Article: Twins' New Coaching Staff Earns Early Positive Reviews

[Parker Hageman]

The Minnesota Twins were not overly active in the free agent market but there are plenty of new faces in the clubhouse. With turnover on his coaching staff, Paul Molitor has spent the better part of the spring getting to know his new coworkers.

 

Gone are Tom Brunansky and Butch Davis. New faces include hitting coach James Rowson, first base coach Jeff Smith and bench coach Jeff Pickler. Since mid-February, the new coaching staff has tried to jell in efforts to create a cohesive vision and team.

 

“It’s like Derek and Thad,” Molitor said in regards to his new coaches. “Getting to know these guys better all the time.”The first change started on the hitting side. While outsiders may have looked at the numbers and suspected the pitching may receive an overhaul, Molitor and the front office agreed that the right message was being delivered in spite of the lackluster results. What they determined was that there needed to be a different voice and a different approach with the bats.

 

Rowson, Molitor said, came highly recommended.

 

“We had a lot of good input before I even had a chance to sit down and have a nice, long conversation [with Rowson],” Molitor explained. “There’s a certain energy component to that role, there’s a certain ability to communication and build relationships in that role and obviously you got to have guys hitting.”

 

Molitor quickly found out when they started working together that Rowson checked all the boxes he was looking for in terms of the ideal hitting coach characteristics.

 

“I think the important component in that role is knowing the hitters, knowing what they do well, be available, be positive, be there, give them a game plan when needed. He’s got all that stuff.”

 

Like most hitting coaches, Rowson spends batting practice behind the turtle shell, occasionally giving some advice or encouragement, but mostly observing and learning his hitters. His philosophy, boiled down, is hit the ball hard. If the hitter is putting on his best swing, the direction will take care of itself. No need to aim the ball to the opposite field. When the game starts, Molitor said, Rowson tones down the instruction.

 

“I’m not big on breaking down every pitch in every at bat,” Molitor said. “He might ask what you are thinking on that count but gotta let them play when the game starts.”

 

Jeff Pickler comes to the Twins by the way of the Los Angeles Dodgers and has been asked to use all the tools at his disposal in order to improve the defense, which includes tasks like positioning the outfield in optimal alignment in order to reduce runs allowed.

 

“Picks got a lot of layers,” Molitor said. “He’s embraced the outfield thing, guys really love him out there. His involvement is with him trying to dissect data and what we can use as a team or for certain people that would maybe find a way to advance rather than staying stagnant.”

 

Molitor said that Pickler has been very active in the spring training games already. One example Molitor provided for Pickler’s value added is his ability to think ahead. During Wednesday’s game against the Orioles, with Chris Johnson at the plate, two outs and no one on base, Pickler approached Molitor in the dugout with a suggestion to shift to a no-doubles defense. His reasoning was that light-hitting Johnny Giavotella was on deck. If Johnson were to reach second, he would almost surely score on a single. Taking away the extra base hit opportunity would possibly prevent that run. Molitor respected that kind of foresight.

 

Jeff Smith, the newly added first base coach, is a mountain of a man, every bit the same shape as Miguel Sano but with a few more years. Before the game, Smith roams the field with a catcher’s training glove, a shaved down version of a standard catcher’s mitt that trains backstops to receive the ball with minimum movement. More simply, it helps a catcher in their framing. Molitor acknowledged Jeff Smith’s role as the first base coach is different from his recent stretch as a manager in the minor league system and the new angle of the game will take some getting used to but Smith’s catching background has been a welcomed addition.

 

“I’ve been pleased with how we’ve handled ourselves behind the plate,” Molitor said.

 

The game of baseball has moved beyond simply hiring the manager’s drinking buddy to keep him company on the bench. Coaching staffs have slowly expanded and roles like defensive specialists have emerged as teams have placed a greater emphasis on using data to position their players around the diamond. The Twins have started to adapt to this dugout revolution as well.

 

At least from Molitor’s viewpoint, the Twins feel they have the right collection of coaches in place to get the most out of their players.

 

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[mikelink45]

Nice essay.  I sure hope this is as good as it sounds.  On the other hand, I think that their judgment of the pitching development and coaching is flawed.  Duffey needs a third pitch, Berrios is not harnessing his talent...those are jobs for coaches to straighten out.

 

[jimbo92107]

Well, if they won't hire a drinking buddy, I'm not even going to apply. So there! ;-)

[laloesch]

Interesting mention of Jeff Pickler.  I wonder if the new FO hired him to keep a close watch on Molitor and implement new ideas that Paul has been resistant too?

Edited March 3, 2017 by laloesch

[Parker Hageman]

 

Interesting mention of Jeff Pickler.  I wonder if the new FO hired him to keep a close watch on Molitor and implement new ideas that Paul has been resistant too?

 

From what I understand, Molitor has never been resistant to anything new. He might not be aware of everything available but he definitely listens to the ideas. 

[Deduno Abides]

Thanks for this article on an under-reported part of the game. One of the nice things about these coaches,Nate least two of them, is that they weren't either legacies or simply "available," which has seemed to be the hiring reason for about every coach I can remember, with the interesting exception of Neil Allen. It will be interesting to see their impact. Despite Allen's lack of demonstrable success (which of course may be due more to the quality of the pitchers he was given), the new ideas of Pickler and Rowson may be very helpful to Molitor.

 

Smith I don't get. He never distinguished himself in a positive manner in the minors, except perhaps by going along with some of Terry Ryan's old school attitudes about player behavior and punishment. Now, he's going to be responsible for something he hasn't done before? Seems like it was just a way to open up opportunities for Jake Mauer and Tommy Watkins while letting Smith accumulate more time toward his pension. It's not the biggest deal, because it's not like anybody is going to lament the loss of Butch Davis, but how Smith got a job in the majors is a bit of a head-scratcher.

[Dave The Dastardly]

Until Dougie takes over I'll remain skeptical.

[theBOMisthebomb]

Any little bit of improvement is what this franchise needs.  The new guys sound like an upgrade overall from Bruno and Davis.  

[Oldgoat_MN]

Still don't understand why Butch Davis was let go.

Wasn't he in charge of the OFs?

Wasn't our OF defense one of our few strengths?

If anyone has some ideas on the subject and could enlighten me I would appreciate it.

[twinssporto]

Some of these new coaches sound like good additions.  It will be fun to watch their potential impact on the team in 2017.  

 

On a more serious coaching/managing matter, I'm concerned about who is helping Molitor construct the daily lineup.  Hopefully the coaches that assisted Molitor with that task last year have moved on...

[USNMCPO]

"Like most hitting coaches, Rowson spends batting practice behind the turtle shell, occasionally giving some advice or encouragement, but mostly observing and learning his hitters. His philosophy, boiled down, is hit the ball hard. If the hitter is putting on his best swing, the direction will take care of itself. No need to aim the ball to the opposite field. When the game starts, Molitor said, Rowson tones down the instruction."

"Hit the ball hard...the direction will take care of itself". What the heck are the TV guys going to talk about without the old "You can tell when the batter is coming around when he hits the ball to all fields"? Sounds like the Blue Jays method of hitting. Should be fun to watch. (hopefully)

[TheLeviathan]

I hope Rowson's comments indicate, finally, an end to "hit it on the ground" ever being advice we give our hitters.

[ashbury]

His philosophy, boiled down, is hit the ball hard. If the hitter is putting on his best swing, the direction will take care of itself. ...

 

What the heck are the TV guys going to talk about without the old "You can tell when the batter is coming around when he hits the ball to all fields"?

I don't see a contradiction. If the batter's putting his best swing on the ball, in most cases an outside pitch will go the opposite way, while an inside pitch will be pulled. The TV guys can use the results as a guide.

[theJemmer]

I hope Rowson's results are better than his interviews.  When first hired he basically only said that "each guy is different and I work with their strengths".  Now the stated philosophy is "hit the ball hard".  revolutionary.