Article: Paul Molitor At The Winter Meetings

[Parker Hageman]

Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor met with the media at Winter Meetings on Wednesday morning, answering questions and sharing his thoughts on what went wrong in 2016 and the recovery ahead.

 

The talk ranged from working with the two new members of the front office, the Jason Castro signing, the Brian Dozier trade rumors and more. If you weren’t a credentialed member of the press or had the opportunity to watch it on the team’s official Facebook page, the people at ASAP Sports has transcribed the conversation in its entirety.

 

Here are some of the notable highlights.

You can read the conversation in it's entirely here or watch it at the Minnesota Twins' Facebook page here.

Molitor on adding more coaches:

 

"It's been a good process. It's obviously important to me to try to assemble that the best way we can in terms of the right personality, the right knowledge, making sure we have all the areas covered that we need to to run a staff thoroughly.

 

Through the interview process and getting James [Rowson] on board was I thought a really good hire for us and we're kind of getting down to where we're finalizing it. And it's kind of like your player rosters, you try to get good people but then you've got to make it fit as far as making sure everything you want to have covered is covered."

 

On adding a "quality control coach" to the staff:

 

"I don't know how someone came up with that term to describe that. The way I've looked at it and what I've tried to feel around from people in the game and certainly those two guys is that you add someone with very good crossover ability who can, you know, supply a variety of services to try to help.

 

You have your infield guy, your base runner guy but if there is someone with skills to help formulate a game plan in terms of how you want to pitch people, maybe how we want to implement shifts on the defensive side, you know, communication between the majors and the minor leagues throughout the year, there are a lot of things that that could potentially include."

 

On Miguel Sano's offseason:

 

"I haven't talked to him directly. I've been monitoring more what he's been up to through other people in our system, including our training staff. You know, we hear good reports about his focus and you guys heard what he had to say at the end of the year about coming back and things that he wants to do both in terms of being physically prepared as well as trying to undo some of the things that he found were a little bit humbling this year in his second time around. Not to say that there weren't positives.

 

When he first came up two years ago the impact was tremendous. Then not atypical from some of our guys who come through the second time around, there were adjustments made and at times he seemed to be figuring things out and other times a little bit of regression. That's just part of the growth of young players. Still consider him a very high-impact guy on our team and coming in, not having the problem of having to be concerned about playing right field. I have a fairly high level of confidence about his defensive third base of what I think it can turn into. There is still going to be some growing pains there as he settles in and we gotta see how he will respond to potentially playing that position a high number of games. Just a guy you want to try to find a way to keep on the field in some way."

 

On Sano's playing time at third base:

 

"I don't want to get too much in a box there."

 

On how good Byron Buxton can be:

 

"I don't know how to answer that in terms of -- what you see creates the potential in your mind as far as where his talent might take him. I was somewhat jokingly at the end of the year saying I might have misgauged him a little bit in terms of what he could do because I was focused on bunting and putting the ball in play and cutting the swing down and strike outs and then he comes up and hits eight or nine home runs in September."

 

On improving the pitching:

 

"I think that's part of the studying going on. Talking about guys with spin rate and launch angles and figuring out how to pitch better and smarter.

 

I don't think what I did and what my coaches do -- I don't think we're going to try to work any harder, we might try to work a little smarter. And if we can figure out how to do that with better resources and application, that's what we're going to do."

 

Molitor also shared his thoughts on the moves in the American League Central, the increase use of analytics as an organization, retaining pitching coach Neil Allen and a variety of other subjects that are well worth your time to read.

 

Click here to view the article

[theBOMisthebomb]

The response on Sano is a little nerve racking. Here's hoping that Sano comes to spring training in shape and ready to go. It seems Molly should have talked to him by now, we are 60 days into the offseason.

[Shaitan]

 

The response on Sano is a little nerve racking. Here's hoping that Sano comes to spring training in shape and ready to go. It seems Molly should have talked to him by now, we are 60 days into the offseason.

I don't like how he worded it either, but there's no reason why he should be expected to talk to Sano in the offseason.

 

I don't want my boss calling me on my day off.

[nicksaviking]

I don't expect Molitor to talk to Sano in the offseason.

 

I would expect there to be some organizational hierarchy that allows for easy and open communication, but that's not Molitor's job in-season let alone during the off season. I'm guessing it's the assistant to the traveling secretary.

[Doomtints]

 

I don't like how he worded it either, but there's no reason why he should be expected to talk to Sano in the offseason.

 

I don't want my boss calling me on my day off.

 

These aren't days off.  He is training with trainers. 

[mikelink45]

I am surprised that posts are claiming off days for players making $100,000s of dollars to play baseball.  Their salaries say they are year around, 12 month players.  No one pumps gas like Bronko Nagurski to make it until the next season.  The teams that sign these contracts should make it known that they are full time employees and their job during the off season is:

[DaveW]

Nothing wrong with taking some time to let the body and mind heal. The baseball grind is a tough one. 162 games, 81 on the road plus another 30-50 with ST and playoffs.

[Shaitan]

 

These aren't days off.  He is training with trainers. 

 

Personal trainers, not team trainers. There's a difference.

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

Nothing wrong with taking some time to let the body and mind heal. The baseball grind is a tough one. 162 games, 81 on the road plus another 30-50 with ST and playoffs.

 

So... 30 for Twins players?

[Platoon]

On how good Byron Buxton can be:

 

"I don't know how to answer that in terms of -- what you see creates the potential in your mind as far as where his talent might take him. I was somewhat jokingly at the end of the year saying I might have misgauged him a little bit in terms of what he could do because I was focused on bunting and putting the ball in play and cutting the swing down and strike outs and then he comes up and hits eight or nine home runs in September." This is the one that gets me. I know with his speed, if he could bunt like a Carew, he could bunt for the first 200 points of his average. As for me, I was kind of hoping they would consider him more of a generational, at least for the Twins, player. Not Ben Recere with a better arm.

[Boom Boom]

I'm a little bothered by the response about Sano at third.

 

I have my doubts about his defense there as well, but I don't think it would hurt to say "Miguel is going to be given that opportunity" or something to that effect.

 

It sounds to me like we'll be seeing a lot of Escobar and others over there.

[Blackjack]

 

On how good Byron Buxton can be: "I don't know how to answer that in terms of -- what you see creates the potential in your mind as far as where his talent might take him. I was somewhat jokingly at the end of the year saying I might have misgauged him a little bit in terms of what he could do because I was focused on bunting and putting the ball in play and cutting the swing down and strike outs and then he comes up and hits eight or nine home runs in September." This is the one that gets me. I know with his speed, if he could bunt like a Carew, he could bunt for the first 200 points of his average. As for me, I was kind of hoping they would consider him more of a generational, at least for the Twins, player. Not Ben Recere with a better arm.

With Buxton's speed, he should have been ordered to bunt at least once every game when he was coming up thru the minors. That speed does no good if he can't get on base.

[HitInAPinch]

Buxton and bunting:  I don't believe it was done specifically to turning Buxton into another Carew,  I think it was more of an "eye / hand coordination" thing.  I can't say that it lead to all his HR's at the end of the season.  One thing that was infinitely clear:  Buxton was never asked to bunt before:  didn't know how to hold the bat, was hacking at the ball, and a few more etc's. 

 

Sano:  I never expected him to be a good defensive player at 3rd or anywhere.  Excellent defensive DH    If there work with him this offseason on getting a little better in the field, Great!  But offense will always be his calling card and MLB scouting reports and pitchers caught up to him last year.  If I was on the coaching staff, I'd probably concentrate more on the continuation of his plate adjustments.

[Doomtints]

 

Personal trainers, not team trainers. There's a difference.

 

Molitor is quoted as speaking with Sano's trainers, just not with Sano directly.  Do you believe that Molitor is speaking to Sano's personal trainers?  That seems very unlikely if not impossible.

 

Why would Sano pay for personal trainers when the team will provide them?

 

Look, being an athlete is a full-time commitment.  Sure you can get weekends off during the offseason like the rest of us, but should by no means be sitting on his hands for six months.  And there is zero point in "training in a bubble" -- the Twins and him should be working together on the same plan.  

Edited December 8, 2016 by Doomtints