Your Turn: What Do You Want From A GM?

Again I ask, what is considered poor performance if losing 90+ games 5 times in 6 years does not qualify?  

 

24 of 30* MLB teams have made the playoffs since 2011. The Twins haven't, and are on pace to lose 120 games this season .  It is amazing that this standard of how long it takes to build a team only applies to Terry Ryan for some

 

*of the 6 that haven't made the playoffs, 2 lead their division (CWS, Seattle), 1 is over .500 (Miami), 1 is 3 games under .500 (Colorado). 

 

And then there is;

The Padres at 19-29

The Twins at 12-34

 

Excellent company

And only 7 different teams have made the World Series, leading  21 teams to complain how their GM does not get the job done. Hunnington and Hoyer would get a free pass.

Huh? You missed the point by a wide margain

Your point was simple enough. On other teams even regularly making the playoffs was not good enough

Background

If the Twins are looking for a GM change, previous success on field doesn't matter to me as much as a general baseball business acumen and an open mind.  As owner, job one would be to enlarge the market and make the team more profitable.  Profitability is important to long-term viability  

My greatest criticism as a fan of the Twins is reserved for present and past ownership.  I simply do not like the way the Polhads conduct the business of the Twins.  I haven't forgotten the days of Don Beaver and the threats to move or contract the Twins if they didn't get a new stadium with taxpayer help.  I recall all the talk fed to the press of the woes of being in a small market when all economic metrics have long pointed to the Twin Cities and Minnesota as being a viable baseball middle-market.  Everyone here may remember the message ownership expressed shortly after being given a new field when the product abruptly failed, attendance fell off with the team's performance, and shortly thereafter payroll did as well.  From my point of view what came down from ownership as a result was to this, to paraphrase:

"we'll invest in more payroll when more people start showing up".

I think that's getting the fan/team relationship backwards.  Imagine a pizza chain promising to improve their mediocre product only when more people started buying their crummy pizzas.  I would instead take more risk to improve the product, then hoping more people would attend

"Build it and they will come"

SCOUTING

The Draft

I would take more of a "Best player available" approach.  For all the talk of needing to acquire high-upside arms, relief pitchers with good arms that don't earn saves are very cheap on the market and starting pitching with upside certainly fits the "BPA" model.  Rosters can change a lot in the years required to develop prospects and it seems a lot more intuitive to just do the best you can to spam your organization with as much talent as possible and use the trade/free agent markets to supplement it to fill holes.  

I applaud the team for it's approach in some past years - for trying to find better pitchers with more velocity by drafting relievers and converting them, rather than just drafting polished college mediocrity with their good control, questionable command, and 88mph four seamers.....  that this approach didn't work wouldn't stop me from approving them to try it again.  What I don't want is to spend draft picks on guys who best project to be Tommy Milones and Sam Dedunos as we have no trouble finding those types by other means.  I would consistently choose upside over polish.  The further in the draft we go, i would focus even more on upside with the ensuing flaws.  I would focus on a balance between stats/tools at the top of the draft and much more on tools down low.  

International Markets

I would be a bit aggressive here and am glad they signed Park after the failure of Nishioka.  International Markets are also a chance to gain cache in other nations, especially Japan, Australia and Korea.  I want the Twins to be among the most respected clubs in the region.  

I also want to play a series against another MLB team in Tokyo or Seoul during the regular season.  If I have to forfeit having three games at home and refunding season ticket holders, so be it.  

Advanced Scouting

I don't see any reason why this should not continue.  I want the scouting director to balance statistical vs traditional approaches.  

Advanced Statistics

Over the years, the team's various comments on Sabremetrics indicate that they just that aren't into it and their involvement has been tepid and tokenary.  I get the feeling they don't trust it much.   Statistics must be integrated the system of decision making, not just another (probably ignored) voice vying for input.  All Player Decisions will figure heavily on a statistical approach.    

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Philosophies will be based on keeping players who hit at premium defensive positions there as long as possible.  I can accept a below average defensive SS who hits 285/340/470.  it's not a question of whether he fits the traditional mold of a defensive-first player, it's a question of Wins above Replacement, no matter how they get there.

From pitchers I would emphasize more strikeouts and am willing to accept more walks.  I don't need every hitter to have Mauer-like patience, but I don't value and see the future in any player I don't think will be able to maintain a 1:2 BB/K rate in the majors (like Rosario), unless they have incredible power (like Sano).

 I won't bring up prospect so they can sit on the bench.  I will require the manager to play prospects who are brought up and sit a vet, if necessary.  I would not allow struggling prospects to work through at the major league level if they haven't yet proven a sustained ability to hit at AAA (aka, Aaron Hicks).

I would shy away from RH-dominant switch hitters in drafts.  I would have switch hitting players who demonstrate a decided difference in splits drop their weaker side if they can't shake it by the end of their days in rookie ball, or their first season of A ball at the latest.  

I expect players coming from the minors to throw to the right base and make correct decisions as fielders.  they should be prepared to play the field.

Position Players should focus on skills as well as fitness during the off-season.  I worry about pitcher load and would impose inning limits for younger pitchers in non-competitive years.  

I would keep our affiliates happy.  The last thing I want is to have our AAA back in the PCL.  I would prefer having more affiliates in the Midwest.  

MEDIA/PRESS RELATIONS

From an organizational standpoint there is always something better to do than answering predictable questions to a bunch of reporters.  However, outreach is important. Never shy away from a reporter looking for a few quotes.  You need these guys on your side.  Take them out to lunch.  hire a good ad agency with a penchant for approachable humor and buy ad space in the papers.  Send the Trib donuts once in awhile. Embrace bloggers as they tend to come up with better angles/questions.  

FRONT OFFICE/On Field Staff

I would want to keep our legacy personnel close. Minnesota has a good and fortunate history. I'm fairly certain they just want to hang around the ballpark anyways and have little desire to influence team direction.  If TK still wanted to manage, he would have been managing these last fifteen years.  I don't know who I 'get rid of'.  I set expectations and philosophies, let personnel fall however it does.  There are a few things with TK's approach that I don't get, but he's a legend. A legend that wears Zubas....

I don't think we need a manager change.  A manager's job is mainly preparedness and managing workloads.  I don't think there's anything to be gained by getting rid of Molly.  Bruno did a good job last year, and it's still early this season.  Of all the problems we have had this year, none of it is because of the on field staff.  Of note, injury communications have improved.  I don't recall this year or last any player being listed as day to day, playing a few times a week by hobbling through, sucking, and then finally being put on the DL for the same injury for the next six weeks.  The Manager and Trainer should be assertive in removing players from their duties if they think something is wrong.  don't let the player make the call because any dedicated player will want to play through pain.     

That said, I liked the way Gardy handled umpires.  Sometimes someone has to get thrown out to deflate a situation, and Gardy was certainly willing to stand in as a proxy for the anger from his players.  If someone is going to burst, it best not be someone on the roster.  

The Current Situation:

The best players should be put in the positions where they can provide the best value, from my perspective.  Trevor May goes in the Rotation and Sano goes to Third.  Maybe Nolasco has a future as a successful middle reliever, because I've lost hope he'll ever be able to be traded and he's probably no better than our 6th best starting option when everyone is healthy.  I don't plan on resigning Plouffe, but I would be perfectly happy with him as a serviceable utility player for the rest of the year if I can't get a player in return that has some upside.  Park is an asset.  We keep Park.  You couldn't give the contracts of Nolasco or Suzuki away right now, so that's moot.    We play the prospects unless they struggle too long.  We let Dozier work through it.  His BB% is the same, his K rate is down, it's only his BABIP that's making him suffer.  

TRADES:

I am willing to trade any non-star player at almost any time.  I would look to the numbers guys more than any other.  Elite talent is almost never up for trade and when it is, it's only a rental.  

FREE AGENCY

I would be a hypocrite to tear into recent free agency decisions.  I thought at the time that the Nolasco and Hughes signings would be good ones,as well as the Santana contract.  If everything worked out, ie Nolasco and Santana held as decent #3 starters while Hughes took steps forward moving out of hitter-friendly New Yankee Stadium, we could be looking at a pitching surplus right now had Barrios, Gibson, and Meyer all transitioned to the MLB sucessfully.  It didn't work out that way, but I can't fault the process that much.   

that said, offering extensions after limited success with the team to Hughes and Suzuki were puzzling mistakes.  They are consistent with TR's apparent desire for long term certainty rather than try to get maximum value from the ebb-and-flow of the markets.  I think in the future I'd like to see the Twins aim a little higher and show a little more patience with how the FA market develops.  It's hard to find good value on the market when you are trying to lock up middling players before the bidding starts..  

I wouldn't stay away from the 10-13 million dollar guys, but I would stay way from the $3-$8 mil specials.  How much better than the normal depth of back-end starters the Twins always have can those guys actually be?  Workhorses you say?? Innings have little value unless they have some quality to them.  There's always a cheap Scott Diamond in the rough or Tommie 'Mayday' Milones to be had.  Pretty soon those $5-8 million dollar 90 ERA+ "workhorses" add up to real money that could have gotten an actually valuable player.