Article: Twins GM Terry Ryan Talks About The Search For A New Manager

[Parker Hageman]

The Minnesota Twins search for a new manager remains a fluid situation however, the hunt has seemingly narrowed to three final candidates in Paul Molitor, Doug Mientkiewicz and Torey Lovullo. While we know who the applicants are, what is not known is how and what the organization is looking for in the next manager.

 

General Manager Terry Ryan offers insight on the hiring process.

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Outsiders might believe that because of the existing relationship with Molitor as a bench coach and observing Mientkiewicz’s style in the minor leagues, give the team an understanding of how they would operate as managers thus forgoing the need for a detailed download. How’s the family? Everything good? Thanks for stopping in, you’ll hear from us soon. Ryan was quick to dispel that notion.

 

“No, it’s not informal. It’s very formal,” Ryan said frankly during our Offseason Handbook interview. “And you are going to get answers to questions.”

 

Still, the process slightly favors Molitor and Mientkiewicz because of what the team is looking for.

 

“People that are within the organization are going to be much more prepared to do an interview than outside people,” Ryan acknowledged. “The people outside better come very prepared, ‘cause I’m going to ask questions about this club, and about our minor leagues and our affiliates and the people that work within, our trainers, our team physicians, and they don’t know a thing about that. So hopefully they should be at least prepared enough to at least go through the interview process.”

 

Despite giving Molitor and Mientkiewicz an advantage, reports of Lovullo’s interview have been glowing. While other external candidates -- such as Sandy Alomar Jr, Demarlo Hale and Joe McEwing -- have all been reportedly excused from consideration KSTP’s Darren Wolfson said last week that his sources said Lovullo “nailed his interview.” Based on that and Ryan’s admitted guidelines, it is safe to assume that the Red Sox bench coach is a well-prepared individual.

 

In terms of in-game management, Ryan said the Twins are aware of the uses of defensive shifts, the effects of sacrifices, lineup construction and other analytical elements of the modern game -- things that Lovullo has been associated with and Molitor has embraced in his role with the Twins -- but Ryan considered that all a piece for the manager, not the focus. If anything, pitching was going to be an emphasis and he has expectations of how a manager should handle his arms.

 

“Strategy is more important than some,” Ryan said. “The most important thing out of many managerial interviews is how they handle the pitching staff.”

 

When it comes to pitching, as minor league managers, both Mientkiewicz and Lovullo have recent experience in this area while Molitor is more of novice. Of course, the next manager will have a pitching coach that he will be able to task with guidance. And that person will be selected by a joint effort from the manager and the front office -- not just the new manager’s old drinking buddy, as was the practice in a bygone era.

 

“He shouldn’t have total control over his coaching staff, nor should I. But it should be a combination of what the front office deems as the right pieces and what a manager would deem and how much he can delegate those pieces.”

 

Another element that has been discussed outside of the front office has been the possible inclusion of a manager with a Latin American background. Unless there is another “mystery” candidate not yet identified, the Twins are not currently considering this. With the increasing number of players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela on the roster and in the pipeline, there was the thought that the Twins should target someone who can relate well to these players. But Ryan did not find this need a pressing one.

 

“I don’t see it being important as long as we have people that are in this operation that can help anybody and everybody we have on our roster,” Ryan said. “Just like sabermetrics will be a piece. And strategy will be a piece. And who they hire or want to hire will be as a coaching staff. And it will all come together and I suspect every piece of information that you deem important, we have touched on.”

 

 

 

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[Kwak]

"A combination of what the front office deems as the right pieces and what a manager would deem and how much he can delegate those pieces."  This explains the delay in selection.  The struggle for control over the complete dugout, players and coaches, and likely philosophy as well.

[h2oface]

So Terry Ryan is a pitching expert, and wants the managers to handle his arms the way he wants them handled.  With the pitchers that Ryan has brought to the Twins (with few exceptions), I am a bit stupefied to read this.  Does this mean that Ryan, among other things, is the man behind the seemingly strict 100 pitch limit that Bert loves so much? The more I read about the process, the more I feel that the Ryan/Gardenhire tandem needed replaced together.  Mike Maddux might be available as a pitching coach, but would he be up to being micromanaged? 

[joemama]

I read it differently...that Ryan wants to hear ideas from these guys on what can and should be done differently with the pitching staff, who they might envision as their pitching coaches, and why.  I think he's looking for new ideas, not an endorsment of his own concept.

[Kwak]

I read it differently...that Ryan wants to hear ideas from these guys on what can and should be done differently with the pitching staff, who they might envision as their pitching coaches, and why.  I think he's looking for new ideas, not an endorsment of his own concept.

I disagree.  There are lots of different ideas expressed in forums like this one as well as others.

[old nurse]

"A combination of what the front office deems as the right pieces and what a manager would deem and how much he can delegate those pieces."  This explains the delay in selection.  The struggle for control over the complete dugout, players and coaches, and likely philosophy as well.

Terry Anderson

 

You question why a GM would exert a little control into the hiring process? Then there is the little thing of the GM is the managers boss. I have had interviews with superiors of the boss. If the role is important enough the supervisor was there.

[Brock Beauchamp]

"A combination of what the front office deems as the right pieces and what a manager would deem and how much he can delegate those pieces."  This explains the delay in selection.  The struggle for control over the complete dugout, players and coaches, and likely philosophy as well.

There is no delay in selection. The World Series hasn't even gone to a third game yet.

[Steven Buhr]

I disagree.  There are lots of different ideas expressed in forums like this one as well as others.

I kinda hope the Twins GM can find better places to go for ideas than online comment sections.

 

I suspect what Ryan is doing is a combination. He wants to avoid a Billy Martin/Dusty Baker "throw him til his arm falls off" philosophy, certainly, but he's also clearly looking to each candidate with an expectation that he has developed his own philosophy, as well. This seems pretty important to me, given that none of these candidates have had the kind of autonomy over pitcher usage that a Major League manager would have.

[gunnarthor]

So Terry Ryan is a pitching expert, and wants the managers to handle his arms the way he wants them handled.  With the pitchers that Ryan has brought to the Twins (with few exceptions), I am a bit stupefied to read this.

From 99-07 (his last year), Twins pitchers were third out of 30 in pWAR, behind only the Yankees and Red Sox.  He's brought in quite a few good arms over the years.

[Seth Stohs]

"A combination of what the front office deems as the right pieces and what a manager would deem and how much he can delegate those pieces."  This explains the delay in selection.  The struggle for control over the complete dugout, players and coaches, and likely philosophy as well.

 

Pretty sure that has absolutely nothing to do with there not being a manager yet.

[Seth Stohs]

So Terry Ryan is a pitching expert, and wants the managers to handle his arms the way he wants them handled.  With the pitchers that Ryan has brought to the Twins (with few exceptions), I am a bit stupefied to read this.  Does this mean that Ryan, among other things, is the man behind the seemingly strict 100 pitch limit that Bert loves so much? The more I read about the process, the more I feel that the Ryan/Gardenhire tandem needed replaced together.  Mike Maddux might be available as a pitching coach, but would he be up to being micromanaged? 

 

Yes, Terry Ryan invented the 100 pitch limit... No other teams in baseball do that. 

 

My guess is he'll hear each candidates thoughts on various pitching philosophies and that's just one piece of the hire. Obviously he doesn't want someone who will have guys throw 150 pitches each time out.. 

 

Mike Maddux would be great... and he wouldn't be micromanaged.

[jharaldson]

There is no delay in selection. The World Series hasn't even gone to a third game yet.

 

We are the last team without a manager this offseason and have lost at least 1 candidate to another team.  The last team to hire a manager did so almost a week ago.  I think at this point it is reasonable to describe our process as delayed.

[Steven Buhr]

We are the last team without a manager this offseason and have lost at least 1 candidate to another team.  The last team to hire a manager did so almost a week ago.  I think at this point it is reasonable to describe our process as delayed.

I'd have been upset if the Twins had been among the first to announce a hiring. Historically, I don't think it has been at all unusual for teams with manager vacancies to go in to the WS without an announcement.

 

I like that the GM is being thorough, even if that means the media and fan base get antsy about it.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'd have been upset if the Twins had been among the first to announce a hiring. Historically, I don't think it has been at all unusual for teams with manager vacancies to go in to the WS without an announcement.

This. There's absolutely nothing wrong with hiring a manager after the season is complete. If potential candidates were dropping like flies, it'd be a different situation... But that's not the case. The Twins have reportedly narrowed it down to 2-3 guys and they're unlikely to lose any of them to another team while they're in the hunt for the Twins' manager job. Taking a few days to reflect on the decision is the right thing to do.

[jharaldson]

I want the Twins to get the right guy as well but the speculation that they are delayed is not just coming from Rubes on this board:

 

 

 

How fast the Twins move ultimately won’t matter. But the most recent update offered by La Velle E. Neal on Wednesday makes us wonder: are the Twins taking their time and making sure they make a thorough decision at this point, or are they stalled?
We ask because all three of the top identified candidates (Paul Molitor, Doug Mientkiewicz and Torey Lovullo) have reportedly either interviewed multiple times or the Twins have permission to do so.
And yet Ryan is reportedly open to the idea of expanding the search to new candidates, and owner Jim Pohlad hasn’t yet been in on any of the interviews.

 

http://blog.startribune.com/sports/randball/thursday-an-extended-twins-managerial-search-edition-wha-happened

 

I also don't think it is fair to say they have narrowed it down to 2-3 guys when Terry Ryan has just stated the following:

 

 

“We have not reached the final stretch of this yet,” he said. “I’m still contemplating bringing in a couple more people.”

 

My personal opinion is that this search is not looking like Ryan is taking his time and making a careful judgement but instead looks like Ryan just wants to pick a guy from the Twins org but is aware of what perception of that would be and is dragging out this process to provide some cover.

[Kwak]

If the Twins aren't announcing their new manager the day after the WS ends--there was a delay!

[Steven Buhr]

I want the Twins to get the right guy as well but the speculation that they are delayed is not just coming from Rubes on this board:

 

 

http://blog.startribune.com/sports/randball/thursday-an-extended-twins-managerial-search-edition-wha-happened

 

I also don't think it is fair to say they have narrowed it down to 2-3 guys when Terry Ryan has just stated the following:

 

 

My personal opinion is that this search is not looking like Ryan is taking his time and making a careful judgement but instead looks like Ryan just wants to pick a guy from the Twins org but is aware of what perception of that would be and is dragging out this process to provide some cover.

I'll call your Rand and raise you a Sinker.

 

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/280172552.html

 

As for the extended search, yes LaVelle recently added that bit of information. However, if the point is to be "fair," then I think it's a bit unfair to throw that bit of information up when, prior to Neal's post, multiple reliable media sources were reporting that the search appears to have narrowed to three men.

 

Look, you're entitled to your opinion. A lot of people have the same clear disdain for anything and anyone who works for the Twins that you do. But, to be "fair," I think we can safely assume that most people in that camp would have been highly critical of Ryan for not taking time to conduct a thorough search if he had quickly named a new manager.

 

Just feels like some folks are kind of pissed off that Ryan didn't give them that opportunity, so now they want to call his motives in to question because he didn't act in a hasty manner that would have allowed them to do so.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Steven BUHR

[Benchwarmerjim]

I'd have been upset if the Twins had been among the first to announce a hiring. Historically, I don't think it has been at all unusual for teams with manager vacancies to go in to the WS without an announcement.

 

 

Just a quick glace at manager hires, Joe Maddon was hired in on Nov 15 2005, John Gibbons Nov 20 2012, Mike Scoscia Nov 18 1999, Clint Hurdle Nov 14 2010.

 

There are more mid November hires, but the list gets long.

[Brandon]

I don't expect a lot of transactions this offseason so I am ok I this gives us something to talk about through November.

[Seth Stohs]

There aren't any other manager jobs open. They're not competing against anyone. They have three really good candidates, and now today, the STrib is reporting that Terry Ryan may call a few more people. There's no real rush, though it would certainly be good to have a guy a day or two after the World Series. 

[TheLeviathan]

While I'm ok with the Twins thoroughly vetting their next manager, there will come a point (and it isn't that far off) in which it does become concerning.  The interviews they've done should've given them the information at this point, if it drags on too long it does start to look like indecision.

 

We're just not at that point yet IMO.  (But if by this time next week we're in the same boat I may be more inclined to get conspiratorial)

[Steven Buhr]

I do think Ryan is benefitting from having so few manager openings this season. As Seth said, he doesn't have to rush or risk losing his preferred candidates. He lost Hale, but that was before he even got him in for an interview. Seems like Arizona had their sights set on him early. You'd like to get things settled so you can start finalizing other coaching decisions, both the Twins' staff and their minor league assignments. But for all I know, one of the thing Ryan is talking to these candidates about is their thoughts on a staff, so it could be that he's working on that issue parallel with the manager search. I also suspect they put together Plans A, B and C for minor league assignments during organizational meetings last week, based on whether they hire Molitor, Mientkiewicz or an outsider.

 

By the way, isn't 3 MLB manager openings pretty low for an offseason? I don't think baseball has the constant turnover the NFL and NBA do, but it still seems like that's really low.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Steven BUHR

[Brock Beauchamp]

My personal opinion is that this search is not looking like Ryan is taking his time and making a careful judgement but instead looks like Ryan just wants to pick a guy from the Twins org but is aware of what perception of that would be and is dragging out this process to provide some cover.

Think long and hard about this statement and then imagine a world where Terry Ryan hired a manager before any other team.

 

What would your opinion have been had that happened?

 

You've set up a situation where, in your eyes, Ryan cannot win no matter what he does. Hire early, he's phoning it in and didn't properly evaluate outside candidates. Wait to make a decision and he's stalling to provide "cover". That tells a lot more about you than it does Terry Ryan.

[Brock Beauchamp]

While I'm ok with the Twins thoroughly vetting their next manager, there will come a point (and it isn't that far off) in which it does become concerning.  The interviews they've done should've given them the information at this point, if it drags on too long it does start to look like indecision.

 

We're just not at that point yet IMO.  (But if by this time next week we're in the same boat I may be more inclined to get conspiratorial)

I agree. If they haven't made a decision within a week of the conclusion of the WS, then I'll start asking questions. Right now, I couldn't care less.

[JB_Iowa]

I'm encouraged that he may look at others.  

[dxpavelka]

We are the last team without a manager this offseason and have lost at least 1 candidate to another team.  The last team to hire a manager did so almost a week ago.  I think at this point it is reasonable to describe our process as delayed.

It's not a race.  The object isn't to get it done first. The object is to get it done right.

[tobi0040]

My personal opinion is that this search is not looking like Ryan is taking his time and making a careful judgement but instead looks like Ryan just wants to pick a guy from the Twins org but is aware of what perception of that would be and is dragging out this process to provide some cover.

 

Our personal opinions are exactly identical.  I find the fact that we are going to bring in additional candidates now as a side show.  I think he wanted Molitor all along and unless Molitor seems completely uninterested and/or unwilling to commit to a multi-year thing, I think he will get the job

 

This is a cherade that goes on in business as well.

Edited October 23, 2014 by tobi0040

[jharaldson]

Think long and hard about this statement and then imagine a world where Terry Ryan hired a manager before any other team.

 

What would your opinion have been had that happened?

 

If the "immediate" candidate was an external candidate then I would have been predisposed to be happy but would have reserved judgement based on the candidate.  

 

If the "immediate" candidate was an internal candidate then I would have been predisposed to think "more of the same" but would have respected the honesty and upfront nature of his disagreement with fans over the value of internal knowledge.

 

You've set up a situation where, in your eyes, Ryan cannot win no matter what he does. Hire early, he's phoning it in and didn't properly evaluate outside candidates. Wait to make a decision and he's stalling to provide "cover". That tells a lot more about you than it does Terry Ryan.

 

This is demonstrably false.  I have provided a "winning" scenario above.  Here is another:

If the "delayed" candidate was an external candidate then I would have been predisposed to be happy but would have reserved judgement based on the candidate.

 

The one situation where he can't win in my eyes is the following:

 

If the "delayed" candidate was an internal candidate then I would say "what the hell?!?".  Why did you waste all of our time when you were just going to grab the internal candidate.  This feels like a PR cover rather than an actual search.

[Steven Buhr]

You'd honestly want an external candidate hired in a rush without a thorough vetting? That's the LAST thing I would want.

 

And I just don't get the whole thing about how it's supposedly impossible to conduct a thorough internal and external search and then conclude that one of the internal candidates is the right choice. Frankly, that happens all the friggin time in the business world. Considering outside candidates should never preclude you from hiring an internal candidate if that's what ends up being your best choice.

 

It's not a waste of time in the least, because you learn something with every interview. So it took longer to be thorough. Big deal. The GM of a MLB team doesn't owe his fans an apology for taking the time he feels he needs to make an educated choice based on the best information he can gather.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Steven BUHR

[Pius Jefferson]

One thing I'm wondering is whether Terry Ryan honestly went into the search willing and prepared to hire an outsider or his he kind of caught off guard that maybe the best candidate may not coach in the Twins organization?