Platoon

By now I imagine Pohlad has instructed his secretary to hold all calls, especially from anyone named Scoggins. He likely wishes he had done this sooner, but at least we now know why he is seldom quoted on baseball topics. That said, if we are to assume his comments were forthright and reflect his opinions of the current team, he has opened a window into team philosophy. A baseball team has several levels of structure. Owner GM Manager Players A teams historical won lost record is most likely the result of ownership. I don't mean today's game, or this weeks, or this seasons. I mean over a span, in this case 20 years, or so. The players output is limited by their abilities. It can ebb and flow, but in general it is what it is. Meaning Eddie Rosario will never be Joe Mauer, nor vice versa. The players play and hit where the manager puts them. His single biggest task is to put each player in a position to succeed. That's really all he can do. In turn he can only position the players he is given, which brings us to the GM. One can argue over the ability and upside of each and every player, but the bottom line is good players cost more than bad players overall. And in certain eras, the value of positions changes, SP, RP, hitting, etc. That does not mean spending money guarantees winning, Pohlad is correct about that. But it seriously increases the odds.and while there are a lot of other areas to the GM job description, a lot of them are limited, or enhanced by ownership. The Pohlads. Based on the history of the last 20 years, not just this year, or the end of the Gardy era, it seems obvious to me that everything slides uphill. The players are actually the least culpable. They are only what they are. The manager is somewhat more responsible. It's his job to take what he is given, and make it as cohesive as health and the competion allow. The GM operates on several fronts. Talent, budget, evaluation, and instinct come to mind. But unless he operates within the confines of ownerships parameters, he will not be there for the 20 years this piece is using as a reference. And what are those confines? Comments by the ownership have been very few, and very far in between, and likely won't increase soon. So all one can do is surmise, from an outside perspective. Terry Ryan did not keep his position this long without being able to adhere to ownerships agenda, and without being able to read the tea leaves. And the ability to spin that agenda so as any focus on the Pohlad family is positive,i.e. they have never refused to pay whatever needed for a FA! But history negates that narrative. What history shows is that the owners want: A team that can be plausibly marketed as "competitive", but in reality ends up with no real possibility of "winning". Don't get me wrong, they will take winning if it falls to them but competitive, and winning are two different definitions, at least to me. Seats in the seats. How they get there can be a compilation of the aforementioned competitive team, a new ball park, selling the experience, bringing back an old fan favorite, or celebrating our last trips to the WS, with many of the players in a posthumous mode. Lots of teams do this, but it should not be the apparent major focus. A consistent budget, with contracts and players managed as assets. That's not unusual, but what is somewhat is the fact that the nature of the sport is that not all FA work out. So be it. But then it's time to suck it up, and move on. Trying to get your money's worth and burning a roster spot to amortize a contract over its full 4, or more year run is an accounting practice, not a good baseball philosophy. To me there can be only several conclusions. By the length of his tenure, and the lack of Bill Smiths, Ryan is obviously doing the bidding of ownership. That W/L record is not a metric considered in success, unless it starts to seriously impact the P&L. That ownership is loyal to a fault, see Smith and Gardenhire. That while stability and public image are important, they are likely overvalued. In closing, this not a defense of TR. I am not necessarily a fan of his. He is too reactive v proactive for my tastes. And other subjective issues I won't go into. What I am curious about is why he stays? He is a baseball lifer, like him or not. I would think that if he could, he would want to go to an organization that would let him be more than an asset shuffling manager. Maybe he hasn't had the opportunity? Maybe he is happy with the security? Or maybe he is the perfect fit for the Polhlads expectations. You can improve the record in a given year by changing some players, or the manager, or the GM. But to improve the long term results, will require new owners. They set the standards.

If your philosophy revolves around everyone having to have a good year to succeed, you will fail. To me there are only two surprises on the team that went north. Park who is a pleasant surprise. And Sano who is not. I will give Sano a partial pass for the RF fiasco, but he loses some of his points for his winter prep. I might also add Arcia, who seems to have worked his ass off since last summer. I am not surprised by Mauer, the third year after a concussion seems the charm. But while I love Mauers overall play, he is not and never has been a "carry the team" 3 stick, as Chief has alluded to. Molitor looks wiped out. I know losing will do that, but he looks completely lost. His pitching changes seem out of a hat, and for whatever reason the players don't make an effort to clean up their act. The mental mistakes have gotten to Bad New Bears level. A good manager cannot make bad players win, but a bad manager can make good players lose. The Twins are loaded with average players. They do not have an elite player at any one position. But the players are ML caliber and should be functional. As should their record. 14-17? That's only six games, but a world away.

If we send them 2- #4's, I think they would average 2 apiece.

I thought we already did that?

Not all of your post is to be disconsidered. In a way the team is still playing Twins Way baseball. Our pitchers are PTC, to a fault. That's half of TW. The defense half is missing. Once Buxton left, we were left without an elite defender on the team. This weekend you saw what good OF offense could do. Last weekend you saw what bad offense can do. Not ours, but Marlon Bird did a legitimate impression. Another part of the TW not mentioned was base running! It's horrid. Today when Nunez got doubled off second it was idiotic. It would have been the time for Molitor to jerk him, and make an example. Sooner or later the Twins will have to get their heads out of somewhere and realize that straightening out this roster, and teaching some lessons trumps a win. Then the wins would follow. May in the 8th 2 down? Really. There is no off day tomorrow. What if we actually need him. It's truly hard to define where the line between inept management, and desperation lie.

And in 23 of them at the end!

Two general thoughts on the Twins pitching situation. If the FO has no issues with higher velocity pitchers, with both higher SO and walk rates than we are used to seeing, it has not shown itself in the last 20 years. In honor of Mother's Day, I quote her. "The proof is in the pudding" . Second, if Alex Meyer does not get an extended look as a SP on the ML level this year an oversight is being made. There is absolutely nothing to lose, and what's the worst that could happen? A three inning stint by a starter?

I might add this, because it relates to the lineup construction. Or should I say the lineup flexibility. If your teams collective talent evaluation allows you to put Sano in the OF, there can never again be raised the argunent that another player cannot.

I have had this running argument for years with another baseball blogger. It isn't that Mauer can't hit, or doesn't have good numbers with men on base. He's missing the power of a good 3 hitter. He truly should be leadoff. He isn't totally slow, is a good baserunner, and is on often. That said, any team that hits a Dozier leadoff for that long cannot be expected to make lineup adjustments easily.

I could see that!

Spoiler Alert to Chief. Caseys dead!

Is it my imagination, or do the Twins spend most of their games with the infield in?

I find the first part of that statement very hard to believe.

I am amazed how large your hands are!

It's also important to arrive fashionably late.

I just saw the slide play WTF

Or a crappie man.

I do think the Tains have finally gotten Sales attention, which was probably not a great idea. They should have tried to sneak up on him, played possum, then pounced!

The King and his Court! Great Fast pitch pitcher, or Greatest ever?

I would have considered some of the miscues on the bases unacceptable for 12 year olds. If you are 22, and in MLB you really should know that. Somewhere somehow!

"Homework" and your report card!

Remedial base running classes will be held immediately after the game. The one thing about baseball that most other sports do not allow, is the I ever to figure out what you will do in the event of several upcoming possibilities. Well at least that option exists!

You can spend hours analyzing a roster, running the numbers, and checking on scouting reports. Or you can look at the lineup and think, "If Trevor Plouffe is the cleanup hitter, that ain't a very good team!"

A sure win tonight! Why? Because: -last year we beat Sale like a drum. -last year we hit above our average with RISP. -last year we didn't strike out ten times a a game. -last year we are 20-7 in May. (we have almost made the 7 part) -last year there was a chance we caught most of the fly balls. -last year Plouffe did not try and bunt for a hit. (In truth I don't know that for sure, but if he did, he shouldn't have) -last year is over, I wish Dick would quit bringing it up all the time!

It was Phoenix only chance to have a Harbor!