Article: Is Tom Brunansky Mr. Fix-It for the Twins' Hitters?

[Parker Hageman]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?637-Is-Tom-Brunansky-Mr-Fix-It-for-the-Twins-Hitters

[Shane Wahl]

This was a great article until you kill it with the last paragraph. While that information is technically true, A: there is a way to present that earlier so that it isn't the last thing readers read if you are trying to tout Brunansky's influence, and B: there are many issues that may differ between the succes-story players and Joe Benson, Rene Tosoni, and Danny Valencia.

[glunn]

Thanks for this article. Very interesting.

[kirbyelway]

Coachable talent will listen and work to get better. Alot of it has to do with confidence and if you can bring out the confidence in the player it will translate into success at the plate. I dont know anything personally about Benson, Tosoni or Valencia, but I will bet they either don't have confidence or they don't take well to being coached.

[Seth Stohs]

Coachable talent will listen and work to get better. Alot of it has to do with confidence and if you can bring out the confidence in the player it will translate into success at the plate. I dont know anything personally about Benson, Tosoni or Valencia, but I will bet they either don't have confidence or they don't take well to being coached.

I would whole-heartedly disagree with that comment. With Benson, I'm sure his confidence was low by the time he was sent down, but he is very much coachable. Tosoni is coachable and remained confident. Valencia is no lacking in confidence.

 

The reality is that one coach can find success with 5-6 guys on a roster and not find success with 5-6 others on the same roster. The others most likely will perform how they typically perform, with or without coaching. Nothing against Bruno, but that's the same with all coaches. They get too much credit for players' successes, and take too much heat for players' failures.

[Harrison Greeley III]

Based on those pictures, you can also see that Parmelee has his hands higher too.

[DK]

Coachable players make great coaches. Many young players need to fail before they will accept the advise that may save their careers. Is Tom Brunansky a great hitting coach or at the right place at the right time for some of these players?

[Thrylos]

Benson played most of the season with a broken wrist. He needs a break (No pun intended.) He can be judged as a hitter when his wrist is healed and he is 100%.

[Parker Hageman]

Based on those pictures, you can also see that Parmelee has his hands higher too.

Hands may be a bit higher. The other element that I was going to point out but the MiLB video is too grainy to make any definitive statements about it is that his front foot is now solidly planted as opposed to his previous stance in which he was only on the ball of his front foot. This, in theory, should provide a more balanced weight transfer.

[Parker Hageman]

Benson played most of the season with a broken wrist. He needs a break (No pun intended.) He can be judged as a hitter when his wrist is healed and he is 100%.

Terry Ryan pretty much stated on the radio last week (or may be the week before) that Benson's terrible numbers were not connected with his wrist injury.

[nicksaviking]

Terry Ryan pretty much stated on the radio last week (or may be the week before) that Benson's terrible numbers were not connected with his wrist injury.

True, but Ryan also said Scott Baker would likely be ready for opening day. I'm not confident in his medical opinions.

[Mike Sixel]

Or, maybe these are the natural ups and downs of a long season. We won't really know for some time. But it is great to read that players and coaches are working together and are finding specific things to work on.

[Seth Stohs]

Terry Ryan pretty much stated on the radio last week (or may be the week before) that Benson's terrible numbers were not connected with his wrist injury.

The hamate bone isn't the wrist...

[Parker Hageman]

True, but Ryan also said Scott Baker would likely be ready for opening day. I'm not confident in his medical opinions.

In terms of their pitchers, the Twins staff has been wrong so frequently. Ryan actually said nothing was wrong with Baker even after his first MRI, suggesting it was more mental prior to being opened up and requiring Tommy John. So, yes, I agree with you on that.

 

The fact is, right or wrong, the higher powers in the organization are under the impression that Benson's wrist did not effect his performance until the end of his season.

[Parker Hageman]

The hamate bone isn't the wrist...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamate_bone

[Rosterman]

A coach can only do so much. You have to want to change, and be able to change (or try new things). They can mess with technical stuff, but the mental is always there. Some players are coachable, by certain people. Which is why you do have a variety of guys around, especially on a major league team, and folks you can call upon (like Carew, Oliva, Hrbek, good ol' Killebrew, Molitor) for certain players. Plus, always nice to have a few crusty vets around, especially in the pitching department, to just show how things are done and offer encouragement. But sometimes coaches have to be flexible, too -- and I seem to be reading a lot of opinions about pitching and hitting being one-way in the Twins organization, especially in the majors.

[James Richter]

But sometimes coaches have to be flexible, too -- and I seem to be reading a lot of opinions about pitching and hitting being one-way in the Twins organization, especially in the majors.

The best coach I ever had was somebody who would look at his roster every preseason and revise his system to capitalize on the strengths of the players he had. That's a much better approach than trying to make all your talent fit into the same rigid formula year after year. But the Twins seem to do the latter: trying to make David Ortiz use the whole field, dumping JJ Hardy because a SS should have more speed, preferring a "bat-control" guy in the #2 spot regardless of his OBP. Perhaps you can think of other examples. There are happy accidents like 2010 (Thome loved to drive the ball the other way, Hardy was acquired mainly for his defense, Orlando Hudson actually was a good #2 hitter), but generally the coaches' pre-conceived notions seem to hold this team back.

[twinstalker]

This was a great article until you kill it with the last paragraph. While that information is technically true, A: there is a way to present that earlier so that it isn't the last thing readers read if you are trying to tout Brunansky's influence, and B: there are many issues that may differ between the succes-story players and Joe Benson, Rene Tosoni, and Danny Valencia.

I'm not sure Parker considers it his duty to increase your optimism. Why is the article great when mentioning something I'll assume you consider positive...and "killed" when he mentions the flipside? I think it would be interesting to find out what the deal is with the guys who've struggled, but that's another story, and to Parker's credit, he didn't ignore their existence.