Time is Now for Twins to Extend Gardenhire

[bwille]

As the Twins have gotten off to a fast start this season, I have began to wonder if the team should consider resigning manager Ron Gardenhire who is entering the final year of his contract. As a result, I wrote an article analyzing the criticism of Gardenhire over the past two seasons and whether or not it has been justified and whether or not Gardy still deserves an extension.

 

"During the 2000s, the Twins gave him some talented rosters and a deep farm system and what did he do? He won six division championships. Now that the organization has neglected its farm system and has had to focus on restocking it, what has he done? He almost lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons; but does that mean Gardenhire is a bad coach or has forgotten how to coach?"

 

Do you think it's time for Gardy to go or is it time to extend his contract for a few more years? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

Ron Gardenhire: Minnesota Twins Would Be Wise to Re-Sign Manager

 

 

 

 

[Kobs]

does that mean Gardenhire is a bad coach or has forgotten how to coach?

 

No, it means that managers don't do jack squat and the Twins should save what's left of their ever shrinking budget to sign better players.

[COtwin]

Gardy should get an extension after he actually gets us through a playoff series. How about a year for every series win. Otherwise one year contracts. Maybe the whole Twins staff should go on one year contracts. Performance based, I like it.

[Guest USAFChief]

No need to extend Gardenhire now.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

As the Twins have gotten off to a fast start this season,

9-8 is not a fast start, Brian. It's a game above .500. The jury is out on Gardy, and how he works with his new coaching staff. Let's see how he handles Hicks and Arcia over the next few months, and into the summer. I like Gardy, but change can be good, too.

G

As for extending Gardy's contract, that won't happen until the offseason. The Twins front office rarely negotiates contracts during the season. Extending Gardy in April, 17 games into the regular season, may earn you "The Common Man" Dan Cole's Preposterous Statement of the Day" Preposterous Statement Hall of Fame Voting | The Common Man - KFAN Sports Radio FM 100.3 - The Fan

[bwille]

Preposterous Statement Hall of Fame Voting | The Common Man - KFAN Sports Radio FM 100.3 - The Fan[/url]

 

It would be an honor

[Mike Sixel]

Nope. There is research in the NFL (Not MLB) that coaches fall off after 9-10 years with the same team. There are exceptions, but the rule in the NFL is that eventually it is time to move on. I'd guess that it is the same for MLB. There really is little evidence that the team is doing the little stuff any better this year. I'd think that is one of the things a manager actually has some control over.

 

Let's see how they look after May.

[DaveW]

I personally like Gardy and hope he is around come 2014m but there is zero reason to extend him now, if the Twins are in the hunt in August/Sept, then sure go ahead and toss him another 2 years or something.

 

With that said, if they lose 90+ games I think you have to make a change for the sake of making a change.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Why would the Twins extend him now? Do they think that teams will be beating down the door to snatch him away from the team after the season?

[bwille]

There probably isn't a lot of reason to sign Gardy to an extension now, but the reason I wrote to article was more to point to the reason Gardy should be extended for a few more years regardless of how the team performs this year (even though I have been impressed by their promising start). The title may have indicated that I wanted Gardy to be signed to an extension today--which I wouldn't mind--but I more meant at some point during the season, preferably sooner rather than later. I apologize for the poor wording.

 

Logically, I'd have to agree that an extension is better negotiated and signed later in the season. However, I believe the Twins' should hold off judgment on Gardy until he is given a talented roster to compete with, which should be on its way from our minor leagues. For that reason, I'd say to sign Gardy to an extension, at some point this season (preferably sooner, rather than later just to avoid the headache and possibly to get him at a lesser price), through the 2015 season. That gives him a two year window to show signs of progress with the youth movement that is coming and he won't have the excuses of a depleted roster, due to a poor GM like Bill Smith, to hide behind.

 

This is solely my opinion and I respect everyone else's thoughts about why you shouldn't extend Gardy, but I truly believe he is one of the best managers in baseball and should be shown the confidence that his track record has earned. This means withstanding a few bad years so that we can experience good ones in the years to come.

 

I appreciate all of the feedback! Thanks for taking the time to chime in on your thoughts.

[DaveW]

Why would the Twins extend him now? Do they think that teams will be beating down the door to snatch him away from the team after the season?

 

Actually Gardy would be snatched up pretty quickly, the chatter in NY is that if he is ever let go by the Twins the Mets would bring him in in a heartbeat.

 

People tend to forget that for about 5-6 straight years Gardy was always in the top 5 for manager of the year.

[Boom Boom]

The woeful 2011 Twins went 15-2 from June 2 through 21. I wouldn't get too excited about a 9-8 start.

[Mike Sixel]

Sigh....the lack of young talent the last two years is on Ryan, not on Smith. It takes 3-6 years for a draft pick to make the majors......so, ya, this is not all on Smith.

 

That aside, so if Gardy is not accountable for bad teams playing badly, why is he considered a good manager for when they had good players? I don't get that. Certainly running the bases correctly and throwing to the right guy is something a manager can/should teach. They have not done that well for a couple of years now.

[LaBombo]

Actually Gardy would be snatched up pretty quickly, the chatter in NY is that if he is ever let go by the Twins the Mets would bring him in in a heartbeat.

 

People tend to forget that for about 5-6 straight years Gardy was always in the top 5 for manager of the year.

Nobody is denying that Gardy is immensely popular with the RBI/wins/hustle/get off my lawn fossils that generate the buzz for meaningless crap like "Manage of the Year".

 

But some people look at Gardenhire's profound hatred of statistical analysis, his historical, career-long postseason faceplant, and his disturbing fetishes with useless utility players, third catchers, purposely making outs, batting the team's worst hitter second. etc. And they dare to imagine something better.

 

Also, I think that the prediction that the Mets would snap Gardy up "in a heartbeat" is a fantastic synopsis of who he is as a manager, albeit completely opposite of the way you intended.

[LaBombo]

The woeful 2011 Twins went 15-2 from June 2 through 21. I wouldn't get too excited about a 9-8 start.

And a 9-8 start with the worst run differential in the Central, no less. Better start than the realists dared hope for? Yes. Meaningful indication that the Twins are competitive? No, not yet.

[ThePuck]

Nobody is denying that Gardy is immensely popular with the RBI/wins/hustle/get off my lawn fossils that generate the buzz for meaningless crap like "Manage of the Year".

 

But some people look at Gardenhire's profound hatred of statistical analysis, his historical, career-long postseason faceplant, and his disturbing fetishes with useless utility players, third catchers, purposely making outs, batting the team's worst hitter second. etc. And they dare to imagine something better.

 

Also, I think that the prediction that the Mets would snap Gardy up "in a heartbeat" is a fantastic synopsis of who he is as a manager, albeit completely opposite of the way you intended.

 

Imagine what they media would do to Gardy if he managed a NY team and had his postseason record...

[LaBombo]

Imagine what they media would do to Gardy if he managed a NY team and had his postseason record...

No need to imagine, Hollywood has already done that heavy lifting for us over 30 years ago. Fwiw, I imagine Gardy as The President and Punto as Snake Plissken ('I got ya, Skip!). Twins stat guy Jack Goin is Adrienne Barbeau, because the front office allegedly pays a lot of attention to him, yet nobody has any idea what he said.

http://georgespigot.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/escape-from-new-york-02.jpg

[Mike Sixel]

ESPN has an article today on the managers with one year left on their deal....but no discussion/mention of Gardy....not sure what that says.

 

Man, I love that movie, major guilty pleasure. Or, it was over a decade ago last time I watched it....

[jun]

I am sorry I really don't see why Gardenhire is one of the best managers in baseball. If a manager needs a talented roster to succeed, he is not a good manager. Gardenhire does not work well with young players. Don't blame it all on Bill Smith. I think Gardenhire was the one behind most of the decisions made. Do you think it was Bill Smith who wanted Hardy to go?

[Aaron Cross]

Gardy's lost 12 playoff games in a row. He's lost 19 of his last 21 playoff games. He should have been fired after the 2010 season, regardless of his token MOY award.

[Aaron Cross]

I am sorry I really don't see why Gardenhire is one of the best managers in baseball. If a

 

manager needs a talented roster tosucceed, he is not a good manager. Gardenhire does not work well with young players. Don't blame it all on

Bill Smith. I think Gardenhire was the one behind most of the decisions

made. Do you think it was Bill Smith who wanted Hardy to go?

Smith gets too much of the blame. Ryan had a terrible 2-3 years before handing Smith a huge mess.

[johnnydakota]

Actually Gardy would be snatched up pretty quickly, the chatter in NY is that if he is ever let go by the Twins the Mets would bring him in in a heartbeat.

 

People tend to forget that for about 5-6 straight years Gardy was always in the top 5 for manager of the year.

 

Ron Gardenhire was a very good coach , he has never been more then an ok manager.

He had the most talent in a weak division, and never managed to get us past the 1st round of the playoffs, without checking , didnt we only win 1 game under him in the post season?

 

So far this season i have seen several mismanaged moments, imcluding our last loss,

instead of allowing parm to hit in the 8th facing a lefty , he should have pinch hit for him.

Then wanting some innings for Hernandez , he has Pressly pitch more then 1 inning, and Hernandez only 1. And how did that turn out for pressly?

[DaveW]

Yes, it's Gardy's fault that Torri Hunter forgot how to catch a fly ball and the entire offense besides Cuddyer and Mauer forgot how to swing the bat in the post season.

[TheLeviathan]

Soooooo......Rangers tonight eh?

[Guest USAFChief]

Ron Gardenhire was a very good coach , he has never been more then an ok manager.

He had the most talent in a weak division, and never managed to get us past the 1st round of the playoffs, without checking , didnt we only win 1 game under him in the post season?

 

So far this season i have seen several mismanaged moments, imcluding our last loss,

instead of allowing parm to hit in the 8th facing a lefty , he should have pinch hit for him.

Then wanting some innings for Hernandez , he has Pressly pitch more then 1 inning, and Hernandez only 1. And how did that turn out for pressly?

You should check.

[LaBombo]

Yes, it's Gardy's fault that Torri Hunter forgot how to catch a fly ball and the entire offense besides Cuddyer and Mauer forgot how to swing the bat in the post season.

Ron Gardenhire has won 2 post season games and lost 13 in the past decade, managing two almost entirely different rosters. Play whatever sun/eyes card you want, but at the end of the day, Ronny G is quietly amassing an historic record of futility in the postseason.

 

And if that doesn't get everyone's Cooperstown juices flowing, there's always Gardy's relentless pursuit of the 'most career managerial ejections' mark to get fired up about. Have things not go your way. Throw a tantrum. Get the day off, with pay. As if I needed further proof I'm in the wrong line of work...

[Winston Smith]

Last Twins playoff win was in 2004. Since then the Indians have 6 wins the White Sox 12 with a world series title and Detroit has 20 wins with 2 trips to the series.

Division titles don't mean much if you can't do something with them in the playoffs.

[Aaron Cross]

Last time I referred to his "postseason futility of historic proportions" I was ridiculed in this forum. Evidentally thats a no no around here.

[jun]

He just could not get anyone motivated in the post season. He does not work well with young players. He often publicly criticizes his players. Clearly he is not a good manager.

[johnnydakota]

You should check.

 

Color me stupid , Ron was manager while we won 2 games in the playoffs