Article: Reports: Twins to Hire Rocco Baldelli as Manager

[Dantes929]

 

Sure, every manager makes those mistakes.

 

The good ones don't make the mistake a couple of times a week.

The good ones are the ones with Verlander, Sale, deGrom and Scherzer in their rotations with shut down bullpens.      I'm not calling those situations above mistakes except sarcastically.  Its akin to a pitcher giving up just a solo home run in a game and the announcers saying he just made one mistake.    It was probably a pitch he threw a dozen times the same way but it is only a mistake cuz one of those times a guy connects on it.   I am by no means saying Molitor is a great manager.     Just saying that with the way this group pitched most of the time it didn't matter if he left the starter in or pulled him, runs were going to result and Molitor was going to be blamed for it.   That's what I was trying to illustrate in the two identical scenarios above where he makes different decisions but the results are the same.   Every manager has those D..... if you do D..... if you don't decisions to make.    The "good" ones just don't face the consequences as much because their pitchers get the job done.

[USAFChief]

 

The good ones are the ones with Verlander, Sale, deGrom and Scherzer in their rotations with shut down bullpens.      I'm not calling those situations above mistakes except sarcastically.  Its akin to a pitcher giving up just a solo home run in a game and the announcers saying he just made one mistake.    It was probably a pitch he threw a dozen times the same way but it is only a mistake cuz one of those times a guy connects on it.   I am by no means saying Molitor is a great manager.     Just saying that with the way this group pitched most of the time it didn't matter if he left the starter in or pulled him, runs were going to result and Molitor was going to be blamed for it.   That's what I was trying to illustrate in the two identical scenarios above where he makes different decisions but the results are the same.   Every manager has those D..... if you do D..... if you don't decisions to make.    The "good" ones just don't face the consequences as much because their pitchers get the job done.

I think this is the exact wrong way to look at it.

 

Having poorer options is the reason it's so important a manager make good decisions. When you have multiple good options to choose from, the decisions aren't all that critical. Leaving Verlander in or pulling him for one of several shut down relievers probably doesn't matter all that much.

 

But when you don't have Verlander, or many shut down relief options, it's incredibly important a manager has the best available option on the mound at all times, to reduce the disadvantage he's at. You can't keep Odorizzi on the mound past the point where he's maximally effective, because he starts at a much lower point of effectiveness than a guy like Verlander.  When Verlander loses 10 percent, he's stlil pretty good. When Odorizzi loses 10 percent, well, he's not. Likewise, You can't overuse your best relievers simply because you don't have many good ones, so you save them for important outs whenever possible. 

 

Making smart, short- and long-term pitching moves is one of the primary reasons managers matter. They will sometimes backfire of course, because every pitcher sometimes give up runs. But putting your pitchers, and your team, in the best possible position, way more often than not, will pay off. And putting your pitchers (and team) in bad positions too often will hurt you just the same.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Unfortunately, it was a weakness.  He said he could not speak it well, but thought it was an important question.    I would have preferred had he been fluent in Spanish, but from it was an answer it was apparent he had thought about it and thought it was an important issue and would be a factor when hiring his staff. 

 

I might be putting words in his mouth, but he seemed to be aware not all players were alike, that some players might connect well with his style, but would be good to have a coaching staff that could connect to the some of the players in a way he could not (some of that was Spanish related, but I think he also meant it more generally).   I had it on in the background while was working, so I might not have gotten everything correctly.

At first, I thought it was a little bit odd that a guy as intelligent as Baldelli hadn't already learned to speak Spanish.

 

Then I remembered that he has spent the past ten years learning front office management, scouting, and coaching at the MLB level. I suppose throwing "also learn to speak Spanish fluently" on the top of that pile is likely asking a bit too much.

 

Still, I hope he puts in the work to accomplish that goal at some point.

[D. Hocking]

 

Still, I hope he puts in the work to accomplish that goal at some point.

 

I am completely speculating here, but when he spoke about it, he genuinely seemed to think it was a strong issue rather than him just giving the answer he felt he should give (he is a good speaker).  I am guessing it is a goal of his.   Also, he might not be fluent, but he did seem to have some understanding of the language greater than cerveza por favor.

[Doomtints]

 

The good ones are the ones with Verlander, Sale, deGrom and Scherzer in their rotations with shut down bullpens.    

 

Tom Kelly didn't suddenly start making silly mistakes when the talent evaporated.

 

In his first year, I once saw Kelly keep a rookie pitcher in for a full inning. The guy was really struggling. But Kelly kept him in because he saw the guy was going to pitch incredibly well in the future. I don't remember which pitcher it was, but he was right -- he became a key pitcher for the Twins.

 

And Kelly didn't just let him deflate out there, Kelly walked out to encourage him to make it through the inning. He did this BEFORE runs scored.

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by Doomtints

[lamiwe21]

One thing I think would help the Twins is if they really used the word "rebuild". Takes a lot of pressure off the FO and the manager. For example, the Reds have never said that word.  I heard thet Reds director of player development and the Assisant General Manager speak at two different MILB affiliates and they didnt mention it. Its was basically we need "starting pitching" and then switching the conversation to something positive that is happening on the field. Braves were the exact opposite and made smart choices that reminded them they were in a rebuild.

Edited October 26, 2018 by lamiwe21

[d-mac]

I just assume anyone named Rocco are this guy:

[jmlease1]

 

Apparently he wants mauer on the team. I'm already losing confidence. And potentially the FO does also. I just don't know why I should trust them at this point.

 

Well, at the right price and in the right role Mauer still has value for this team (and many others). But at this point any statements about Mauer are mostly PR. Joe isn't likely going to make any decisions about playing based on whether the manager starts praising him. It's a smart play out the gate to be respectful of Mauer...and who knows? Maybe when he says he wants him on the team, he could might want him to join the coaching staff.

 

So far Rocco has shown himself to be pretty savvy at working the media. Gotta say, I loved the way he handled Ruesse!

[Nine of twelve]

 

Good point. In this day and age, with so many Latin American players, the ability to speak Spanish is becoming a more important consideration.

I think anyone hoping for a career in any phase of baseball, be it playing, coaching, scouting, broadcasting, even grounds crew and vendors, should learn as much Spanish as possible.

[Nine of twelve]

 

I am completely speculating here, but when he spoke about it, he genuinely seemed to think it was a strong issue rather than him just giving the answer he felt he should give (he is a good speaker).  I am guessing it is a goal of his.   Also, he might not be fluent, but he did seem to have some understanding of the language greater than cerveza por favor.

In my line of work I deal with translators from time to time. Recently I mentioned to a Spanish interpreter that I didn't know much Spanish other than taco, cerveza and beisbol. And he said, "Oh, all the essentials!"

[Mike Sixel]

 

In my line of work I deal with translators from time to time. Recently I mentioned to a Spanish interpreter that I didn't know much Spanish other than taco, cerveza and beisbol. And he said, "Oh, all the essentials!"

 

donde esta el bano......might want that one...

[D. Hocking]

 

 It's a smart play out the gate to be respectful of Mauer...and who knows? Maybe when he says he wants him on the team, he could might want him to join the coaching staff.

 

 

I do think it was largely PR, but he also seemed genuine in his respect for Mauer.  It seemed like he put some thought into it rather than just spewing some generic cliche, and the story about the bullpen catcher was a nice personal touch.   It was also nice to hear him say how respected Mauer was in the league.  

 

I did notice he was a bit general in saying there would be place in the Twins organization and not saying as his first baseman, but I suppose the discussion of whether Mauer should or will return should be (and has been) covered in (an)other thread(s).

 

 

[Dantes929]

 

I think this is the exact wrong way to look at it.

 

Having poorer options is the reason it's so important a manager make good decisions. When you have multiple good options to choose from, the decisions aren't all that critical. Leaving Verlander in or pulling him for one of several shut down relievers probably doesn't matter all that much.

 

But when you don't have Verlander, or many shut down relief options, it's incredibly important a manager has the best available option on the mound at all times, to reduce the disadvantage he's at. You can't keep Odorizzi on the mound past the point where he's maximally effective, because he starts at a much lower point of effectiveness than a guy like Verlander.  When Verlander loses 10 percent, he's stlil pretty good. When Odorizzi loses 10 percent, well, he's not. Likewise, You can't overuse your best relievers simply because you don't have many good ones, so you save them for important outs whenever possible. 

 

Making smart, short- and long-term pitching moves is one of the primary reasons managers matter. They will sometimes backfire of course, because every pitcher sometimes give up runs. But putting your pitchers, and your team, in the best possible position, way more often than not, will pay off. And putting your pitchers (and team) in bad positions too often will hurt you just the same.

 

Tom Kelly didn't suddenly start making silly mistakes when the talent evaporated.

 

In his first year, I once saw Kelly keep a rookie pitcher in for a full inning. The guy was really struggling. But Kelly kept him in because he saw the guy was going to pitch incredibly well in the future. I don't remember which pitcher it was, but he was right -- he became a key pitcher for the Twins.

 

And Kelly didn't just let him deflate out there, Kelly walked out to encourage him to make it through the inning. He did this BEFORE runs scored.

Both great points both of you but you can see that it is quite likely that when Kelly left that guy in for those reasons if the game goes south USAchief is going to consider it a bad move and if he pulled him and it went south doomtints is going to consider it a bad move.    Kelly was not immune to criticism for his handling of the pitching staff.    I remember people bitching about it even before the advent of these baseball sites.    I am guessing most people thought he was ok in the winning years and was bad at it in the losing years.    Several years ago when Gardy was getting ripped for bad management I checked all the scores for a time and for the close losses I would go to the losing team's websites and managers not knowing when to pull guys was always a common theme with every manager on good teams or bad except for some reason Mike Sciosa.    Every manager on every team got ripped except one.    The problem with putting the best guy in the best position is that those situations happen really often.   Guerrier, Crane, and now Rogers were the best option in a close game even when it happened on consecutive days but consecutive days happened often enough that eventually they were overused.   Now you can give them more rest but when the next best guy blows a game you know you're going to get ripped.    Sure, making the best moves long term and short term to put your team in the best position to win the most games is desired and is great in theory but really hard in practice.  I believe Molitor probably tried to do exactly that and no, I don't think he was particularly good at it but I don't think anyone is really all that great at it.   Its why you constantly see guys like Molitor win MOY one year and fired the next.  

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I just assume anyone named Rocco are this guy:

"Looks like we got us a cowboy..."

 

 

(been quietly considering moderately appropriate ways of referencing this fine cinematic work. Thanks for takin' the pressure off;)

[Thebigalguy]

These are great comments. It’s interesting to see that some welcome Baldelli, who sounds personable. Since my mother’s side of the family is Italian (or, more precisely, Sicilian), I expect he’ll be approachable and maybe even garrulous. He’ll need it, since Falvine, through their own hubris, fired the reigning Manager of the Year just because they could. The one thing that might bring some of us back to slurp some of their Chicken Soup in 2019 would be a Mauer decision to return and Molitor deciding to stay with this team and collect his million plus for each of the next two years. Otherwise, many of us will let Falvine and Baldelli change diapers with our attention elsewhere- Minneapolis and St Paul are rich in cultural alternatives to MLB - until 2020 or 2021, when the youngsters are toilet-trained and competitive again. Molitor was superb at treating babes in the woods like the adults they’re supposed to be. With him at the helm, many of us would be in our seats come Opening Day. (Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) Without him and Mauer, if that’s the case, Many of us will do something with more pizazz come summer, like watch the river flow.

[USAFChief]

These are great comments. It’s interesting to see that some welcome Baldelli, who sounds personable. Since my mother’s side of the family is Italian (or, more precisely, Sicilian), I expect he’ll be approachable and maybe even garrulous. He’ll need it, since Falvine, through their own hubris, fired the reigning Manager of the Year just because they could. The one thing that might bring some of us back to slurp some of their Chicken Soup in 2019 would be a Mauer decision to return and Molitor deciding to stay with this team and collect his million plus for each of the next two years. Otherwise, many of us will let Falvine and Baldelli change diapers with our attention elsewhere- Minneapolis and St Paul are rich in cultural alternatives to MLB - until 2020 or 2021, when the youngsters are toilet-trained and competitive again. Molitor was superb at treating babes in the woods like the adults they’re supposed to be. With him at the helm, many of us would be in our seats come Opening Day. (Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) Without him and Mauer, if that’s the case, Many of us will do something with more pizazz come summer, like watch the river flow.

Which river?

[yarnivek1972]

These are great comments. It’s interesting to see that some welcome Baldelli, who sounds personable. Since my mother’s side of the family is Italian (or, more precisely, Sicilian), I expect he’ll be approachable and maybe even garrulous. He’ll need it, since Falvine, through their own hubris, fired the reigning Manager of the Year just because they could. The one thing that might bring some of us back to slurp some of their Chicken Soup in 2019 would be a Mauer decision to return and Molitor deciding to stay with this team and collect his million plus for each of the next two years. Otherwise, many of us will let Falvine and Baldelli change diapers with our attention elsewhere- Minneapolis and St Paul are rich in cultural alternatives to MLB - until 2020 or 2021, when the youngsters are toilet-trained and competitive again. Molitor was superb at treating babes in the woods like the adults they’re supposed to be. With him at the helm, many of us would be in our seats come Opening Day. (Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) Without him and Mauer, if that’s the case, Many of us will do something with more pizazz come summer, like watch the river flow.

I suspect most fans care more about winning than who the manager is. Falvey has his guy as he should have from day one. No more excuses. Time for results.

 

Molitor probably didn’t deserve MOY last year. The Twins were a mediocre team in a mediocre league. The 4 AL teams that continued to play after the Twins were eliminated were all light years better - and still are. The rest of the teams in the league were all much worse, and most still are. They finished exactly where most felt they would.

 

Also, don’t blame Falvine for the necessity of hand holding millenials. That’s a nation wide problem. They are absolutely right to hire someone who gets that.

[h2oface]

 

How many languages do you know?  I studied Spanish for several years and French, too.  Neither stuck with me.  It's harder and more time consuming to learn a foreign language than people are willing to grant, evidently.  

 

Do I wish he knew Spanish? Yes.  Do I think it's fair to hold that he doesn't know Spanish against him? No.

 

I don't read where anyone here, including myself, is holding not being fluent in spanish against Baldelli. It became a discussion point, and a worthy one in this day and age. As for intelligence having nothing to do with being able, especially as an adult, to learn an additional language, or even want to....... well, I disagree. As hard as it is, it can't hurt, and will certainly help. Being around others that speak the language, and them helping as one starts the process, is also so very helpful. Just taking classes, and not having an outlet to try it and make mistakes and learn nuances and dialects from those that do is much harder and slower to have it take, for sure.