Is Minnesota's Refreshed Coaching Staff... Too Fresh?

Adaptability to technology not age is the key.  Does grips, arm slots and mechanics even matter at the mlb level? The technical equipment analysis should be able to spot the deviation in mechanics. We shall see what they do in the minors.

It could work, it could blow up in their face. Time will tell. How instantaneous must the results be for the fans

I met a kid in little

League today. He was pretty bright. Where can I send his application?

What's happening with how this front office is running this team is like big experiment with a lot of theories and attitude of they are smarter than everyone else. the one thing baseball teaches is still a game with a lot of variables and more you try to out think it more it comes back and bites you in know what. They may still win but I am afraid we could see also epic failure by this organization setting it back years.  I wonder what it has done with these young talents we have is it why were seeing regression in so many of these players.Are They are overloading them with information and making game so complicated that has effected their play.

I keep thinking were still going to start winning with this group of players because they have won all the way up in minors but I am getting to wonder if that's going to happen. Glenn Perkins when interviewed at press conference talked of the talent of this team and talent down in minors how Terry Ryan had drafted a lot of talent before he had been let go that should make this club a winner. So again I was getting to feel maybe were going to turn the corner and then I see this front office and moves they keep making and I get feeling were not going to make it.  Like I say this front office talks a better game than they actually play as managers of this organization and they have luxury of saying all faults were on previous regime but I think that theme is running out now it on them to show some results. 

Let me think about this a moment.  Is Kyle Gibson the most senior player on the roster?  And is Rosario most senior of every day players?  Or is it Grossman?

Best get those two signed up so they are around for awhile.

As for these two hires, will tell you in July what I think.

That whole Pressly thing maybe galvanized Falvey.  Lots of churn.  Every case is unique, but my preference would be for them to find a way to keep and value experience.

The Norstetter deal is troubling, for someone who is on the cusp of being halfway to 60 (from 30, that is).  Why not just let him do his thing?  

I just saw there is a Monopoly for Millenials.  I assume property is just impossible to buy, so you just go round and round in circles paying rent.  Instead of jail, it is probably Your Parents Basement.  

My father-in-law, who was a minor league ump for years in the 60s and 70s, and a STH since '88. Who sounds like Bert, Jack Morris, and John Smoltz when it comes to the modern game will surely hate this hire. Just like he hated the Rocco hire, and every move Falvey-Levine have made. 

like Chief said in both threads: They certainly are certainly going all in with their philosophy for the team. I hope it works out. 

Unfortunately, I see disaster looming on the horizon.

Baseball is still played by the people on the field. Putting people in a position to succeed or fail based on analytics is to completely ignore the real time "eyeball test" a manager needs in order to succeed.

Analytic trends are all well and good, in the course of a season, but it's very possible to lose a game using analytics rather than astute assessment of what's happening on the field in real time.

At this point, it is still time for positivity and the outlook that a fresh beginning is awesome. The old Twins Way hadn't really worked for 25+ years. Gardy's clubs had some great players and division titles, yet only one ALCS and no WS appearances.

IMO, the FO picked this group for the long term. They aren't writing off 2019 but it's not their priority. This is the year to find out if:

• Sano and Buxton can develop into everyday, above-average players; and
• The new coaches can help the young starters reach their full potential  (Romero, Stewart, Mejia, Gonsalves, Littell, DeJong).

By the end of next season, the FO will know if they're shooting for 2020 or 2022 to compete in (not just make) the playoffs.

OTOH, I don't expect the FO is going to sign a bunch of 30+ yr old FA this year to play for this young management team. Just the opposite - I'm curious how long they keep Gibson, Odo, Castro and Pineda. I hope they sign Gibson. If they don't, they need to trade him before the season. The others will probably go depending on health and how the team plays in the first half. 

Analytics is one thing, but as a coach it also comes down to working with egos, motivation and communication. All of these young guys come with great respect, so I will wait to pass judgement.

I, too, have been divided on the FO's acumen.  With a glut of well-regarded pitching coaches on the market last year, the wonder boys reached way down and picked Alston, who seemed to be treading water in his coaching career with no sign of progressive advancement.  It seemed like sheer hubris to me that they bypassed someone like Mike Maddox for an untested guy like Alston.  The fact he lasted only one year somewhat seems like a FO concession to a mistake.

Now they go totally outside the box and select a college pitching coach without any prior MLB experience. Is this another sign of Falvey being too smart for his own good again?  Strangely enough, I sort of like this pick.  It shows a real willingness to roll the dice and go with someone brand new with perhaps a refreshing new outlook that might change the long term failures in the organization.  Here's hoping they drew the brass ring on this one, because if not, you can pretty much kiss Falvey and his five year plan goodbye.  But sometimes, a big risk can pay off.  In this case, we'll just have to wait and see.

But there is one caveat here.  The FO must give the new manager and coaches more to work with in 2019.  The needs in the bullpen are glaringly obvious:  at least two veteran  late inning relievers are a must.  With plenty of payroll space and a strong FA class, there is simply no excuse available if they don't fill these holes.

And while the rotation seems to have stabilized with the emergence of Berrios and Gibson, there is no way theTwins can legitimately compete in 2019 without adding at least one "ace" to this staff.  While FA starters(Corbin, Keuchel) are out of the Twins' payroll reach, there are some trade candidates who are available, including Greinke, Baumgartner(maybe) and perhaps either Wheeler or Matz from the Mets.  Assuming the Twins agressively go after at least 2-3 offensive improvements in FA, they should have surplus to pull off such a trade with Sano or Kepler being likely trade bait, along with our strong minor league prospect list.

Yes, there is still the possibility the FO has already decided to sit back and wait for Sano and Buxton to establish themselves(or not) in 2019, but if so, they are greatly lessening the chance for success by the new manager and coaches.

Analytics, a fresh approach, not being bogged down by years doing things a certain way can pay off big and provide a new direction. Communication skills are important regardless if age. Like everyone else, we can only wait and see how this approach works.

I do like the out of box thinking.

But there absolutely is a place for experience and veteran leadership and previous knowledge. I agree with Thrylos that the to be named 1B and 3B coaches could be interesting. I do hope there is a little bit if experience there as Shelton shouldn't be the only veteran guy on staff, IMO.

Pulling a coach from the college ranks is unprecedented and risky. I'm glad they are thinking outside the box, but this is like making an intern a VP. Very risky.

I'm excited about these hires and am anxious to see how Falvey, Levine and Rocco fill out the rest of the staff. It's refreshing to see the Twins making an effort to be innovative for a change after years of lagging behind most of the rest of the league. Johnson and Hefner sound like sharp minds, good communicators and both come with unique experience that could provide a real advantage to the Twins pitching staff. Maybe I'm wrong but to me it seems like there's a lot of potential upside in these hires and not a lot of downside. No matter who the coach is and what approach they take they aren't the ones who have to go out and execute. 

I like the hire for one specific reason. If I'm a young MLB pitcher, I would rather have a pitching coach who can back up the modifications he suggests to me with sound reasoning rather than the usual "because I said so" mentality that appears to be the norm. I did not know that over 240 muscles are involved when throwing a baseball but that sort of expertise would make it easier to accept changes. And his track record seems to back up his approach. Let's hope it works out.

So far this has not been inspiring.  As one of the old guys I am not thrilled by what I have seen, but more than these pitching geniuses I am confused with the rehire of the batting gurus.  Our pitching staff started to round out except in the bullpen, but our stud prospects continue to flail at the dust left behind by the fastballs they miss, yet we throw out the pitching coaches and keep the batting coaches.

This FO has bewildered me since they first came on. 

This is an interesting set of hires.  I do think the main issue here is can they communicate and teach.  Players are getting younger (as they will with the steroid era over).  Most major league players will be done between age 32 and age 34.  You will be dealing with younger players and need to teach them at the major league level to survive.  This is what bothered me the last 10 -15 years with the Twins, other clubs would have their top prospects come up and succeed very quickly, the Twins top prospects would struggle for a few years before putting it together (if they did).  So maybe the analysis was to blow the whole thing up.  We shall see, but this will take another 2 - 4 years to have measurable results.

Let's all remember that the people who actually *play* baseball are very young, and getting younger all the time. Mauer just retired at the age of 35. Twenty-something world-class athletes have very different attitudes about the history of baseball than crusty fans.

This to me is like the "new math".  Every 5 years or so, school systems across the country have read the latest book and decide on a math shake-up that will make all the kids love and learn math.  It never works and they go back to actually memorized math tables.  Rinse and repeat.

That is similar to the Twins situation.  They are trying something new and gambling that it works.  All the latest trends are statistic-based analytics.  That being said I think it is trending too far in that direction.  You still need some of the old methods.  There needs to be a nice mix!

I’m definely excited by the Wes Johnson hire but slightly nervous that the players won’t respect him. I like the outside the box thinking though.

Fal-vine were brought in to bring fresh ideas - they've dusted off the moldy old cupboards and brought in something fresh. Some of us wanted management that could relate to younger players, and I expect that will happen. 

I appreciate the consistency of their actions now they have been given free reign.