Platoon

Baseball may be the only game where one has the time between plays to envision the possibilities that can occur during the next pitch. You can stand in the field and consider the score, the hitter, his leg speed, where and of what abilities the runners are, the wind, wet ball dry ball. All of the variables can be considered, so when up the ball is hit, you can react accordingly with aforethought. The basics, cutoff positions, behind or ahead of runners, etc, have all been drilled into you since you were 15 or before. What remains is does the player want to invest in the mental exercise needed to follow his past instruction, and if he does not, does the manager want to do something about it. It's that simple. How a manger handles these things is what defines him. Let's take Rosario for example. Noted free lancer. A couple years ago he stole third against a shift. walked to third is a better description. I think there were two outs, us up. Molitor had a fit, and IIRC Rosario was exiled to Rochester. Completely BS. But when Rosario throws a baseball all over the field repeatedly nothing is said. I like Rosario, he plays with passion and ability. He also plays with a lack of attention to detail. And will continue to do so. My point is how and when you discipline a player is important in his development. And in the isolated case of Rosario was handled poorly.

I guess my point was that some of the players lost this year, were not playing anywhere near last year, in fact they were fairly lousy. But for example, if this years Eddies both twisted an ankle this year, we're toast. If this years Dozier does it, no one would notice. Take out Doziers first week of the season, and the Kirby Puckett statue could fill in with little loss of productivity.

Eye don't know?

I thought there was a gentlemans agreement. NO MATH. Plus using Roman Numerals gives Chief an unfair advantage!

Actually when I saw he was out there, I added an F word behind Motter. Worked well!

Our cleanup hitter is 4-41 in his last 12 games. Makes me wonder what the 8&9 guys are hititng?

When they coined the phrase 'Muderers Row', I don't think this is what they had in mind? Well if nothing else, the clamor to move Dozier into a middle of the order hitter has been assuaged.

Add this: The other day Pressly was brought into a game with us up 6? That alone bordered on incompetence.

17 WAR? This year? Or all of last year?

Injuries: Santana: injured and so far well replaced. Off season decisions might have turned out quite differently if on hand. Quite possibly worse. Polanco: suspended Sano: sent down due to performance and ??? Buxton: mysteriously sent for rehab, injured, back, DL, rehab. And no production at any time. Mauer. Good performance, out a month. Castro: injured, but was really not making any difference, offensively. When you get down to it, the end result is a pitch framing catcher, and Joe Mauer for a month, and Buxton defense. Polanco from late last year is likely missed, as is Buxton from late last year. Bottom line, the only known loss of consequence was actually Mauer for a month. The rest are "but what if's"

The injuries are a factor in his evaluation, as is the 103 loss season and the lousy start to last year, needing an incredible streak of lousy competition to eek in the last WC spot. No one want Molitor fired simply based on this year.

Good article, and lots of thoughtful comments. Molitors knowledge of the game may be expansive. But that doesn't make him a good manager. I know a lot of big words, but that doesn't make me a good writer. Simply neither he nor I can transfer our 'knowledge' across a divide. That said, by rights I should be a Molitor fan, he is somewhat of the persona I like in a manager. Low key, calm, and outwardly unflappable. Think Bud Grant Jr. But something is amiss. Bud was a disciplinarian. A guy of basics. You didn't get to repeatedly screw up, nor were you publicly castigated. You just disappeared. Yet he was flexible in his approach to changes in the game. Molitor has the same outward feel to him, but he doesn't seem to be able to get his players to follow. MLB player know how to run bases, they know where a cutoff man is. These are things you learn in high school or before. Some players do them by rote. A Mauer, Kepler, Escobar. Some are more loose with their decisions. Rosario being the poster child. Adrianza on the bases. If you can't clean up those blatant issues, then no one will pay any real attention to other declarations you make. Like I said above I have always been a low key managerial fan. But as another poster noted, maybe that doesn't work in today's baseball. Frankly Latin players, and fans, view the game differently and play the game differently. But just acknowledging that fact and adjusting to it are harder to do than one would think. Mientkiewicz? Maybe Brock is right, maybe Mientkiewicz would fight analytical managing to the bitter end. Then again maybe he wouldn't. But one thing seems obvious. He wins. His players seem to like him, he has their back. He also seems a disciplinarian. Simply saying an analytically challenged manager won't win in MLB baseball is the same as saying an analytical manager will win. Managing is way more complicated than that. Otherwise go to MIT and grab the best math major on campus. But we all know that won't work. What does seem obvious, if we simply stick to the simple choice of Molitor v Mientkiewicz, is that for some reason Doug wins consistently, and Paul doesn't. Joe Madden wins a lot. Talent has of course much to do with it. But someone has to make that talent coalesce. So far that hasn't happened here. As mentioned, there have been some very good takes posted above and in the OP. But sadly I fear mine, like the others is a waste of digital ink. There just doesn't seem, to me, to be any scenario short of a voluntary resignation where Pohlad makes a change. With the well documented personal relationship that is in play here, the infamous "Molitor stays" decree, and the new contract, Paul Molitor will remain your Twins manager for the foreseeable future. Those of us looking for consistency in the Twins operation will have finally found one.

It would likely do the same thing but be more controversial. It seems to be a sacred topic. I hope someday something changes. I just don't find the game as entertaining as it used to be. While I do understand the effectiveness of advanced stats, there is a difference between from and function.

The high velocity arms, the shifts, 3 true outcomes, the emphasis on launch angle and on working the count are all semi inter related. And making the game harder to watch. And longer to watch. That said I don't begrudge teams for implementing them, as they all are necessary in today's game, but seem to have unintended consequences. You pass up a FB down the middle on 1-0 count, to see more pitches and end up 2-2 to someone with a vicious slider? And wonder why you are hitting .237? True, analytics may show you ended up with a walk, making your OBP acceptable, but walks are not exciting, they are boring as hell. Teams shift, and take away a rocket with the second baseman 30' into RF. Good strategy, poor entertainment. You hit 14 fly balls, one leaves the park. 13 guys jog back to the dugout, one guys jogs around the bases. Maybe it's a 3 run game winner, maybe it's a meaningless solo. But it's really not exciting to see Robbie Grossman catch a fly ball. The reality is you can have winning baseball that is boring baseball. And heaven forbid if you are not winning. It's also possible to enjoy baseball via the analytical route and the old style route. That enjoyment, knowledge of the game, and appreciation of same doesn't have to be at odds. Solutions? At first glance moving the mound does seem interesting. But it would simply allow more home run emphasis, and less on getting on base via singles and doubles, and playing sound defense. I think the true answer is also the impossible one. Increasing the size of the parks, meaning the OF depth. Simply look at NY as an example, it's a band box. You practically can't hit a double to RF, it's either an out, a HR, or a long single. But needless to say, no one is going to start building all new parks in all new dimensions. I don't know what the outcome will be, but eventually the type of game now played will drive away fans. Plus 3 hour games, long AB's, pitching changes et al will force someone to find a solution. Whether I or we agree with it remains to be seen.

The scary part is that when the Twins medical staff says someone has a minor knee issue, there is a good chance the leg will be amputated in a month. .

It won't help him not to get the full 20 in,but they will likely bring him up for on the job training on the second. It's not like he is replacing Derek Jeter or for that matter Roy Smalley. Adrianza has been better, but is a quandary. Do we want him to get a hit and be on base, or do we want him just to plain stay off the bases. It's almost a toss Up!

Conditioning and weight are relative to each persons body. There just is no way around the extra 30 lbs. Sano is carrying. It's not whether the leg injury was the cause of the gain or his lifestyle, it's the 30 lbs. and I totally agree, if his leg is still week and it may easily be, you don't hit well on bad pins. I broke my fibula in Jan. The bone is healed but the leg isn't close to normal strength yet. And that's the small bone.

Only fair, the Twins took the Detroit series off!

Phil Cuzzi (sp) would still call it foul.

How would you ever choke on a wire brush?

TMI

We used to have a Gerbil. Turns out I hated cleaning the cage, so to simplify the process just kept him in the stainless steel kitchen sink. Sides were too smooth for him to escape and simply had to rinse the sink for cleaning. Seemed to be a flawless plan until early one morning in the dark I was tuning on the light to make coffee, and got the garbage disposal switch mixed up with the counter lights. . I would have swore I put the basket strainer in the night before?

Great opening Chief, so many optimistic, yet reasonable possibilities for the team to succeed. But you really screwed up with the Mauer to the RF corner idea. Totally ruined the validity of your post. Btw, I don't know what Mrs. Chief is like but when I leave things in my pockets and the wash machine plugs, she gets really unhappy.

Angle grinder with a wire wheel, and Dove dishwashing soap. You don't use the soap on the grill, it's to wash the blood off your hands if you're not careful with the wire wheel.

If it's applied correctly, you can't see the difference.