer Kid/Twins stadium TV commercial that he green lit. That is truly disgusting and an embarrassment to Twins fans everywhere.

Suffice to say, I think he is long overdue to leave. I know his job isn't "baseball operations", but I'm not impressed with his work as a whole anyways. It seems like every new "Target Field" initiative, is just another lazy white labeled bar. The fan "experience" at TF is great if you have disposable money and like to drink (which is fine by me personally) but I don't think it's a great place to take a family of 5. Other than TC and the Target Mascot race I don't see a whole lot of reasons to take a kid under the age of 6. They could certainly do a much better job in this regard, instead of building another 2-3 bars each year.

Edited May 31, 2016 by DaveW

davidc3915 · May 31, 2016

If the idea is to restructure the front office, I would think Ryan and St. Peter both go. In order to usher in a "New Era" I think new people should be at the head of that restructuring.

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