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I'm generally not one to buy into the oft-exaggerated impact of pitching and hitting coaches, nor one to advocate for someone's dismissal after such a short time on his position. But the Twins took a gamble when they hired Allen two years ago, giving their rookie manager a pitching coach with no major-league experience, and it sure looks like they got it wrong.
Each hurler is responsible for his own performance, of course, but the constant team-wide pitching struggles this year were striking. One after another, players marched to the mound with seemingly no plan. Effective adjustments were rarely seen.
In particular, younger pitchers appeared totally unequipped for the task of retiring big-league hitters. Tyler Duffey posted the third-worst ERA ever for a Twin with 25-plus starts. Jose Berrios pitched past the fifth inning only three times in 14 tries. These guys far are more capable than their inflated numbers show, and the same can be said for too many members of Minnesota's staff.
Kyle Gibson's WHIP would've ranked as second-worst in the majors if he qualified, after he was the best starter on the 2015 staff. Ricky Nolasco went to the Angels at the deadline and posted a 3.21 ERA over 11 starts thereafter, directly crediting his new pitching coach for his improvement. Alex Meyer, similarly, has looked vastly better since switching clubs.
Allen came in with a reputation for expertise with teaching the changeup. No Twins pitcher has noticeably improved that pitch. He was purported to have a bulldog mentality, and spoke about the importance of throwing inside and backing hitters off the plate. His pitchers evidently didn't internalize such a mentality, because they were continually out over the plate, and allowed the second-most home runs in franchise history.
I don't really hold Allen's suspension, stemming from a DWI charge in late May, against him. People make mistakes and he handled it the right way. It doesn't help his case that he was gone for six weeks in the middle of the season, but what's more problematic is that there was no evidence of positive influence when he was on the job.
The tasks looming ahead of the Twins, when it comes to turning around this historically bad pitching unit, are immense. Helping Berrios find the strike zone is the highest priority. Once top prospect Stephen Gonsalves graduates he may face the same challenge. Getting Duffey and Gibson back on track is vital. When Phil Hughes and Glen Perkins return from shoulder surgery rehab, they will need significant guidance because they may be forced to reinvent themselves in order to succeed. And the bullpen is filled with projects.
It's tough to believe that Allen is the one to take on these critical imperatives. Whatever his methods, they aren't resonating and too many pitchers are underperforming. One of the primary objectives for Derek Falvey in his first offseason at the helm will be to identify a replacement pitching coach.
I believe he would be wise to seek someone with more experience, and a track record of helping pitchers figure it out in the big leagues. A complete roster overhaul is not realistic so the Twins need to find someone who can get more out of the existing assets. It goes without saying that the results this year were beyond unacceptable.
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