Replacing Ron Gardenhire

[tobi0040]

Yeah, the Gardy is mean to youngsters thing is such BS.  What exactly has Gardy done in the press?  He was somewhat critical of Hicks although a the complete reading of the article his comments were pretty tame and that's the only "mean" thing I can think of.  He routinely praises young guys (Hicks included), including guys not up here yet.  Most of Gardy's teams were incredibly young.  

 

The Nats manager pulled Bryce Harper for not running out a grounder to the pitcher, Gardy hasn't done that.  Joe Maddon told the press that Wil Myers had to work on his defense and needed to focus on baseball all the time and not give away at bats.  The Mets manager said something similar about Wheeler and was accused of throwing him under the bus by the media.  Ron Washington made a pitcher give him the ball "the right way" when he pulled him from a game.  Boston is playing super rookies Betts and Bogaerts out of position after placing a mediocre vet in front of Bogaerts.  

 

Are you telling me Gardy treats young players and vets the same way?  Remmber Danny Valencia? According to Gardenhire, entire seasons were his fault, every night in the press.  He was constantly making comments about Aaron Hicks, who admitedly had confidence issues.  Has Gardy every criticized Joe Mauer for anything? Gardy has not pulled anyone for failing to run out a grounder because it would be Mauer.  I could run backwards faster than Mauer when he hits the ball to 2B. 

[clutterheart]

Just curious but what has Glynn done with his team to deserve and ML gig?

 

Took over a terrible team in 2011.

Given a very bad roster in 2012 and got the team to over .500.  Started horrible in 2013 but kept the team together and got a playoff spot.

In my opinion he is the only one qualified for the job after Gardy leaves.

[nater79a]

I think Molitor should be under consideration.  When Buxton and Sano worked with Molly in the minor leagues they just raved about him.  And of course they will be w/ the Twins in the next year or two (hopefully).

 

If it takes firing Gardy to get rid of Rick Anderson I'm all for it.  Don't want him anywhere near the new crop of pitchers... Meyer, May, Berrios, etc....

[Rosterman]

As long as Ryan is GM Gardy remains, as well as Anderson. Ryan will fall on the sword this season and take blame and Pohlad and company will still wait another year to see if everything can be sorted out. You have to admit the Twins did spend on pitching, but the dollars are being spent this year and next and the results weren't great overall. Willingham was a total bust for the second year of a 3-year contract. Suzuki did what he was called upon to do, and Mauer fell by the wayside in what was supposed to be an easier position and allow him to produce bigtime. The question is do other coaches take a fall or sit around for one more season.

 

We can look at 2015 as being even more transitional, as players play out contracts (Pelgrey for one) and the Twins will try and move Nolasco if he shows life and decisions have to be made on Plouffe and we wonder why Colabello and Parmelee are still around at all. 

 

Come 2016, you could see an organizational flux with Rob Anthony the new general manager ad the Twins manager being Steinbach or Molitor and such folks as Tommy Watkins, Gene Glynn, Doug Mientkiewicz and maybe even Jake Mauer being on the coaching staff. The Twins will still need to find a pitching coach unless they elevate Bobby Cuellar.

 

Yes, I would love to see them overall the front office and field staff. But I'm not sure who would be better and how that would affect what is happening and coming up in the system. A new person could trade away half the system, sign a bunch of guys who are essentially Correia and Willingham all over again, and we could be worse off that building upon the Twins Way and the internal-ness that this organization prides itself on.

 

I am not a Gardy hater. I would like to se him stay on and manage a contending Twins team as long as he can. But something is not going right here.

[tobi0040]

I think Molitor should be under consideration.  When Buxton and Sano worked with Molly in the minor leagues they just raved about him.  And of course they will be w/ the Twins in the next year or two (hopefully).

 

If it takes firing Gardy to get rid of Rick Anderson I'm all for it.  Don't want him anywhere near the new crop of pitchers... Meyer, May, Berrios, etc....

 

I prefer Molitor as well. He was a HOF player and he didn't get there based on physical tools.  He doesn't exactly look like Barry Bonds did. Student of the game, hard worker, very smart base runner, good fielder,e tc.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think Gardenhire is a fine choice to be picked as Gardenhire's successor. 

 

But maybe Ryan gets a little creative and decides its time for a fan to manage.  which poster on Twins daily makes the best manager?  Paul Pleiss, Seth Stoh's, Parker Hageman, or Twinsgeek.....

me.

[Craig Arko]

me.

If any of us were actually qualified for this, we wouldn't be talking about it on fan sites, would we? It's kind of a self selecting group of 'No.'

[EGFTShaw]

Mike Maddux and Greg Maddux

[DJL44]

Jim Thome said he's interested in managing some day.

[Squirrel]

Jim Thome said he's interested in managing some day.

He's working for the ChiSox currently as a special asst. to the GM and Asst GM.

[DaveW]

I don't see them replacing Gardy after this year nor should they. If he can get this team to 73+ wins I think he deserves one more year.

[DaveW]

me.

Statfreak should be your bench coach.

[Brandon]

If I a to pick a non Meintkiewicz managerial candidate from outside the organization.  I am going with Mike Scioscia as my choice. 

[Lefty74]

I believe Gardy will be replaced. The Twins are in the entertainment business and the fans are suffering from serious fatigue. Whether or not Gardy is the problem isn't the point. The Twins need to show they understand losing has consequences. Gardy is in the same position as the CEO of a public company that has been losing money for years. Often times they are replaced to appease shareholders and to shake things up. As a Twins season ticket holder I want to see if a new manager can make a difference. It may not, but we won't know unless we try.

[DaveW]

 Gardy has not pulled anyone for failing to run out a grounder because it would be Mauer.  I could run backwards faster than Mauer when he hits the ball to 2B. 

None of that is true, let's please not turn this into another bash Joe Mauer thread by distorting everything to somehow say he isn't an elite player/talent.

[GoGonzoJournal]

Ozzie! Ozzie! Ozzie!

 

I've been saying this for years. The Twins need a manager that will light some fires under asses, take pressure off the young players by putting it on himself, and relate to the young, Spanish-speaking players coming up. Ozzie Guillen is that man. Plus, an entertaining post-game interview goes a long way in a small market.

[DaveW]

Ozzie! Ozzie! Ozzie!

 

I've been saying this for years. The Twins need a manager that will light some fires under asses, take pressure off the young players by putting it on himself, and relate to the young, Spanish-speaking players coming up. Ozzie Guillen is that man. Plus, an entertaining post-game interview goes a long way in a small market.

Ozzie would be a good bench manager for Gardy, but I wouldn't want him at the helm, as much as I like him he is a bit to unpredictable. Not a good combo for a team that is about to get very very young.

[lecroy24fan]

Matthew LeCroy

[gunnarthor]

Ozzie would be a good bench manager for Gardy, but I wouldn't want him at the helm, as much as I like him he is a bit to unpredictable. Not a good combo for a team that is about to get very very young.

Yeah, I used to hope that Ozzie and Gardy would manage/bench coach the same team.  Get them miked up and enjoy the show.  Could be the best comedy on TV.

[gunnarthor]

Are you telling me Gardy treats young players and vets the same way?  Remmber Danny Valencia? According to Gardenhire, entire seasons were his fault, every night in the press.  He was constantly making comments about Aaron Hicks, who admitedly had confidence issues.  Has Gardy every criticized Joe Mauer for anything? Gardy has not pulled anyone for failing to run out a grounder because it would be Mauer.  I could run backwards faster than Mauer when he hits the ball to 2B. 

Every manager treats every player differently.  Gardy, Maddon, TK.  All of them.  I certainly don't remember Gardy blaming entire seasons on Valencia but I do remember Gardy played Valencia all the time - he led the team in at bats in 2011 despite having neg WAR.  I don't remember constantly making comments about Hicks although I do remember him playing him despite his bad numbers and defending him in the press.  

 

If you think Gardy is mean to rookies because he sometimes admits to obvious faults in the player - like Brendon Harris doesn't have the range to play short (which he did say) - then I don't think you'll ever find a manager that is "nice" to young players.  Heck, Maddon's comments on Myers were a lot more targeted than Gardy's on Hicks.  Gardy's comments and treatment of players is mild and his career has shown he's had to rely on young players most of the time.  For example, in 06 Jose Mijares became his key setup man down the stretch despite no ML innings.  

[DaveW]

Matthew LeCroy

Fatbeer would make a great coach.

[tobi0040]

Every manager treats every player differently.  Gardy, Maddon, TK.  All of them.  I certainly don't remember Gardy blaming entire seasons on Valencia but I do remember Gardy played Valencia all the time - he led the team in at bats in 2011 despite having neg WAR.  I don't remember constantly making comments about Hicks although I do remember him playing him despite his bad numbers and defending him in the press.  

 

If you think Gardy is mean to rookies because he sometimes admits to obvious faults in the player - like Brendon Harris doesn't have the range to play short (which he did say) - then I don't think you'll ever find a manager that is "nice" to young players.  Heck, Maddon's comments on Myers were a lot more targeted than Gardy's on Hicks.  Gardy's comments and treatment of players is mild and his career has shown he's had to rely on young players most of the time.  For example, in 06 Jose Mijares became his key setup man down the stretch despite no ML innings.  

 

I don't think the guy is a bully.  But he rarely ever says boo about veterans, but seems to make comments about young players that would be better kept in house.  I remember one comment about Mike Pelfrey for example basically right before he was demoted. The guy has been terrible for two years.

 

 I can't remember the younger player a few years ago that was playing hurt and did not disclose the injury.  Gardy laid into them.  Well that is exactly what Nolasco did this year...any comments?  Nope.

[DaveW]

I don't think the guy is a bully.  But he rarely ever says boo about veterans, but seems to make comments about young players that would be better kept in house.  I remember one comment about Mike Pelfrey for example basically right before he was demoted. The guy has been terrible for two years.

 

 I can't remember the younger player a few years ago that was playing hurt and did not disclose the injury.  Gardy laid into them.  Well that is exactly what Nolasco did this year...any comments?  Nope.

 

There is typically a reason why this occurs, by the time a player is considered a veteran, there isn't a whole lot of learning curve left for them in the majors, coaching etc can only go so far in most cases.

 

On the flip side, when a player is still in his first, 2nd or third year there is typically a larger effect coaching can have on said player since there is still a lot of room for growth...so Gardy getting on a rookie instead of a 30+ year old veteran makes plenty of sense. 

 

This isn't some phenomenon that only Gardy/The Twins do, it happens pretty much in every sport across the board. If Peyton Manning throws 3 INT in a game I highly doubt the coach is going to come out and criticize his throws as much if Bridgewater or Bortles throws 3 INT in a game this season. If Fontaine has a bad couple shifts that is why Yeo will call him out instead of Suter if he has a couple bad shifts etc etc. The guys who are "veterans" have earned their status as they have more or less been solid producers for 5+ years in their specific sport.

 

Also I would suggest you stop using "Oh I remember this happening a few years ago but can't remember the instance or the specific player" as an argument. If you can't remember the time/player that Gardy supposedly "bashed" the player, then it probably isn't worth mentioning as it is just speculation at that point.

[teekz]

Don't know when it will happen, but I see the line of succession as:

Gardy->Molitor->Dougie->Jake.

 

I agree with this assestment.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I don't see them replacing Gardy after this year nor should they. If he can get this team to 73+ wins I think he deserves one more year.

If only Gardy can somehow muscle this team up to a 73-89 record!

 

And just think, a couple months ago people were going all in, 85 wins, multiple guys who were having breakout seasons and several representatives in the All Star game!

[DaveW]

If only Gardy can somehow muscle this team up to a 73-89 record!

 

And just think, a couple months ago people were going all in, 85 wins, multiple guys who were having breakout seasons and several representatives in the All Star game!

They were playing well, and they continue to have guys who have played really well this year: Suzuki, Hughes, Dozier, Perkins (sans blown save the other day etc), Santana have all been brights spots off the top of my head. 

 

73 is the "low end" of my assessment on Gardy. I think they actually could play a game or two above .500 the rest of the way and end up at 77-85.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

They were playing well, and they continue to have guys who have played really well this year: Suzuki, Hughes, Dozier, Perkins (sans blown save the other day etc), Santana have all been brights spots off the top of my head. 

 

73 is the "low end" of my assessment on Gardy. I think they actually could play a game or two above .500 the rest of the way and end up at 77-85.

Fair enough.

 

I think last night's game was a pretty good demonstration why we need fresh blood in the dugout. The A's were absolutely teeing off on Pino's fastball and even our radio guys were shaking their heads and predicting fastball, yet no adjustments were made until the three runs were scored.

[TheLeviathan]

I hope for Molitor personally.  

 

I think the notion that Gardy is consistent in his handling of veterans and young players is pretty laughable.  But he's gotten much better about it over these losing seasons, that much I've noticed.

[Kwak]

I guess if Orange is the New Black, then 73 should be the new performance standard.  Or, is a D a passing grade?

[drjim]

I hope for Molitor personally.

 

I think the notion that Gardy is consistent in his handling of veterans and young players is pretty laughable. But he's gotten much better about it over these losing seasons, that much I've noticed.

A coach treats certain players different from others? Perish the thought!

 

The criticism of Gardy mistreating young players is so lame and so blind to what happens around the league. Someone mentioned he called out Danny Valencia. He was right! And also, who cares? It's Danny Bleepin' Valencia.

 

This may be somewhat of a surprise, but coaches are generally most critical of players who they think can still improve. That would generally be younger players.