Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account
  • Marwin: Still Here, Still Good


    Cody Pirkl

    Marwin Gonzalez made mistakes in 2017, as many Astros players did. Fans are rightfully angry with his actions that led to a career season at the plate. While some fans have made it known that they’d like to have seen the last of Marwin in Minnesota, that move would be a mistake. His career year may have been a mirage, but Marwin Gonzalez has a lot to offer this Twins team.

    Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

    Twins Video

    Some uneasiness with Marwin Gonzalez lies in his contract. Some believe that the 2 year $21m the Twins gave Marwin were ill-gotten gains. He was coming off a season where he was worth 1.5 fWAR. His offense was slightly above average as he put up a triple slash of .247/.324/.409, good for a 103 wRC+. A far cry from his career year in 2017 in which he was 44% above league average.

    Fangraphs calculated the cost per WAR on the 2018 free agent market. At $6.8m per win, Marwin does look like a slight overpay just by looking at his numbers. However, a lot of Marwin’s value lies in the role he plays. The Twins brought him in without planning on giving him a starting job on opening day before Sano’s injury. They waited out free agency and snagged the best super utility player in baseball, a value that goes beyond numbers. If the Twins were paying Marwin for his 2017, that 4.0 fWAR would have been compensated much more handsomely. He would have had a starting spot from the day he was signed if the Twins believed he was that 2017 player. The fact of the matter is, the market identified Marwin’s 2017 as an outlier. The Twins weren’t fooled into offering this contract.

    In terms of performance, Marwin’s versatility is his main draw, as previously mentioned. Sano’s injury to begin the year made use of Marwin’s flexibility as he immediately slotted to fill in at third base. In addition, he played some first base in C.J. Cron’s absence, as well as the corner outfield spots, periodically spelling Rosario and Kepler as nagging injuries piled up. The nice thing about Marwin is that even with all of the spots he plays, he’s not just a body manning a position. At 1B he’s worth -2 defensive runs saved, at 3B he’s worth 4 DRS, and he’s a very strong outfielder with 7 DRS.

    https://twitter.com/CodyPirkl/status/1233376609975111681

    It was a down year for Marwin on offense in 2019 with a 93 wRC+. He suffered through a miserable start to the season with a 33 wRC+ in March and April. He’s traditionally a slow starter with a career wRC+ of 85 over the first month of the season. He also was late to spring training in 2019 due to the late signing which can throw off a player’s preparation for the season.

    Marwin also had a 66 wRC+ in September which helped weigh down his offensive stats. To end the year, he was recovering from an oblique injury and was likely rushed back to fill in for the several other Twins injuries. He had a triple slash of .264/.322/.414, good for a 93 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR. That’s an admirable line for a 10th man on a roster, but normal routine and good health may lead to improvement for Marwin in 2020.

    It was also an odd year for Marwin in the sense that he actually made improvements to his game. He had a career best hard hit %, average exit velocity, and highest launch angle, all better than his career year in 2017 where he allegedly knew which pitches were coming. Despite all of this, he put up his worst offensive numbers since 2016. If he can repeat these trends, I’d expect him to wind up with some much better looking offensive numbers to pair with the value he provides on defense.

    You don’t have to buy his jersey, but Marwin Gonzalez is still going to play a big role for the Twins in 2020. His apology may not be enough for some fans, but there has yet to be any proof of it being an issue in the clubhouse which now includes two players directly victimized by the actions of the 2017 Astros. Even in a down year in 2019, he was valuable beyond measure for the Twins. He’s poised to add more value to this talented roster with even a slight rebound. While Marwin Gonzalez will always be linked to 2017, don’t let his past keep you from recognizing his contributions in the present.

    MORE FROM TWINS DAILY

    — Latest Twins coverage from our writers

    — Recent Twins discussion in our forums

    — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

    — Follow Cody Pirkl on Twitter here

    MORE FROM TWINS DAILY
    — Latest Twins coverage from our writers
    — Recent Twins discussion in our forums
    — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email
    — Become a Twins Daily Caretaker

     Share

     Share


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Featured Comments

     

    How is Gonzalez necessary to win a ring?  I get that he has 10.5 left on his contract this year and we aren't going to just throw it away, but I know I would.  His game is no better than Adrianza's and I think it is important to send a message to all Twins players that this bullsh*t is not tolerated here.

     

    Not sure how or why that is a crazy notion.  Tell him he can keep his check and just leave.

     

    What message is this sending? That's the Twins are willing to throw away money and talent because of something done by the player in the past?  The league did not come down on them, why would the Twins purposefully put themselves in a harder position?  Gonzalez would get to keep 100% of his salary anyways. It seems the only ones getting hurt here are the Twins and their fans, what point is that sending?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

     

    What message is this sending? That's the Twins are willing to throw away money and talent because of something done by the player in the past?  The league did not come down on them, why would the Twins purposefully put themselves in a harder position?  Gonzalez would get to keep 100% of his salary anyways. It seems the only ones getting hurt here are the Twins and their fans, what point is that sending?

    I am saying what I would do.  It would send the message:  YOU ARE NOT WELCOME in my clubhouse.

     

    Is it harsh?  Maybe it is.

     

     

    Then again, I am not trying to convince you or anyone to endorse what I have said.

    Are we OK still?  I hope so, because I kind of enjoy your posts (sometimes)

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Am I being too judgmental?

    maybe a little. I mean this is a big deal and I’m mad at him too, but jeez... if you’re gonna ban everyone who breaks the rules of a competitive sport, your gonna run out of players.

     

    I bet there was some difficult conversations in that clubhouse. But when they’re done ya gotta move on (from a clubhouse/player perspective)

     

    That’s not to say I’d extend Marwin. I wouldn’t. Poor judgement plus declining play is not a recipe for extension. As players like Gordon or Blankenhorn start to push for big league playing time, it’ll be at the expense of Marwin. But I wouldn’t eat the last year of his contract out of spite.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Integrity Of The Game. He and the rest of his on the field cheating participants suffered no consequences other than rightful public scorn. Until he and his coconspirators suffer some baseball related consequences none of those guys deserve the privilege of being on a major league field.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

     

    Integrity Of The Game. He and the rest of his on the field cheating participants suffered no consequences other than rightful public scorn. Until he and his coconspirators suffer some baseball related consequences none of those guys deserve the privilege of being on a major league field.

    Agreed.  What I do not understand is that some feel criticism (such as what I presented here) should be curbed.  How is that?   

     

    People who are coming from that angle are essentially saying players deserve no criticism.  At all....because it is too speculative and too judgmental.  To hit back at criticism in this case?  Honestly.  Get over it and let people rip these a-holes

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

     

    maybe a little. I mean this is a big deal and I’m mad at him too, but jeez... if you’re gonna ban everyone who breaks the rules of a competitive sport, your gonna run out of players.

    I bet there was some difficult conversations in that clubhouse. But when they’re done ya gotta move on (from a clubhouse/player perspective)
     

     

    I am not looking at it from a player perspective.  Why would anyone here look at this issue from that perspective?  If you want to go there then I would submit to you that a great number of players are pretty ornery over this.

     

    And PLEASE.  Don't classify this in the same group as Joe Niekro filing down baseballs or individuals operating on their own.  The logic and reasoning applied in this case isn't a one size fits all thing.  Just as in law distinctions are made between different circumstances.  You cannot disprove logic by superimposing it over multiple circumstances where the logic doesn't work.  IN this case there were so many layers to the cheating, so many people attached to the team were complicit in this.  When you say something like, "if you’re gonna ban everyone who breaks the rules" you are really dumbing this down.  Honestly you are.

     

    This all boils down to the fact that these players were not punished.  There is an assumption that it cannot be proven who was and was not involved.  I call BS on that one.  Baseball simply doesn't want to sink a franchise so they've swept it under the rug.  

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I am not looking at it from a player perspective. Why would anyone here look at this issue from that perspective? If you want to go there then I would submit to you that a great number of players are pretty ornery over this.

     

    And PLEASE. Don't classify this in the same group as Joe Niekro filing down baseballs or individuals operating on their own. The logic and reasoning applied in this case isn't a one size fits all thing. Just as in law distinctions are made between different circumstances. You cannot disprove logic by superimposing it over multiple circumstances where the logic doesn't work. IN this case there were so many layers to the cheating, so many people attached to the team were complicit in this. When you say something like, "if you’re gonna ban everyone who breaks the rules" you are really dumbing this down. Honestly you are.

     

    This all boils down to the fact that these players were not punished. There is an assumption that it cannot be proven who was and was not involved. I call BS on that one. Baseball simply doesn't want to sink a franchise so they've swept it under the rug.

    how often do you hear of the underling or book keeper getting a slap on the wrist so that they will provide information that convicts the mafia crime boss? At least I see it in the movies... there’s gotta be something there.

     

    Look, if you want to adjudicate this as a fan, stop buying tickets. Stop clicking web pages. Separate yourself from Major League Baseball.

     

    I’m not happy about what happened with the team. The MLB should have blown that up. The players were absolutely complicit in that, but “took the plea deal”. It’s not the players fault that the jury was rigged.

     

    I’m willing to give MLB another shot, even with the stain.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

     

    .

    Look, if you want to adjudicate this as a fan, stop buying tickets. Stop clicking web pages. Separate yourself from Major League Baseball.

    .

    Why are you telling me what I should do? I am not going to stop watching baseball because the Astros cheated.  You make no sense.

     

    I will say, I did stop watching baseball for almost five years after the strike.  If something like that happens again then perhaps I will, but why in the world would I allow the Astros scandal make me stop watching?

     

    This is about the Astros not being punished for me.  And if players want to administer their own form of punishment, I probably will be behind it for a little while.  And I might even get a little enjoyment out of some of it, as sinister as that sounds.

     

    Baseball is not real life to me.  I have a family, a profession and a life.  Baseball is a show to me and with the money these guys make and with how insulated their worlds are I am going to shred players in the occasional rant.  Do you feel the need to close all of that down?

     

    You are no fun

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites




    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...