Your Turn: What Do You Want From A GM?

Rosterman · May 24, 2016

You have to build a solid farm system with a philosophy for developing players for major league play. If you look back at the last 10 years of the draft, the Twins are drafting a lot of guys that haven't gone anywhere (or some that have gone to other organizations).

You may have a Twins Way of doing things, but how does that reflect into the changing structure of a roster mixed with players essentially playing baseball for the major leagues at some point, with no team loyalty above and beyond pay.

You have to set yourself up as a competitive team. Combined with the bosses in the front office, how are you doing this. The Twins fault seems to be a cross between Mike Veeck and Indy Ball (let's have fun at Target Field) and let's just compete solidly in our division and worry about what happens if we do go to the playoffs if that does happen.

That hurts the general manager as a signee of free agents. Sure, the Twins wanted a bunch of mid-range (say $6-8) million guys, but they could easily get that elsewhere with teams that ARE more competitive. The Twins essentially had to overpay to get guys to come here after a string of losing seasons. Right now...who wants to come and play with the Twins unless they are on a rebuilding plan for themselves or are vastly overpaid. I even question what it would take to get outside management to come to this team.

You have to gamble a lot of money and fail. In the draft, how many millions are spent on failed players. Every year a certain number of player days are because someone is hurt. That's millions. Or you make not one, but two or three bad signings. Can the team afford to eat those dollars or let them walk away (what the Yankees were always able to do).

And I do like a general manager that does go dumpster diving and finds a few gems. But also want him to trade of pieces when they are valuable commodities, and not wait to long on pulling the strings on guys that are not in the plans 2-3 years down the road and have come off a good season. But I also want him to seriously look at what a player can bring to a team.

Even when dealing with the field staff. Thought things would be totally blown out when Gardy was relieved of duties. Yet we still retain Bruno and Vavra and, in a sense, Molly. We brought a couple of guys up from the minors (Glynn and Hernandez). We did bring in some new blood. Who choose everyone? GM, GM and Manager?

Every team seems to operate with multiple general managers. Some have presidents/CEOS with more of a handle in baseball operations with a named general manager and their assistants. The Twins have general manager duties basically shared by at least three people, it seems. In a family run organization that prides itself on a front office staff made up of lifers to this particular team, all seems well when the team DOES compete and that near 2 million paying customers spend on the team. And management can avoid spending what other teams ae throwing at players...in this point they seem like me, a diehard Minnesotan, who is always a few years behind the norm in what I purchase or safely invest in. Is it a Minnesota thing?

When I look at so much discussed above in the writer's detailed description of what a general manager should be or do, I see a lot of Terry Ryan in there, from international scouting (although I feel the Twins were surprised that they one the Park auction), to scouting and development, to talking with free agents (Target Field was not only going to allow the Twins to keep their own free agents, but give them revenue to spend).. He has a good grip with the media, is sometimes too honest, and truly loves the game, the way it WAS played, and the concept of people being major league ball players.

Every team has ups and downs. We should be proud we didn't have the runs of Kansas City or Pittsburgh. Houston had a heckuva a rebuild. The successful Braves have to work hard to keep their fan base in a rebuild. Boston has ups and downs. Other teams have overspent. Other teams have had troubled seasons (Detroit, White Sox). No one knows what is happening in Cleveland.

We do have a "system failure" in this team right now. There is a lot of talent in the pipeline, some obvious needs (catching, defense, hard-throwers compared to soft tossers).

But like the players in the minor leagues, do we have talent in the front office that has been and is being groomed in a manner that will improve the club in the long haul, or just enthusiastic guys who fall into the trap of Twins Way (the address of the team, by the way) and the need to give an illusion of competition rather than go forth 110% into the field of play!

Seth Stohs · May 24, 2016

Great response, Roster... Very well thought out.

Thrylos · May 24, 2016

I want the Twins to hire a president of baseball operations who is a proven winner in the baseball universe to run the show and want him to hire a younger analytics-oriented GM with passion for winning.

Everything else will fall in place.

It might require a different owner too.

diehardtwinsfan · May 24, 2016

I like the premise behind this article. Not quite sure I can put everything down in a few minutes, but here's a start.

I definitely want someone who continues emphasis on the scout/draft/develop side of things. I think the org as a whole probably needs a bit more work particularly on the development side, so if we are adding/removing staff, that would be side where I would likely start moving people and/or acquiring additional resources.

On the money side, like it or not, it's going to be someone who can work under Pohlad's budget constraints, whatever those are exactly. I would like to see more creativity. If we need a 1/2 year deal, grab some upside/make good type contracts while using minor league FAs/AAAA guys in Rochester as filler in the event said guy gets traded, doesn't work out, or the prospect you want to fill the role isn't ready. Don't force a prospect up before he's ready. Please don't. We've seen enough of that of late to know that there's nothing but bad things that come out of that.

I definitely want an executive that has an analytics bent. The team needs to modernize rather quick in that area.

On drafting, honestly that really falls into a case by case scenario. I want someone who can be occasionally creative there, as there's a time when the org may say need higher risk higher ceiling HS guys, and has to draft someone underslot somewhere in order to maximize the return (this year is a really good example of that, whereas next year may not be).

On international, this is probably the last year to go all in before a draft. I think the Twins should do this (though that will fall more on Ryan than whomever replaces him).

I really don't care about player/offseason stuff. That really is governed by the CBA/players/coaches. Follow the rules, and make sure players do get an offseason.

I do care about trades. I don't like trades for the sake of making them (we all saw how that worked with Bill Smith), but when there are guys that need to be traded, they get dealt. Terry Ryan is probably the opposite in that regard as he's not going to move someone unless he gets what he feels is appropriate value. The only obvious exception there is a bad contract like Nolasco. Either cut him or trade him at this point, and I don't care the value returned. I do care if they give up value to get rid of him. I like that (for the most part), but he ended up hanging on to guys like Tommy Milone, who was redundant, would have fetched something this offseason, and quite frankly was blocking better talent.

On field staff for the short term needs to be able to develop talent. Young guys are coming up, and we need a staff that can manage that transition. I thought Molitor was a good fit there, but based on what I've observed this season, I don't see that. I don't want Gardy V2 here. We need an onfield staff that can be patient with rookie struggles. Also, we need a renewed emphasis on fundamentals.

As for media, let's dump the passive aggressive stuff about players and the double standard that rookies/vets get.

I do think there's value in trying to build from within, but there should be effort to occasionally bring from without. Both strategies to an extreme can be dangerous, but there is really good value in a hybrid approach.

Comrade Bork · May 24, 2016

I want the Twins to hire a president of baseball operations who is a proven winner in the baseball universe to run the show and want him to hire a younger analytics-oriented GM with passion for winning. Everything else will fall in place. It might require a different owner too.

How much influence does St. Peter actually have on the on field product? From a business ops standpoint the Twins seem to run pretty well.

What I want out of a GM is someone that can correctly pick an impact player out of the first round. Gibson in '09 and Plouffe in '04 are currently the most recent first rounders we have on the 25 man. I know you can find diamonds in the rough but it's been 12 years since we have had a position player stick (on this team) that was drafted out of the first round.

The first overall pick in next years draft is not something I want TR deciding on.

Hindsight is 20-20 but we took Gibson 3 spots before all-world Mike Trout.

Fingers crossed on Buxton and Gordon

Edited May 24, 2016 by Comrade Bork

Seth Stohs · May 24, 2016

How much influence does St. Peter actually have on the on field product? From a business ops standpoint the Twins seem to run pretty well.

I would say pretty much none. He's likely kept updated by Ryan on ideas and knows the pulse, but he isn't making baseball decisions in any way. He's doing a lot of the other stuff, and I agree, it's well run.

Seth Stohs · May 24, 2016

I like the premise behind this article. Not quite sure I can put everything down in a few minutes, but here's a start.

I kind of think that's the point. A GM oversees so much, and he can't be hands-on in all of those areas, but is in a way fully responsible for all of it. The article is, for me at least, a way to get past the complaining about needing a new GM (or whatever position) and really starting to think about what criteria are important to you if you were to make the decision on the next GM. It isn't easy, and there are a lot of parts to it. It's kind of a fun exercise to see what kind of footprint you'd like to see. And there likely isn't a GM that is going to 100% agree with your philosophies on everything, so which are most important.

Otto von Ballpark · May 24, 2016

ADVANCED STATISTICS

This is one that people think that the Twins are so far behind on. I don’t think we really know. However, if there were a change, and you were in charge, how much focus would you put on it?

Do you need a group of 30+ statheads or could much of the same work be done with a group of six to eight?

How much voice do you give the analytics group compared to the scouting group? Are they on equal group or should it be all about the past numbers?

I don't think it should have anything to do with the quantity of "statheads". It's about the quality. And odds are, the most quality "stathead", and the one most capable of leading and directing that department to actually gain a competitive advantage over other teams, may not have emerged from your ticket call center a few years ago.

Do the Twins even have a barometer for judging the effectiveness of their current stat department? Have they ever employed or even interviewed an outside stats person? At the very least, they should aggressively hire a new outside stat guy or two now, and let them work semi-independently for a while to judge their respective performances and compare them to the performance of the current department.

Edited May 24, 2016 by spycake

TheLeviathan · May 24, 2016

Here would be a few highlights for me:

1) More emphasis on modern analytics and an understanding of statistics.

2) Early picks on hitters only

3) Treat FA as either boom or bust - either go big or go dumpster diving. Stay out of the middle.

4) Use the trade deadline aggressively, don't be too attached to players if the right moves are there

5) Emphasize defense and fundamentals

6) Emphasize strikeouts for pitchers

7) Adjust player's positions and roles early on. Not at AAA or the MLB level.

8) More analysis of their own work, flexibility with outside ideas, and a willingness to move on from people and ideas when they fail

9) A genuine effort to be out in front of trends

Just off the top of my head.

Edited May 24, 2016 by TheLeviathan

Thrylos · May 24, 2016

How much influence does St. Peter actually have on the on field product? From a business ops standpoint the Twins seem to run pretty well.

He does not and that was my point. The Twins need someone above both St. Peter and the GM who actually is a baseball person and cares more about baseball than turning the OF into a cowfield after concerts or unrelated to baseball activities at Target Field or to care more about the product on the field vs the food in the ballpark.

St. Peter is fine for what he is. He is just not enough. Plus he opens he mouth on occasion and pretends to talk baseball

tobi0040 · May 24, 2016

The first thing I would do in my search is sit down with every Twins FO member who thinks they have a shot at the job and tell them I am hiring someone from outside the organization. Since 2011, only the Astros have won fewer games than us and they will likely pass us this year. So we need a new perspective. I would also let them know that the new GM is going to have free reign on who they keep and who they don’t. They would appreciate the candor and we would not waste anyone’s time with a fake interview.

The two backgrounds I would be interested in would be a former successful GM or a #2 in a highly respected franchise. Regarding advanced statistics, all I have to go on here is public reports, like unbiased rankings where we are among the lower five in the league. Reports also suggest our department was formed after most teams in the league, is smaller and for a few years was just one person. And while other teams have gone out and hired an army algo traders, folks with NASA backgrounds, Ivy league degrees, etc. we hired a person from within like we always do. So I want someone that can catch us up quickly.

A key part of my interview process would be a report from the prospective GM about how the Twins got to where they are and what their 1-3 year vision would be for turning this team around. These reports would go a long way in figuring out who the right person for the job would be. For example, the guy that says you should not have signed Ricky Nolasco is not offering up a ton of value. Meanwhile, the guy that flashes the chart of fWAR by pitcher age and highlights at about 27/28 guys decline, then lists all the guys we have signed well past this point would be helping his case.

TwinsWonWithHunter · May 24, 2016

1. A GM who is not afraid to say, "our plan did not work. Now it is time to start over." The current front office (and manager) keeps rolling with the same tired veterans--Mauer, Plouffe, Dozier, Nolasco, Hughes. Those five players need to be benched/bullpened or removed from the roster. But the current organizational leaders seem to be saying: these guys are getting paid truckloads of money. So they need to play/start." Why? To Justify the money? That makes no sense. The team has hit rock bottom, so we need a GM who is willing to call this S^%$show for what it is: dump the dead weight and move on.

2. A GM who tells us what the off-season payroll cap is; or even just a range. Every year, the current GM says, "Payroll is not a problem. If I present the right deal to ownership, they will sign off on it," or words to that effect. OK, maybe if we had known the payroll cap, we could have deduced that perhaps Ryan wanted to sign some relief help this off-season, or a veteran OF. But that Pohlad said, "You can't go over $105 million" (or whatever it is). Let's have some transparency here. Some honesty. Now that still does not excuse the current GM from having not moved, say, Plouffe and Perkins this off-season to free up cash and get Sano to 3B. Who knows, maybe he tried and there were just no deals, and he was all but hamstrung by the budget. Well then, give us a GM who tells us the numbers up front.

3. As long as the next GM comes from outside the organization. That is really the main thing.

alarp33 · May 24, 2016

Here would be a few highlights for me:

1) More emphasis on modern analytics and an understanding of statistics.

2) Early picks on hitters only

3) Treat FA as either boom or bust - either go big or go dumpster diving. Stay out of the middle.

4) Use the trade deadline aggressively, don't be too attached to players if the right moves are there

5) Emphasize defense and fundamentals

6) Emphasize strikeouts for pitchers

7) Adjust player's positions and roles early on. Not at AAA or the MLB level.

8) More analysis of their own work, flexibility with outside ideas, and a willingness to move on from people and ideas when they fail

9) A genuine effort to be out in front of trends

Just off the top of my head.

I agree with all of these. One trend that the Braves appear to be all in on is basically buying assets by taking on salary. Just grabbed the Orioles comp pick to take on Matusz's salary, last year I think they got a 1st round pitcher from the Dbacks for taking on Arroyo's contract.

Be creative in acquiring assets, through the draft (3 2nd round picks this year will certainly help the bonus pool), international market, etc. *And call Dave Stewart once a week to check in and see if he wants to make a deal

Edited May 24, 2016 by alarp33

tobi0040 · May 24, 2016

It's about the quality. And odds are, the most quality "stathead", and the one most capable of leading and directing that department to actually gain a competitive advantage over other teams, may not have emerged from your ticket call center a few years ago

I really wish the ticket sales thing was some baseless, outlandish comment. But unfortunately it is spot on.

In my process of having the prospective GM provide a report on why we have been so bad and what has failed, I would hope they would highlight the insolar nature of the Twins org. The Goin hire, Rob Antony working his way up from completely odd sides of the business like community relations, etc. I would hope would be identified as red flags that will be addressed.

Pardon My Dinger · May 24, 2016

I want chutzpah, and plenty of it!

Vanimal46 · May 24, 2016

Background: The team needs someone who comes from an organization with sustained success, knows how to build a culture, and preferably has worked with a constrained budget before. I'd like to go young with the next hire. Target organizations: St Louis, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Oakland

Scouting and drafting: Still going to be crucial for this organization. Unless there's new ownership, there will always be a constraint on budget. The most likely way for them to acquire an ace type pitcher or power hitter is through the draft or international signings. I would want the next GM to be more aggressive with international signings.

Advanced Stats: Not really in my wheelhouse. I'd want the next GM to scout out a team of people to handle this department and get it up to speed.

Player Development: Another CRUCIAL part of the success in this organization. Currently I think it's backwards that most players spend more time in the lower levels than the upper levels. I'd like the next GM to create a philosophy of getting players through the lower levels quicker, and spend more time in AA and AAA to prepare them for the major leagues.

On-Field Staff: Has to buy in to the philosophy and culture that the new GM creates. Right now it doesn't appear that TR and PM mesh in what they're trying to do. The current 40 man is littered with young players, and PM doesn't appear to trust or use the young players.

Trades: They need to have free reign on making decisions for who to trade for and whom to trade away. Epstein did a great job with the Cubs trading away vets for upside players. The next GM should have the ability to do the same.

Free Agency: Boom or bust. Go after 1 impact player if it fits the team perfectly instead of hedging your bets with 2-3 mid level players.

Miscellaneous: Clear out some of the people in the organization from the old regime to bring in new people who fit the culture. "Success" at this point is getting this organization healthier by shedding old contracts and actually going through the youth movement.

nicksaviking · May 24, 2016

What's happening today isn't going to be what's happening tomorrow. I want someone who not only understands that baseball is at the same time evolving AND cyclical, but someone who thrives on change and isn't overly committed to what worked for them in the past.

This is going to sound cold-hearted and un-Twin like, but I want a GM who sees the players as a commodity:

-Sign free agents to contracts that can be unloaded if the team is struggling.

-Speculate on buy low candidates.

-Don't make the roster redundant, you don't need x many number 3 pitchers or x number of corner/DH types.

-Avoid sentimental signings and picks. If a Joe Mauer is the best player available to pick, go ahead and grab him I guess, but local guys and former players should not be getting deals because they make for good PR. Sentimentality is a killer, it causes bad contracts and it makes it hard to trade guys when they clearly should be traded. If all things are equal, stay away from the local guy and former players.

I would like to see the Twins target John Mozeliak or Neil Huntington for the President job and let them woo front office and managerial staff.

Brandon · May 24, 2016

I look back at the last few off seasons and was happy at the results each time from Terry Ryan. Last offseason we all thought here the best thing to do was stand pat. They brought in new catchers who have not worked out but Abad has been better than expected. Park has been better than expected. and PAlka is a good prospect. The year before we signed the 4th best starting pitcher in free agency and Torii, extended a Cy young calibre pitcher for 3 years and 14 million. We all thought the Nolasco signing was good at the time. This season has been the perfect storm of what all could go wrong. Mauer quit hitting after the first few weeks. Plouffe Gibson Santana, Perkins Escobar have been hurt, none of the young players have stepped up except Duffy. Nunez has come out of nowhere glad Terry Ryan kept him around. Others have slumped. The most questionable move I've seen made was the 2 year extension to Suzuki but I haven't seen many better available options that were reasonable in cost. I think most of the mess will fix itself in time. Provided some of the youngsters bounce back. Plouffe will be a solid player. Mauer will either go back to hitting or get moved to the bench in the next year, Sano will learn to make adjustments, Buxton is the CF of the future, we have bullpen reinforcements on the way plus starting pitcher options. The team has to get over the shock that they weren't ready this year and maximize the opportunities to prepare for next year.

tobi0040 · May 24, 2016

I have now converted to the idea of hiring a president from outside and putting him in charge of hiring a GM. Kudos to Thrylos, Nicksaving and others. Because at the end of the day without one it would be Pohlad conducting the search and he has no credibility at all, nor connections outside our team.

Thrylos · May 24, 2016

extended a Cy young calibre pitcher

Who? Phil Hughes at his career season finished 7th in the Cy Young vote with 6 points. First place had 169 and second 157. For perspective. Not.Even.Close

Unless you are talking about the Perkins, Pelfrey, and/or Capps extensions...

DaveW · May 24, 2016

Here would be a few highlights for me:

1) More emphasis on modern analytics and an understanding of statistics.

2) Early picks on hitters only

3) Treat FA as either boom or bust - either go big or go dumpster diving. Stay out of the middle.

4) Use the trade deadline aggressively, don't be too attached to players if the right moves are there

5) Emphasize defense and fundamentals

6) Emphasize strikeouts for pitchers

7) Adjust player's positions and roles early on. Not at AAA or the MLB level.

8) More analysis of their own work, flexibility with outside ideas, and a willingness to move on from people and ideas when they fail

9) A genuine effort to be out in front of trends

Just off the top of my head.

1. 100% this, the Twins can talk all they want about their advanced statistics team, but they still are signing guys at their peak (after luck driven half seasons etc....Suzuki) and aren't efficiently finding talent in the FA market (or trade market). I would want the Twins to bring in a PROVEN advanced statistics expert and let him build out his team from there.

2. I disagree here. If you have a chance to draft a good arm, you take it. I would avoid RP like the plague though int he first 3 rounds. However, if you have a chance to get another Kohl Stewart you do it in a heartbeat. Shooter Hunt didn't work out, but I like that pick as well, high upside, high risk. No to the next Kyle Gibson or Alex Wimmers first round pick though (or Ben Revere) drafting mid rotation guys that high in the draft is a mistake.

3. I agree 100% here. Get an impact bat or an impact pitcher (i.e. an Ace or #2) with the money they spent on Santana, Milone, Hughes and Nolasco the Twins would have been able to sign Cueto (and one of Santana, Hughes and Nolasco). How much better would this rotation look with Cueto at the top for the next 5 years? Ditto with hitters. Get an impact player or don't bother, if you need filler types then your minor leagues should be able to produce you some back up INF, back up C, back up OF. I wouldn't mind some "middle" RP options though.

4. Yup

5. The Twins used to be very good at this, I think they have lost a few steps since Gardy was let go to be honest.

6. Agreed, it's kinda crazy that we are still waiting on this.

7,8,9. Yes yes yes.

Well put overall and well thought out. Also one thing I would add is to set expectations coming in for the new F.O of the following:

First 10 years:

Minimum of 4 playoff appearances. (33% of the teams make the playoffs every year, 40% would be a little above average)

Minimum of 1 world series title.

Anything else would be viewed as failure. It might sound a bit harsh, but it's professional sports, the whole point of it is to win championships. Settling for sweeps in the first round of the playoffs (when you are fortunate enough to make the playoffs) doesn't cut it.

DaveW · May 24, 2016

I have now converted to the idea of hiring a president from outside and putting him in charge of hiring a GM. Kudos to Thrylos, Nicksaving and others. Because at the end of the day without one it would be Pohlad conducting the search and he has no credibility at all, nor connections outside our team.

Yeah this is the most important part to me. There has been like zero turnover in the FO as a whole. Replacing Ryan with someone else internally (unless they were literally brought on in the last 24 months) is just asking for more of the same.

The one exception to a "former Minnesota guy" would be Andy MacPhail, he has been away from Minnesota for 20 years now or so I believe, and has done a wonderful job rebuilding a Phillies team that was absolutely gutted when he took over.

alarp33 · May 24, 2016

I have now converted to the idea of hiring a president from outside and putting him in charge of hiring a GM. Kudos to Thrylos, Nicksaving and others. Because at the end of the day without one it would be Pohlad conducting the search and he has no credibility at all, nor connections outside our team.

To piggyback on the other thread about when is the right time to replace the GM... going this route also allows you to start that search for the Team President immediately... Ryan can still handle the draft, trade deadline, etc. with a new president looking over his shoulder. That president can clean house in October.

DAM DC Twins Fans · May 24, 2016

For me, the most important thing the next GM will do is to hire a direct of player development. The Twins of 10-12 years ago were built from within--Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Torri, etc. were all high draft picks that matured.

Since Mauer our top picks have floundered.

If you build a team from within, you don't have to spend the free agent bucks on the big parts, just fill in the weaknesses.

Why have our draft picks floundered. I don't know. I know that Buxton--considered a top 5 prospect by everybody hasn't been able to develop. Gibson, Plouffe, etc. have become at best mediocre. Some (Gomez, Span) have done better with a change of scenery.

A new director of player development working with a new GM must make changes so guys like Stewart, Gonsalves, Gordon, etc. do develop into more than mediocre.

DaveW · May 24, 2016

For me, the most important thing the next GM will do is to hire a direct of player development. The Twins of 10-12 years ago were built from within--Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Torri, etc. were all high draft picks that matured.

Since Mauer our top picks have floundered.

If you build a team from within, you don't have to spend the free agent bucks on the big parts, just fill in the weaknesses.

Why have our draft picks floundered. I don't know. I know that Buxton--considered a top 5 prospect by everybody hasn't been able to develop. Gibson, Plouffe, etc. have become at best mediocre. Some (Gomez, Span) have done better with a change of scenery.

A new director of player development working with a new GM must make changes so guys like Stewart, Gonsalves, Gordon, etc. do develop into more than mediocre.

That's a little unfair IMO.

Buxton hasn't floundered at all yet, he still is wayyyy too young to say this and he is currently doing very well in AAA. Several top prospects struggle their first time in the majors, Trout comes immediately to mind. Also, Buxton likely wasn't ready to be brought up anyways. If he is still struggling in 3 years then maybe we can talk about him being a bust.

Ditto with Stewart, he was a high school arm, those guys take longer to develop then the Jr/Sr college pitchers we have drafted quite a bit in the past. He was a top 30 prospect coming into this season and is pitching well as a 21 year old in A+.

Berrios is another first rounder who has worked out "well" so far and has a bright future.

Span was a very good CF for us, I don't see how you can include him in this list as well. He is a good player who will have a good career, most teams will take that 7 days a week out of their mid first round pick.

Gomez was never picked by the Twins, he was part of the Mets system.

Gibson and Plouffe haven't been all stars, but at least they have contributed and are solid players as well. You can't really call them busts.

If you want to talk busts, then at least mention the busts like Hunt, Gutierrez.

Overall I think the Twins have done a pretty solid job drafting in the first round IMO.

operation mindcrime · May 24, 2016

Competence!

Seth Stohs · May 24, 2016

Be creative in acquiring assets, through the draft (3 2nd round picks this year will certainly help the bonus pool), international market, etc. *And call Dave Stewart once a week to check in and see if he wants to make a deal

To be fair... that deal is looking great for the Diamondbacks to this point...

operation mindcrime · May 24, 2016

I'd also like someone with an open mind who's willing to change!

hybridbear · May 24, 2016

It sounds like there is an overall need for more creativity. Be more creative with lineup construction based on analytics. Be more creative with contract structure to sign high upside players to deals that reward them very well if they perform, but limit liability if they don't. Be more creative in hiring decisions to go outside the organization & sign a more diverse staff. Be more creative in strategy of signing players from the draft and internationally.

The one point made in the article that really caught my attention was about player contact in the off-season. Perhaps this already happens, but I'd like to see the Twins have a specific plan for each player during the off-season. There may be goals relating to conditioning, weight, strength training or other exercise related goals. Or there might be baseball related fielding goals such as better routes on fly balls, improving decision making on throws back to the infield, working to improve first step speed, improving fluidity for double plays or others. Or perhaps there are specific hitting goals such as improving strike zone recognition, learning to lay off more breaking balls, taking the ball the other way, pulling the ball more, hitting less pop-ups, etc. I'd like to see a plan laid out for every player under contract for the next season at all levels. The goal should be to make the players better through these plans. Then the Twins could help the players accomplish their goals by providing resources to them as needed.

Hrbowski · May 24, 2016

I just don't understand the love of drafting hitters. Colon, Ackely, Alonso....

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