Twins Manager Paul Molitor Fired

Wally Backman.

The worse the season is going the more entertaining it will be.

We'll be praying for losses just to see some meltdowns.

Can we gut our minor league system as well? 

That process has already been underway for a while. Hence Mientkiewicz leaving the organization.

Ozzie Guillen, Doug Mientkiewicz, or Tommy Watkins would be in my mix of possibilities.

I might consider one of those three.

The handwriting for this was on the wall from the beginning of the Falvine era. It's highly likely that without Pohlads edict Molitor would have been part of the Falvine regime, ever. That said, I am not unhappy to see him gone. I realize the general consensus is that managers don't win games. But I do believe they lose them. His "it's always the 7th game of the WS" style of managing is not compatible with a 162 game schedule, not is his reliance on approximately half of a bullpen. I know the bottom half of the pen isn't always top flight MLB pitchers, but the managers job is to use those in low leverage, and lost cause situations. His bunting, early in games with a mediocre pitching staff that won't hold up to one run was infuriating. There can be some argument made that he mellowed and modified as to analytics and shifts, so in the eyes of the FO he should have gotten some cred there. But I think the bottom line is he wasn't their guy, he was forced on them, and the MOY award simply extended his tenure a year, and his bank account by two more. Falvine can and will now sink or swim with their own guy. I hope they swim, I am sorely tired of sinking!

As a person who spoke against the FO and not against Molitor I am not surprised, not does it please me.  What I want is a true evaluation of all the coaches that were brought in - for example, what exactly did Pickler contribute?  I also want an examination of the Front office moves - Molitor did not bring in Bobby Wilson or trade him for Giminez, Molitor did not sign Belisle, Molitor did not sign Morrison or Lynn or Reed or Duke...but he had to use them.  Was it Molitor of the FO that brought back an injured Buxton and then refused Buxton a September show case?  Who made the decision for putting Sano in RF?  Who signed LaMarre and Field?  Who constructed the 40 man roster?  Who coached the pitchers?  Who was hired to coach pitchers, bullpen, sat as bench coach and yet said nothing if Molitor over used a BP pitcher?  

Managers get fired, that is part of their job description, but I want the Twins to succeed and I want them to do so with leadership from FO/Coaches/manager and I would like a well constructed roster.

I am not interested in simply moving people out so that we can get former Indian coaches.  Good luck Molitor I know this really won't hurt you and I am not saying these things to defend the managing performance, but because I see an awful lot wrong and I have watched managers as scapegoats for too many decades.

Mud Hens manager Doug Mientkiewicz said flatly he does not think terms such as ‘spin rate’ or ‘launch angle’ have much use in the day-to-day work he does with his players.
“Those terms, for me, are for people who may not see it with their own eyes,” he said. “We try to teach the same things, no matter what the terms are. I’ve never seen a ‘spin rate’ get someone out or a ‘launch angle’ get a base hit.”
Do not misunderstand, Mientkiewicz cautioned: He knows there is value in the new analytics.
“For me, it helps in evaluating free agents and finding players,” he said. “Everything has a place.
“But to me, you have to trust people who can see things with their own eyes.”

Hard pass...

Not that hard for me.  More like "Reads name at the top of resume.....laughs hilariously"

When I said hard pass I meant it like this:  An unequivocal rejection with no possibility of a later change of mind.  Or, you know, absolutely not :-)

The FO already made a decision on Mientkiewicz. That has zero chance of happening, IMO.

This.
People seem to forget they fired Doug Mientkiewicz already.

Trying hard to think of something Paul did that I thought there you go he has it. It seemed like this lineup makeup often left me sratching my head. He overworked the bullpen and it showed. He really lost me this year when he finally showed some emotion on the day they were eliminated.

If last year was his best 85 wins is not a great year by most standards. When you play in the Central with some really bad teams this team has to be better. 

Now will the next guy be better? Only if they get some better players because this group is mediocre at best and that, at least, wasn't Paul's fault.

Well,we all thought Dougie Baseball should've been the pick before, or in the mix later. He's gone, as is Jake Mauer, who left baseball for greener pastures. Tommy Watkins still endures.

But I think the choice is obviously there: Joel Skinner, who was hired to manage at AAA Rochester for 2018 and has ties to the front office giants.

Who ends up coaching? That will be interesting, to see who were picks of the front office, or picks of the front office in consultation with the former manager.

Paul still has two lucrative seasons and hopefully the Twins will continue to use his abilities to further the organization, except not on the field. Or he may just sit, like Gardy.

I'm sure he wouldn't have been renewed except for winning the MOY in 2017.

Here's hoping this FO can figure out a way to give the next manager an actual competitive roster so that manager can actually have a team that's talented enough to compete. If not, the next manager will be gone in a couple years as well.

What the Twins need at this point in time is a young (relatively speaking) manager, who relates well to young players, but isn't afraid to get in their face when they keep making the same mistakes over and over and who has a track record (credibility) as both a manager and as a professional ball player. Some guy who can light fires when they need lighting and douse flames when they don't. A big plus? Well known in Minnesota.

I see three options; Dougie, D Hocking and Jesus Christ.

The big question; who will come down from the Mount? Uh, I mean mound.

Agreed. Too much sloppy play both on the field and the base paths. The manager who did neither of those things while a player, didn't seem to be able to translate that information to his players. It's not the only reason, but it's definitely a big one, in my opinion.

 

Maybe he'd have been a good manager for the Twins in 2008-2010, but not with who the Twins are today.

Great points.  It kind of reminds me of this anecdote...The best sales people usually make the worst sales managers.  I bet ball players are the same way. No Pete Rose pun intended.

Ray Miller anyone?