Article: The Widening Search For a New Twins Manager

[Nick Nelson]

While they initially appeared to have emerged as front-runners, and still may be, things have been quiet on the Paul Molitor and Doug Mientkiewicz fronts. That's because the Twins, true to their word, have expanded the scope of their manager search substantially, with numerous outside names entering the mix over the past couple weeks.

 

Let's run through the latest developments as the search moves on and picks up:* ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson, who has been characteristically active in providing rumors and tidbits gleaned from his various sources, reports that the Twins have interviewed Blue Jays bench coach Demarlo Hale. Hale, 53, has managed at various spots in the minors, and was a member of Terry Francona's staff in Boston before a stint with Baltimore (as third base coach) and his present gig in Toronto. He was rumored to be one of four finalists in 2010 for the Jays managerial job, which ended up going to John Farrell.

 

If it's wide-ranging experience that the Twins are looking for, Hale offers plenty of that.

 

* A day earlier, Wolfson had tweeted that Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo "nailed his interview" with the team. Lovullo's name generated some Thursday-morning excitement when his profile page was discovered on the Twins' site, but that buzz was quickly squashed after team employee Andrew Ettel pointed out that any name in the system would show up on a search of the site (including Babe Ruth).

 

Nevertheless, Lovullo appears to have some steam behind him. He was apparently one of the top names considered for the Rangers job, which went to Jeff Banister on Thursday. During just the last two seasons in Boston, Lovullo has experienced the highest of highs (a World Series in 2013) and the lowest of lows (last-place finish in 2014). He also appears to be open to analytics and modernized strategy:

“It’s a new part of the game,” said Lovullo. “It’s there. It’s real and happening before our eyes. The Boston Red Sox organization has jumped on and we have utilized it to the best of our abilities to this point. It’s so new to everybody so we’re not sure exactly how to use it and how to interpret it.

 

“On a daily basis we get the analytic information, about four or five sheets of information that we can utilize, and I can pass it along to John. Probabilities and projections is what it is. There’s so much stuff and John has to deal with so many things that I try to simplify it for him and give him what I feel is the most important information and why. Things like this hitter has a 70 percent chance of hitting a ground ball here, things of that nature.

 

“If it helps 10 percent in making a decision, it’s better than zero. If you can fill in the gaps and you have 90 percent to fill in the gaps and the analytics give you that 10 percent, why not take advantage of it?

 

“There have been times I’m looking at something and I’m saying ‘Wow, my eyes just aren’t seeing that.’ I’ll talk to our analytics department on, how did we come up with this? Usually I’ll say, ‘OK, I can see your side of it, but this isn’t what we’re thinking about.’ The great thing about our guys is they’re there to help us. They don’t push it on us, but it is a resource for us. Most of the time it plays out positively for us.”

 

It bears noting that Lovullo has interviewed for several managerial openings in the past, including Los Angeles, Cleveland and Boston, and always come up short. But maybe, like Mike Zimmer with the Vikings, this is finally his time.

 

* The Twins also interviewed Sandy Alomar Jr., who has been serving as the bench coach in Cleveland for the past two years. The 48-year-old lacks the depth of experience of the two names mentioned above, and his managerial background amounts to a few days at the end of the 2012 season when he was named as Manny Acta's interim replacement, but it's only a matter of time before Alomar gets a chance somewhere, and he would satisfy calls for a Latin infusion on the Twins' coaching staff.

 

* The Twins became the last team with a managerial vacancy after Texas hired Banister this week. Earlier, the Diamondbacks had hired Chip Hale, who was scheduled for an interview in Minnesota before being swooped away.

 

That means Ron Gardenhire, who expressed interest in managing again, is out of potential destinations for the time being. It seems likely he'll accept a job in the Twins organization.

 

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[Paul Pleiss]

Does the continually deepining pool of managerial candidates indicate that the Twins are not or have not been wowed by any of the guys who have already interviewed? Or are the Twins simply trying to do their due dilligence?

 

Should we imply that the Twins internal candidates, especially Molitor or Doggie Fresh are no longer the leaders in the club house?

[The Wise One]

Go read the Pioneer Press article on this. Ryan says something about getting a perspective on your club from the outside. He might be gathering such useful information that he might interview the bench or 3b coach from every team. He said the candidates come well prepared to discuss the Twins. If a manager has sucess with the Twins they can look forward to a Gardy type paycheck.  Of course they are going to give a good effort.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

That's an interesting angle - that Terry Ryan is interviewing as many candidates as he can to get some scouting on the other organizations' feeling about how the Twins do business.

 

I'm sure that's part of it - at least, that's an added benefit to casting a wide net and doing the diligence to find the right candidate.

[twinsnorth49]

Interviewing as many people as you can for your top, on field leadership position, you don't say? I would expect any properly run business to take the same approach, you have to find out what's out there from a wide pool.

 

Either that or they're just determined to hire some guy with the name Hale.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm not surprised this is taking time. This is not a rash organization. 

[Brandon]

Its not like this team has lots of experience hiring major league managers.  They need to take their time and do it right.  Maybe this search can go into next year and they can bring back Gardenhire on an interim basis.

[bird]

Hope not, Brandon. I'm ready for everyone calling for a different guy's head.

[clutterheart]

 

and he (Alomar) would satisfy calls for a Latin infusion on the Twins' coaching staff.

 

This seems a bit condescending.  He is a guy born into baseball had a 19 year career and has been a coach at the big league level for 5 years.  He is way more qualified then a guy like Moliter who has been on again off again

[Nick Nelson]

This seems a bit condescending.  He is a guy born into baseball had a 19 year career and has been a coach at the big league level for 5 years.  He is way more qualified then a guy like Moliter who has been on again off again

Certainly wasn't intended that way. I didn't mean to say that was his only qualification by any means. But there has been a lot of clamoring for a manager with a Latin background, considering the proliferation of young Latin players rising through the system, and he's the only candidate I've seen thus far that would fit that bill.

[jokin]

That means Ron Gardenhire, who expressed interest in managing again, is out of potential destinations for the time being. It seems likely he'll accept a job in the Twins organization.

 

 

Wait.... I thought with how respected Gardy was around the League, that he was going to be snapped up by another club the instant the Twins let him go?

[Thrylos]

Wait.... I thought with how respected Gardy was around the League, that he was going to be snapped up by another club the instant the Twins let him go?

 

Indeed.  I thought that he was going to be the next Yankees manager or something.  Hard to let the manager of the millennium go.

 

 

Hate to say that, but I think that this was a token interview.

[drjim]

If Gardy is still working in the organization in some capacity would that mean we can still blame him for bad game outcomes and players that don't develop as expected? Similar to what we do with Terry Ryan in the Bill Smith era.

[h2oface]

The search for a manager dragging out as it is...... leaves me feeling that Terry Ryan is certainly not the man for the job - the job of selecting a new manager.   It feels like he has a total lack of vision for the task at hand, and is treading water.  By keeping Gardenhire when Buck Showalter and Terry Francona became available left the Twins out of the game when veteran managers with impressive track records were available, and facing the changing game, Terry Ryan is flailing in an undertow.  Still, I am pleased that at least it will not be Ron Gardenhire.

[twinsnorth49]

What is his vision? How do you know this? Why is he flailing? Because he passed on Terry and Buck two years ago? Really?

[brvama]

The search for a manager dragging out as it is...... leaves me feeling that Terry Ryan is certainly not the man for the job - the job of selecting a new manager.   It feels like he has a total lack of vision for the task at hand, and is treading water.  By keeping Gardenhire when Buck Showalter and Terry Francona became available left the Twins out of the game when veteran managers with impressive track records were available, and facing the changing game, Terry Ryan is flailing in an undertow.  Still, I am pleased that at least it will not be Ron Gardenhire.

Hiring a new manager is not a simple and quick process - much more than going to Best Buy for the new latest phone.  Several factors come into play. 

 

1.)  The SEARCH Phase.  Most companies of any size hire a search agency to identify potential candidates to target.  I don't know for sure, but I would guess the MLB assists the clubs in that regard.  With all the coaches and managers, in and out of baseball, where do you start?  That's where that assistance comes in to play.   

1a.)  Within the search process, an agency or the organization itself will develop a criteria of the type of manager they would desire.  It might identify experience as a manager, for example, or experience with different clubs or in different positions.  There are usually several characteristics that are identified - sometimes are prioritized.

2.)  DUE DILIGENCE Phase.  This is where resumes are evaluated, backgrounds are checked, and individuals are identified as worthy (acceptable) candidates for the organization. 

3.)  The INTERVIEW Phase.  This is the phase the Twins are in now.  Their list of candidates has been established and now they are being interviewed.  Some will garner additional contacts, some won't.  The problem the Twins may have had is that a candidate was still in post-season play

4.)  The SELECTION Phase.  Usually from the list of interviews, candidates are discussed and ranked to preference, with their strengths and weaknesses.  If there is not an individual that rises to the top, they may conduct additional interviews of the finalists or start the process over until one is selected.

 

To do a proper and effective job, these steps cannot be rushed.  This is an important hire and you need to take care in doing it right.  Patience is important and usually is rewarded.

[Craig Arko]

Hiring a new manager is not a simple and quick process - much more than going to Best Buy for the new latest phone.  Several factors come into play. 

 

1.)  The SEARCH Phase.  Most companies of any size hire a search agency to identify potential candidates to target.  I don't know for sure, but I would guess the MLB assists the clubs in that regard.  With all the coaches and managers, in and out of baseball, where do you start?  That's where that assistance comes in to play.   

1a.)  Within the search process, an agency or the organization itself will develop a criteria of the type of manager they would desire.  It might identify experience as a manager, for example, or experience with different clubs or in different positions.  There are usually several characteristics that are identified - sometimes are prioritized.

2.)  DUE DILIGENCE Phase.  This is where resumes are evaluated, backgrounds are checked, and individuals are identified as worthy (acceptable) candidates for the organization. 

3.)  The INTERVIEW Phase.  This is the phase the Twins are in now.  Their list of candidates has been established and now they are being interviewed.  Some will garner additional contacts, some won't.  The problem the Twins may have had is that a candidate was still in post-season play

4.)  The SELECTION Phase.  Usually from the list of interviews, candidates are discussed and ranked to preference, with their strengths and weaknesses.  If there is not an individual that rises to the top, they may conduct additional interviews of the finalists or start the process over until one is selected.

 

To do a proper and effective job, these steps cannot be rushed.  This is an important hire and you need to take care in doing it right.  Patience is important and usually is rewarded.

You mean it's not like this?

[brvama]

You mean it's not like this?

Well, now I'm not so sure!!

[Mike Sixel]

So both teams that hired managers did it wrong?

[twinsnorth49]

So both teams that hired managers did it wrong?

Yeah, pretty sure that's the interpretation.

[old nurse]

So both teams that hired managers did it wrong?

Pretty much all teams do it wrong as with very few exceptions, the person ends up fired.

[brvama]

I did not intend to derail this thread or insult the intelligence of many of you. But my response was to H2Oface's contention that the process is dragging on. It sounded as though there was a lack of understanding how the process works. In the end Old Nurse probably has it right.

[Craig Arko]

I did not intend to derail this thread or insult the intelligence of many of you. But my response was to H2Oface's contention that the process is dragging on. It sounded as though there was a lack of understanding how the process works. In the end Old Nurse probably has it right.

You don't insult peoples' intelligence. Political ads insult peoples' intelligence.

[jokin]

What is his vision? How do you know this? Why is he flailing? Because he passed on Terry and Buck two years ago? Really?

 

Yes, certainly those two.... are amongst a multitude of other "flails"... and gaping blind spots.... The right move two years ago would have been to put LaRussa in charge and let Ol' Scout focus solely on what he does best.  The flailing also includes publicly gnashing his teeth about his own accountability and not bringing in better people at the middle management/executive level in various areas to shore up his own admitted shortcomings, demanding little from those at field level to shake up the 19th hole clubhouse atmosphere, and complaining repeatedly that he can't improve the team because no one wants to come to MN- hardly a very inspiring message and strategy for a snappy and succinct turnaround, as well as much hope for raised expectations for sustained success.

Edited October 19, 2014 by jokin

[drjim]

I'm not sure LaRussa would be the solution to Ryan's shortcomings.

[jokin]

I'm not sure LaRussa would be the solution to Ryan's shortcomings.

 

I'm not sure either, but time will tell in AZ.  LaRussa has assured himself a future appointment in Cooperstown after serving with three financially-challenged clubs that all put together distinctly different, but yet, still solid and successful strategies, that enabled them to compete with clubs that had all of the financial advantages.  (He's already nailed down one of the guys that the Twins coveted for the manager's role).

[Rosterman]

Charlie in the Sunday St. Paul paper said Jake Mauer is now being interviewed, too.

 

It doesn't hurt to get a perspective on what your club is like from those outside the organization.

 

Any candidate could also be considered for the second in command coaching position, too.

 

You do need to interview a variety of people. Also, if it truly looked like the Twins weren't open to an outsider, it would quickly spread that it isn't worth your time to interview.

 

There is a deadline of sorts, hopefully by the end of the World Series. I think there might be a blackout on transactions and manager hiring while the series is on, to not take away from that spotlight. So expect an announcement once the series ends.

 

You want the manager on board heading into winter meetings and such. You probably want the manager on board sooner rather than later so you can sort out your minor league assignments, like who could work with the new manager on the major league level. That is part of the interview process for Glynn, Mauer and Mientkiewicz, at least. Would they consider being a major league coach.

 

I see the Twins strongly wanting to keep Bruno, Vavra, Steinbach in the organization, and I'm sure Cuellar is someone they don't want getting away, either.

[ashbury]

Vavra?  Why?

[h2oface]

Vision.  The vision to have a plan before you fire someone.  All year (and years before) it has been apparent that Gardenhire (and Ryan) need replaced. I don't need a synopsis of what someone feels is a step by step plan, or the assumption that I don't understand how it can be done, but I welcome that and am happy to read it.  I just express my personal feelings on the matter.  That feeling is that there was no plan or vision developed throughout the year(s) to get the job done expeditiously when one finally had the guts to do what was clearly needed.  Other than interviewing and making the selection, all other steps could have been done throughout the year, and would have been prudent.

 

A team doesn't need to hire a manager for 10 years.  It could be a transition manager for 2 years.  I am sure even a transition manager can probably come in at between 90 and 100 loses, and might even do better.

Edited October 20, 2014 by h2oface

[Danchat]

I'm not surprised Gardy isn't going to be a manager in 2015. I think he'll take a one year break and then attempt to land a coaching spot in 2016.