Twins cut ties with Eric Rassmunsen

[Thrylos]

Who was their MiLB pitching coordinator for more than a few moons.

[Seth Stohs]

This one is less surprising. He's quite old school and doesn't have the popularity as Mientkiewicz. 

[Squirrel]

Mod note: a reminder to everyone, whether or not you agree with these changes, whether you are celebratory or disdainful, please be respectful of one another and those who have been let go.

[Shaitan]

Interesting timing. I get that the minor league season is done, but I'd wait 'til after the Twins are done for the year. A lot of the players probably have relationships with the guys being let go and I wouldn't mess with morale.

 

On a side note, maybe they'll make a hiring so I can't say "guys" anymore. It's absurd how male this industry is.

[biggentleben]

 

Interesting timing. I get that the minor league season is done, but I'd wait 'til after the Twins are done for the year. A lot of the players probably have relationships with the guys being let go and I wouldn't mess with morale.

 

On a side note, maybe they'll make a hiring so I can't say "guys" anymore. It's absurd how male this industry is.

 

Many discussions for coaching vacancies in the minor leagues happen at this time of the season. Minor league season is done, major league season really doesn't have the ability to make a trade anymore, so front office folks begin to look at the people that will be coming back in the next season. Multiple organizations do the same. I knew nearly every Braves minor league hire last year before the major league season was completed as they'd already notified those that weren't returning and determined those who would be moving to different assignments.

[ashbury]

Unlike the Doug Mientkiewicz case, Rasmussen may or may not plan to continue his career on the field. If he does, finding a new job may be difficult at his age. So I hope this was not a close decision for the FO, because it has a different kind of impact on the guy's life.

[clutterheart]

Why no debate on who called him?

He was with the Twins since 1991

[Platoon]

I didn't have the ambition to read the article. Did it mention whether Stiel or Falvine made the call? I will check back when we hit pg. 13. . Moderators please note: I do not know how to post a "tongue firmly in cheek" gif! .

[Bob Sacamento]

Over the years on the backfields I've got to know Rasmussen as much as he'll let you.  At first he came off a little cold shouldered semi-cantankerous but he warmed up after a couple of years of seeing and talking to him in Instructs, EXST, GCL and ST.  There is no question he is an "old school" guy but he did show willingness to adjust and incorporate "new" data such as Trackman albeit not until this season.  It just wasn't apparently enough for the front office or a right fit for what Levine and more likely Falvey have in mind for the development of their young pitchers.

 

I will note that I saw him try to get several pitchers to play around with a splitfinger (Gonsalves, Meyer, Slegers) in Spring Training but to no avail.

 

My guess is Eric rides off into the sunset and enjoys retirement life in Cape Coral where he's already lived for the past 25 years.

[Mr. Brooks]

Over the years on the backfields I've got to know Rasmussen as much as he'll let you. At first he came off a little cold shouldered semi-cantankerous but he warmed up after a couple of years of seeing and talking to him in Instructs, EXST, GCL and ST. There is no question he is an "old school" guy but he did show willingness to adjust and incorporate "new" data such as Trackman albeit not until this season. It just wasn't apparently enough for the front office or a right fit for what Levine and more likely Falvey have in mind for the development of their young pitchers.

 

I will note that I saw him try to get several pitchers to play around with a splitfinger (Gonsalves, Meyer, Slegers) in Spring Training but to no avail.

 

My guess is Eric rides off into the sunset and enjoys retirement life in Cape Coral where he's already lived for the past 25 years.

Heck yeah! More people should do that if they can!

Work to live, don't live to work.

 

You only get one life. I guess some people really love to work, but man, slow down and enjoy a few years- or decades by the beach if you can afford it.

[laloesch]

 

Heck yeah! More people should do that if they can!
Work to live, don't live to work.

You only get one life. I guess some people really love to work, but man, slow down and enjoy a few years- or decades by the beach if you can afford it.

I agree, but there are A LOT of people in this country and all over the third world who can't afford to think like that and aren't living the high and mighty lifestyle that some are blessed with.    

[Mr. Brooks]

I agree, but there are A LOT of people in this country and all over the third world who can't afford to think like that and aren't living the high and mighty lifestyle that some are blessed with.

I'm aware of that, I'm referring to the people who are lucky enough to be able to.

I'll probably have to work until the day i die, at least part time or seasonally anyway in the later years, and it blows my mind that people who could easily afford to retire to a beach or something don't.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

I'm aware of that, I'm referring to the people who are lucky enough to be able to.
I'll probably have to work until the day i die, at least part time or seasonally anyway in the later years, and it blows my mind that people who could easily afford to retire to a beach or something don't.

 

The issue is not having something to do. Retiring to a beach would get old in a hurry.

[Craig Arko]

The issue is not having something to do. Retiring to a beach would get old in a hurry.

Not if the beach is on Mars. Just sayin.

[bird]

I doubt there is a field staff position that was as predictably ripe for a new person than that of minor league pitching coordinator, almost irrespective of the credentials and accomplishments of the current holder. Unarguably, Rasmussen can hardly boast about his accomplishments. And given that Falvey is going to be understandably predisposed towards someone in this critical position that fully grasps and subscribes to whatever philosophical and strategic substance he's introducing, it would surprise me if he hasn't had a candidate in mind for most of his tenure.

[Old Twins Cap]

Hardly any positions in MiLB that wouldn't be more driven by data and video and metrics and sabermaticians. 

 

So, why wouldn't they?

[glunn]

 

The issue is not having something to do. Retiring to a beach would get old in a hurry.

The horror.  

 

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

The issue is not having something to do. Retiring to a beach would get old in a hurry.

How about a group of us agree to retire and move to Ft. Myers and have breakfast every Tuesday where we discuss the Twins and we write interesting articles for Twins Daily and the articles are so interesting that we are all hired as part-time consultants for the Twins, who win 6 World Championships in a row using our Twins Daily ideas and a movie is made and Brad Pitt plays the part of tarheeltwinsfan in the movie and we are all voted into the Twins Hall of Fame.  Now that's my idea of retirement.

[Old Twins Cap]

 

How about a group of us agree to retire and move to Ft. Myers and have breakfast every Tuesday where we discuss the Twins and we write interesting articles for Twins Daily and the articles are so interesting that we are all hired as part-time consultants for the Twins, who win 6 World Championships in a row using our Twins Daily ideas and a movie is made and Brad Pitt plays the part of tarheeltwinsfan in the movie and we are all voted into the Twins Hall of Fame.  Now that's my idea of retirement.

 

Alas, without access to women, that too would become dreary.

[Dave The Dastardly]

 

The issue is not having something to do. Retiring to a beach would get old in a hurry.

Agree. Not having a purpose in life can be fatal. But there's no reason for not having a purpose. Take up a hobby or two, get a part-time job doing something you always thought would be fun or exciting, audit some classes, volunteer, write a book, read a bunch of books, be a handy man for your kids (the new generation has no idea what tools are for - if they can't do something with their thumbs they can't do it) spend your days on TD sharing your wit, wisdom and pithy prognostications while improving your math skills, vocabulary and baseball knowledge... Okay, maybe I'm going overboard on that one.

 

Retirement for me isn't about not having to work, it's about not having to work for someone else. Your time is your own, squander it watching the grass grow, or the waves rolling in, or use it well.

 

I've been "officially" retired for thirteen years now and I'm often so busy at times I've threatened to get a job so I can get some rest. Fortunately my wife has never taken me up on that. Though there are times when she gives it serious consideration. But that's the purpose of a shared bottle of wine.

 

Like I said, purpose is good.

 

Hey! How 'bout them Twins!

[ashbury]

 

Over the years on the backfields I've got to know Rasmussen as much as he'll let you.  At first he came off a little cold shouldered semi-cantankerous but he warmed up after a couple of years of seeing and talking to him in Instructs, EXST, GCL and ST.  There is no question he is an "old school" guy but he did show willingness to adjust and incorporate "new" data such as Trackman albeit not until this season.  It just wasn't apparently enough for the front office or a right fit for what Levine and more likely Falvey have in mind for the development of their young pitchers.

 

I will note that I saw him try to get several pitchers to play around with a splitfinger (Gonsalves, Meyer, Slegers) in Spring Training but to no avail.

 

My guess is Eric rides off into the sunset and enjoys retirement life in Cape Coral where he's already lived for the past 25 years.

Rasmussen came up in the new thread on Pete Maki, so I thought I'd encourage side discussion of the old coordinator by bumping this thread.

 

Rasmussen pitched during the era when free agency was just starting to be a thing. Baseball-reference.com doesn't show salaries on his page, but by glancing at his pitching performance and the transactions, I infer that he had bad timing for contract leverage following his few good seasons and he never reaped enough financial reward such that he could retire at will. Now he's going to be 66 next Spring Training, and if he was counting on a few more years of employment then this is a pretty rough turn of events for him because latching on with another team won't be easy. He could keep busy by coaching for a high school or college team, who in principle would likely welcome him with open arms but the pay would be extremely minimal - however if he resides in the Ft Myers area then it may be that even HS opportunities aren't plentiful. I dunno, it's just that the human side of the game is a little difficult.