Article: Twins Pitchers Need A New Voice

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins have made it clear that they intend to keep manager Paul Molitor around for one more try after leading his team to a record 103 losses.

 

His coaching staff, however, may not be so safe. Neil Allen, in particular, looks like an obvious candidate for replacement.I'm generally not one to buy into the oft-exaggerated impact of pitching and hitting coaches, nor one to advocate for someone's dismissal after such a short time on his position. But the Twins took a gamble when they hired Allen two years ago, giving their rookie manager a pitching coach with no major-league experience, and it sure looks like they got it wrong.

 

Each hurler is responsible for his own performance, of course, but the constant team-wide pitching struggles this year were striking. One after another, players marched to the mound with seemingly no plan. Effective adjustments were rarely seen.

 

In particular, younger pitchers appeared totally unequipped for the task of retiring big-league hitters. Tyler Duffey posted the third-worst ERA ever for a Twin with 25-plus starts. Jose Berrios pitched past the fifth inning only three times in 14 tries. These guys far are more capable than their inflated numbers show, and the same can be said for too many members of Minnesota's staff.

 

Kyle Gibson's WHIP would've ranked as second-worst in the majors if he qualified, after he was the best starter on the 2015 staff. Ricky Nolasco went to the Angels at the deadline and posted a 3.21 ERA over 11 starts thereafter, directly crediting his new pitching coach for his improvement. Alex Meyer, similarly, has looked vastly better since switching clubs.

 

Allen came in with a reputation for expertise with teaching the changeup. No Twins pitcher has noticeably improved that pitch. He was purported to have a bulldog mentality, and spoke about the importance of throwing inside and backing hitters off the plate. His pitchers evidently didn't internalize such a mentality, because they were continually out over the plate, and allowed the second-most home runs in franchise history.

 

I don't really hold Allen's suspension, stemming from a DWI charge in late May, against him. People make mistakes and he handled it the right way. It doesn't help his case that he was gone for six weeks in the middle of the season, but what's more problematic is that there was no evidence of positive influence when he was on the job.

 

The tasks looming ahead of the Twins, when it comes to turning around this historically bad pitching unit, are immense. Helping Berrios find the strike zone is the highest priority. Once top prospect Stephen Gonsalves graduates he may face the same challenge. Getting Duffey and Gibson back on track is vital. When Phil Hughes and Glen Perkins return from shoulder surgery rehab, they will need significant guidance because they may be forced to reinvent themselves in order to succeed. And the bullpen is filled with projects.

 

It's tough to believe that Allen is the one to take on these critical imperatives. Whatever his methods, they aren't resonating and too many pitchers are underperforming. One of the primary objectives for Derek Falvey in his first offseason at the helm will be to identify a replacement pitching coach.

 

I believe he would be wise to seek someone with more experience, and a track record of helping pitchers figure it out in the big leagues. A complete roster overhaul is not realistic so the Twins need to find someone who can get more out of the existing assets. It goes without saying that the results this year were beyond unacceptable.

 

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[David HK]

I am so not on board with keeping Molly another year.  They need a whole new voice, in every direction in the ML dugout.

[Kwak]

Pitching has been a bleeding ulcer for years, not just this season. The lack of quality pitchers progressing from the ranks is alarming. It wasn't that long ago that posters constantly harped about P2C as the Twins strategy. The term was banned from the organization--but how much actually changed?

 

Consider Hector Santiago. He was having overall success with the Angels, though "his walks were High"?--whatever that means. The Twins deemed "change" was in order--and Santiago was getting clobbered. He "changed back" according to reports--and so did his results! The best change (improvement) will likely come now that Ryan isn't around to enforce his theory of pitching--provided his "disciples" are also replaced. Cleveland wasn't known as a pitching factory (over time), but the recent results are very encouraging and hopefully duplicated here.

[old nurse]

It is hard to believe the Molasco statement given the Twins' history of sinkerball pitchers. If Nolasco had a decent sinker , by history the Twins would have exploited it.  If there was a change in pitching style for Molasco, teams will catch up and he will return to baseline.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Nolasco was bad before Allen too.  Not sure what to think there. Allen was the reason they started making more of a push for strikeouts, but goodness was the pitching bad. 

 

 

[big dog]

I think moving back to the West Coast was what Nolasco needed, poor baby.  Other than that, I agree with the article and think that Allen should be the first but not the last.  This team needs new voices- a lot of them.

[Linus]

Same things were said about Dick Such and Rick Anderson. Just sayin...

[tobi0040]

I don't know how on earth anyone could bring Allen back. Same for Molly but I think that boat has sailed

[Deduno Abides]

Per Fangraphs pitch value analysis, the Twins had the third least effective change-ups. If that's Allen's specialty, the best you can say is that he didn't distinguish himself.

[Han Joelo]

I keep thinking Falvey was able to ace the questions on how he would fix the systemic organizational pitching woes, and that was a big reason he got the job.  Because it is pretty dang complicated, if you ask me.  The Twins screwed up Nolasco and Santiago, but how not Erv?  Hughes had a career year with the last 'voice.'  Allen can't be blamed for an impinged rib.  Was Duffy good last year because he hadn't soaked up enough stink yet?

 

Who gets credit for great years from Kinzler and Abad?  Who really screwed up Meyer so badly?

 

Buxton's performance in September, along with Kepler and Polanco and others might have saved a few jobs in the organization on the positional development side.  Dozier's bounce back and career year speak well of Brunansky, maybe.  But outside of Kinzler and Abad, the evidence on the pitching side is pretty damning.  Somebody has to take a fall here.  I just wonder what will happen with Molitor--will he fall on his sword?

[twinsnorth49]

Call me crazy but losing 103 games screams out for a fresh start to me.

[Yossarian]

Can them all. Player development was poor in the minors, but once a player reached the majors, the Twins' staff did not get any improvement. Can them all.

[Seth Stohs]

I'm definitely not one to call for firings.

 

Generally, I don't think Allen has been good or bad. I mean, he was a 'different' voice in that he came from a strong pitching development organization in the Rays, and he was credited with helping several of their pitchers. 

 

The message - changeup - was the same as Rick Anderson's... again, not that I have a problem with that. In my mind, a good changeup is hugely important.

 

Where I kind of started feeling a little less comfortable with Allen was the Berrios thing. Not his struggles, that happens, but with the fact that he let so many voices into his ear. That's on Molitor too. But when Blyleven was brought in and all kinds of others, that couldn't have helped at all. 

[Seth Stohs]

My concern with letting Allen, or any of the coaches, go after the season is that the Twins keep saying that Molitor will be back. I could see a scenario where Molitor gets Fired in June or so. If that's the case, do they really want to bring in a new person that they really like and then fire them all 2-3 months later?

 

I almost feel like, if Molitor is back, bring back the coaching staff so that they can all be let go at the same time... right or wrong, I don't know. 

 

I guess they could fire the manager without firing all the other coaches, but who knows.

[HitInAPinch]

I point to the work Allen and staff have been doing with Jose Berrios.  Not all there, but definitely improvement.  Taylor Rogers has been trending up, as well.

 

In the end, I'm betting Falvey goes for one of his pitching coaches from the Cleveland organization. 

[HitInAPinch]

 

 

My concern with letting Allen, or any of the coaches, go after the season is that the Twins keep saying that Molitor will be back. I could see a scenario where Molitor gets Fired in June or so. If that's the case, do they really want to bring in a new person that they really like and then fire them all 2-3 months later?

 

I almost feel like, if Molitor is back, bring back the coaching staff so that they can all be let go at the same time... right or wrong, I don't know. 

 

I guess they could fire the manager without firing all the other coaches, but who knows.

 

With the number of young people being brought up this year, I wonder if it's a good idea to dump an entire staff.  For development reasons alone, I don't think a mass firing is a good idea. 

[TheLeviathan]

I hope we see an organization-wide change in philosophy.  And I hope one of the core principles is to be less rigid.  Let's find a way to make whatever skill set, repertoire, delivery, or anything else that works for a player work better.  As opposed to decades now of trying to mash everyone into one mold that we think works.

[brvama]

I give him a break on the injuries and even the time he missed.  But apparently something was not clicking with his coaching, whatever the reason, thus the poor results.  I would hope that this if one of the first corrections made.

 

What baffles and really frustrates me, and my brother, is that the Twins will not, cannot, or don't know how to pitch inside.  It seems the teams with good staffs do this well.  Now, admittedly, I saw only a handful of games this year.  I haven't seen that done here since the likes of Radke, Santana, and Liriano era to any extent.  

 

Is it the fear of putting men on base that petrifies them, thus eliminating a part of the pitching game that can lead to effectiveness? 

 

[Vanimal46]

If we can envision a scenario where Molitor is let go by June/July next season, then let's cut bait right now. Let Falvey bring in the staff he feels is a good fit for the new philosophy/culture he's trying to implement in the organization. 

[Kwak]

 

I hope we see an organization-wide change in philosophy.  And I hope one of the core principles is to be less rigid.  Let's find a way to make whatever skill set, repertoire, delivery, or anything else that works for a player work better.  As opposed to decades now of trying to mash everyone into one mold that we think works.

My observation is very similar. The recent Twins pitchers that frequently pitch inside [e.g. Liriano and Perkins] basically were only effective inside (to a RHB) and command on the other side was haphazard. It is almost like pitcher's only command the K zone away and when they pitch inside, it's way too inside to get the batter to swing. Plus, the Twins seem reluctant (more than others...) to hit batters.

[dxpavelka]

 

I am so not on board with keeping Molly another year.  They need a whole new voice, in every direction in the ML dugout.

I tend to agree but we don't get a vote.

[beckmt]

It is hard with this staff to figure out if it is the coaching or are they all bad. Agree the changing now and then later if Molitor is fired next year is not good. Probably would leave things as they are, except maybe replace Bruno with Chad Allen as many of the younger players have worked with him.

[EddieMatthews]

 

With the number of young people being brought up this year, I wonder if it's a good idea to dump an entire staff.  For development reasons alone, I don't think a mass firing is a good idea. 

I'd like to see a fresh start in Spring Training.  The coaches will have 8 weeks to get to know the young players and establish communications.  Start everyone on page 1.

[DocBauer]

I agree on a new pitching coach with history and track record. Allen could be very good in a certain role, I just don't know what that is. But for whatever reason, things haven't clicked for him here. The Molitor topic is somewhat different, but for the sake of this post topic, yes to change.

 

Gibson is, frankly, a much better pitcher than he showed this season. As is Duffey, who claimed his fastball command was the issue this season. That's pretty big! Messing with Santiago and the entire Berrios situation shows a lack of communication, IMO. I dismiss the Nolasco turnaround and comments.

[Blake]

 

I'm definitely not one to call for firings.

 

Generally, I don't think Allen has been good or bad. I mean, he was a 'different' voice in that he came from a strong pitching development organization in the Rays, and he was credited with helping several of their pitchers. 

 

The message - changeup - was the same as Rick Anderson's... again, not that I have a problem with that. In my mind, a good changeup is hugely important.

 

Where I kind of started feeling a little less comfortable with Allen was the Berrios thing. Not his struggles, that happens, but with the fact that he let so many voices into his ear. That's on Molitor too. But when Blyleven was brought in and all kinds of others, that couldn't have helped at all. 

Yeah, I had the same thought also. Too many people in the ear of Berrios can't have been a good thing.

 

Bring in Mike Maddux!

[chpettit19]

 

I hope we see an organization-wide change in philosophy.  And I hope one of the core principles is to be less rigid.  Let's find a way to make whatever skill set, repertoire, delivery, or anything else that works for a player work better.  As opposed to decades now of trying to mash everyone into one mold that we think works.

Nailed it. This is the key to the Twins becoming a competitive team again and being able to start having their big prospects live up to expectations. Both pitching and hitting coaches need to be better at this. "The Twins way" worked in the early 2000s because they had all the same type of players. The Piranhas were all "foot down early, slap the ball the other way" type players to start with so they were all able to produce the way the Twins wanted. The Twins have shown 0 ability to adapt to different types of players. Buxton looks like he's ready to be the everyday centerfielder next year after the Twins wasted 2 years of big league playing time trying to turn him into a piranha for no apparent reason. He had 9 homeruns in September and looked to be the uber-athletic 5 tool player he was supposed to be because he finally went back to just being an uber-athletic 5 tool player instead of trying to think his way through everything and do it "the Twins way." Great coaches make small tweaks to individual players to get the most out of their skill sets. Crappy coaches try to completely remake a player because that's the only thing they can coach. The Twins need to go out and find coaches who can adjust to different players instead of forcing every player to adjust to them.

[sftwinsfan]

It's pretty safe to say Falvey's link to the Indian's pitching development success is probably what put him over the top in the hiring process.  I hope he learned enough to carry that forward to Minnesota and hopefully that starts with a new pitching coach. The evidence with Berrios, Santiago, and Gibson is pretty damning.  Hopefully he makes the right changes because the organizations success likely comes down to if they can develop Jose Berrios, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Jay, Fernando Romero, and Kohl Stewart into 2-3 reliable starting pitchers.  They have the talent, but can they get it out of them?  Otherwise we'll be sitting here about 4-5 years from now having this discussion all over again with the pitching prospects they've obtained going forward.

[adorduan]

Allen probably needs  to go, but it's tough to make a silk purse out of a  sow's ear.

 

[DocBauer]

I hope we see an organization-wide change in philosophy.  And I hope one of the core principles is to be less rigid.  Let's find a way to make whatever skill set, repertoire, delivery, or anything else that works for a player work better.  As opposed to decades now of trying to mash everyone into one mold that we think works.

 

Smart and accurate post. Coaches and instructors at any level, inclouding the ML level, are there to massage player egos...not in a bad way, but to calm, nurture and build up...and offer tips and suggestions, as well as reminders. Yes, sometimes they do Korea than that; they teach a new grip, or in some cases a new pitch, (splitter instead of a traditional change for instance), or help find a timing mechanism that aids recognition or power to a batter. And this is NOT the old, worn out Ortiz arguement, or reference to the So-Cal homesick Nolasco who recently enjoyed some success, but to other players currently on the Twins, but it almost feels like the coaches have been meddling too much. After a series of poor starts, the super talented Berrios was FINALLY told to relax, have fun, and just throw. Santiago is not a super control pitcher. He's not outstanding, but solid and effective. He stunk after coming over and the Twins were attempting to make him a control pitcher. It appears the coaches backed off both players and suddenly Berrios looked better and so did Santiago when just asked to throw. I don't know if this is a direct result of the Twins ML coaches or not, but since his most recent promotion, Buxton has appeared much more relaxed, and has even talked about being so, having more fun, relaxing, etc.

 

You build a team with different players with different skill sets. To try to make somebody be something else they aren't is seldom a good idea. We all thought Buxton was supposed to be a high BA, high OB stolenough base machine with decent power who might develop more power eventually. (Not unlike a young Puckett) But what if he is truly a good AVG, decent to good OB power hitting player with speed? Doesn't mean he can't be a dangerous and effective leadoff hitter if that's where he fits best in your currently constructed lineup, but maybe he's really more of a natural #3 hitter?

 

I'm just saying, you need to find the strength of a player and build on that instead of force feeding him to be something else. And I'm starting to believe there's been some of that going on.

[zchrz]

I think Falvey brings in a new pitching coach for sure, his major selling point was Cleveland's modern advanced pitching approach and he isn't going to replicate that with Neil Allen or keeping any of the Twins old approach to it. 

 

Molitor seems to be staying but may well have the same fate after another crappy finish next year. 

 

Bruno deserves a lot of credit for Dozier, but few others seem to have flourished under him.  

 

Mientkiewicz intrigues me and it will be interesting to see how the new regime handles him.  He seems kind of Gardy school but gets great reviews and has had impressive success.  I liked him over Molitor before and still do, he has a connection with the next wave of prospects and is a rising commodity in the coaching market.