Twins fire Dougie Baseball

[gunnarthor]

http://m.startribune.com/doug-mientkiewicz-is-fired-as-minor-league-manager-for-twins/444772903/?section=sports

 

Bummer. He sounds pretty pissed about it. Best of luck to him in the future.

[sftwinsfan]

With his history with the team you'd think he'd at least merit a call from the GM.  His teams always performed well and the players seemed to have some passion for playing for him from what I've heard.  Too bad.

 

Just the other night when they were talking about Tom Kelly taking over in 1986 on the broadcast it was brought up that the players were really excited, as a group they had come up playing for him and winning with him in the minors.  Made me wonder if maybe there was some similarity between that and the current group of Twins players if Mientkiewicz got a shot with them in the majors.  

[Craig Arko]

That should have been handled better. Disappointing.

[drivlikejehu]

Mientkiewicz is a stridently old-school guy that isn't necessarily a great fit for the way the front office wants to build the organization. He knows it, too, which is why I think his comments were at least a bit disingenuous. He's ticked off and telling his side of the story. He's the kind of guy that is going to be pissed at being fired and there's really no approach that would have avoided that outcome.

[crop duster]

Handled poorly is an understatement here, Doug can obvious do the job as manager better than most. So is this change for the sake of change? Falvey and Levine seem less and less like wiz kids everyday and more like a couple arrogant chumps.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Not so sure about that. There is no secret this org had a development issue. I'm not sure where the problem was, but just because you're getting wins doesn't mean you're developing players. If Dougie is as old school as commented here, it's probably a good thing.

 

Good luck to him. Wish him no ill will.

[DaveW]

Not impressed with Falvey and Levine at all. This is ridiculous and shows their true character.

[Thrylos]

A. First of the many for sure to come in the Twins' field management at all levels, as well as the front office

B. I was surprised as well, he was popular and won.  There might be something

C. He was not "owed" anything. And he was not "Fired".  His contact was over, they chose not to renew it, and they gave him the courtesy to let him know way ahead of time. Happens every day in many jobs.  No explanation was needed or owed, other that they decided to go another direction.  The advanced warning was a courtesy that should please him.  It is like letting free agent Bartolo Colon that they will not renew his contract.

D. The next 2 months will be fun, Twins' fans

[mikecgrimes]

You can disagree with it, but if this means what I hope it means (Molitor won't be winning his job back no matter how far the Twins go)I think were in for a great future.  It's time for modern in game strategy trumping playing history as the criteria that matters most.  Fans don't have to like a move for it to be the right move.

[Physics Guy]

This should not come as a complete surprise. Falvey and Levine are cleaning house of people that don't fit what they want, which they are entitled to. It absolutely could have been handled better, but Mientkiewicz would have been bitter regardless of how it was handled. Mientkiewicz has had some run-ins with umpires in the past and I have to wonder if that had something to do with this decision.

[DaveW]

A. First of the many for sure to come in the Twins' field management at all levels, as well as the front office

B. I was surprised as well, he was popular and won. There might be something

C. He was not "owed" anything. And he was not "Fired". His contact was over, they chose not to renew it, and they gave him the courtesy to let him know way ahead of time. Happens every day in many jobs. No explanation was needed or owed, other that they decided to go another direction. The advanced warning was a courtesy that should please him. It is like letting free agent Bartolo Colon that they will not renew his contract.

D. The next 2 months will be fun, Twins' fans

Having an underling fire someone via phone (esp someone as loyal as Doug) is pure cowardice, this org is a joke. Classless.

[DaveW]

This should not come as a complete surprise. Falvey and Levine are cleaning house of people that don't fit what they want, which they are entitled to. It absolutely could have been handled better, but Mientkiewicz would have been bitter regardless of how it was handled. Mientkiewicz has had some run-ins with umpires in the past and I have to wonder if that had something to do with this decision.

why is a manager sticking up for his players a bad thing?

[drivlikejehu]

 

Having an underling fire someone via phone (esp someone as loyal as Doug) is pure cowardice, this org is a joke. Classless.

 

MLB GMs do not make phone calls to minor league coaches who aren't having their contracts renewed. That's just not how things work. Just because someone is famous from his past career as a player doesn't mean he should get special treatment.

[DaveW]

MLB GMs do not make phone calls to minor league coaches who aren't having their contracts renewed. That's just not how things work. Just because someone is famous from his past career as a player doesn't mean he should get special treatment.

Dude he was fired. Call it not renewing a contract all you want. It's a classless way to go about it.

[Thrylos]

 

Having an underling fire someone via phone (esp someone as loyal as Doug) is pure cowardice, this org is a joke. Classless.

 

He was not fired.  His contract expired and will not be renewed.

Underling?

The person who called him was the minor league director.  His boss.

Usually when people get notified that their contract will not be renewed, the notification is done by their boss.  Not the CEO or the COO.

 

 

[mikecgrimes]

 

Having an underling fire someone via phone (esp someone as loyal as Doug) is pure cowardice, this org is a joke. Classless.

 

I'd guess he was told long before what was happening, and this was simply the notification that all the paper work had been completed.  Doug isn't all that credible of a source on matters like this.

[drivlikejehu]

 

Dude he was fired. Call it not renewing a contract all you want. It's a classless way to go about it.

 

So when a player leaves for free agency after his contract is up, he is being "fired"?

[DaveW]

I'd guess he was told long before what was happening, and this was simply the notification that all the paper work had been completed. Doug isn't all that credible of a source on matters like this.

And random conjecture is a more credible source?

 

I will go with Doug on this one (have met him several times over the years,he's a straight shooter)

[DaveW]

So when a player leaves for free agency after his contract is up, he is being "fired"?

Not even close to the same thing.

[crop duster]

A. First of the many for sure to come in the Twins' field management at all levels, as well as the front office

B. I was surprised as well, he was popular and won.  There might be something

C. He was not "owed" anything. And he was not "Fired".  His contact was over, they chose not to renew it, and they gave him the courtesy to let him know way ahead of time. Happens every day in many jobs.  No explanation was needed or owed, other that they decided to go another direction.  The advanced warning was a courtesy that should please him.  It is like letting free agent Bartolo Colon that they will not renew his contract.

D. The next 2 months will be fun, Twins' fans

This season has been and is fun, in spite of how the new dynamic duo went soft in July.

[mikecgrimes]

 

And random conjecture is a more credible source?

I will go with Doug on this one (have met him several times over the years,he's a straight shooter)

 

You think you got his real personality.  Chuck Knoblauch is also likable when he wants to be.

[Physics Guy]

why is a manager sticking up for his players a bad thing?

It's not. My guess is you are referencing his ejection when Sano got tossed for yelling at the opposing dugout after hitting a home run three pitches after being thrown at. Yeah fine, no problem with that. Not sure these other two are the same.

 

https://www.gomn.com/sports/twins-minor-league-manager-doug-mientkiewicz-was-ejected-before-first-pitch

http://www.foxsports.com/other/story/managers-brawl-ejected-from-ft-myers-miracle-game-081813

[Thrylos]

 

This season has been and is fun, in spite of how the new dynamic duo went soft in July.

 

Soft? 

They traded an A level prospect for 2 AA/AAA prospects (and Garcia got them a win in the meantime)

They signed Colon who solidified the back end of the rotation. Somewhat.

They got rid of Kintzer at top top top value

And they got a top reliever for JR Murphy

Soft?

 

This was supposed to be an evaluation year.

They are competing, thankfully, but the cards are against them, and I doubt that they could had stacked them differently.

 

Next off-season will be very telling.

[drivlikejehu]

 

Not even close to the same thing.

 

He's not some 9-5 worker trying to feed his family, he's a millionaire many times over that doesn't even need the job. This is all about his ego.

[crop duster]

Soft?

They traded an A level prospect for 2 AA/AAA prospects (and Garcia got them a win in the meantime)

They signed Colon who solidified the back end of the rotation. Somewhat.

They got rid of Kintzer at top top top value

And they got a top reliever for JR Murphy

Soft?

 

This was supposed to be an evaluation year.

They are competing, thankfully, but the cards are against them, and I doubt that they could had stacked them differently.

 

Next off-season will be very telling.

Yes soft, aquire a serviceable back end starter who couldve contributed a few more wins and then panic and trade him for two powerball tickets. Oh sorry I meant can't miss prospects that will someday arrive to help the future immaculate team that goes 162-0 and makes a deep playoff run. Normally dumpster diving to grab a player with numbers like colon had is not an act of genius. Somehow he's found a way to contribute but he ain't leading this team on a playoff run.

 

Somehow I can't agree trading an effective closer for a wad of cash is a genius move either. So kinzler would've left after this year anyway, in the mean time we wouldn't have Matt freakin belisle attempting to close out games.

 

 

Strange that a "top reliever" is a guy who just made his debut...

[Seth Stohs]

 

Mientkiewicz is a stridently old-school guy that isn't necessarily a great fit for the way the front office wants to build the organization. He knows it, too, which is why I think his comments were at least a bit disingenuous. He's ticked off and telling his side of the story. He's the kind of guy that is going to be pissed at being fired and there's really no approach that would have avoided that outcome.

 

Mientkiewicz has never really had a filter... He's very old school, and like you said, that doesn't mesh with the new regime... and that's fine. I do think the timing and not being willing to tell him why was bad. He does deserve that. 

[drjim]

Did they not tell him why he was not retained, or was it that Steil wouldn't say if it was his call or higher up?

 

Also, was it known before this article that Steil was getting a promotion? Good move, in my mind, to keep him.

[drivlikejehu]

 

Mientkiewicz has never really had a filter... He's very old school, and like you said, that doesn't mesh with the new regime... and that's fine. I do think the timing and not being willing to tell him why was bad. He does deserve that. 

 

Interestingly, he never actually claims they didn't tell him why. The article gives that impression because Levine wouldn't say publicly, but the question Mientkiewicz himself posed was different - he asked who made the decision, which is really a nonsense question since he knows full well who would be part of that conversation and who has final say. He just wanted ammo to use with the press.

[drjim]

Interestingly, he never actually claims they didn't tell him why. The article gives that impression because Levine wouldn't say publicly, but the question Mientkiewicz himself posed was different - he asked who made the decision, which is really a nonsense question since he knows full well who would be part of that conversation and who has final say. He just wanted ammo to use with the press.

I imagine Mientkiewicz had a pretty good relationship with Steil and wanted to hear him say it. Probably obvious that Steil would tell Dougie had it been his call.

[Squirrel]

Mod note: a reminder to everyone, whether or not you agree with these changes, whether you are celebratory or disdainful, please be respectful of one another and those who have been let go.