Tom Brunansky Retained as Twins Hitting Coach

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins have named the first member of Paul Molitor's coaching staff. It's an incumbent and an easy choice: http://www.startribune.com/blogs/78693392.html

 

Not much to quibble with here. Offense was the team's biggest strength this year, with several young hitters succeeding under Bruno's tutelage. There's a good chance that he'll be the only member of the 2014 coaching staff brought back in the same position.

 

Thoughts?

 

[Musk21]

Good move, glad that Bruno will be returning!

 

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Tom_Brunansky_will_be_the_Twins_hitting_coach_next_season110614

[JB_Iowa]

Not a surprise and well-deserved.

 

Intrigued about other staffing still to be announced.

[Squirrel]

Good, but what I was expecting (hoping).

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Didn't see much of a need to make a change here, even though they will be hiring some new faces, having some consistency carry over from last year should be helpful.

 

Does Bruno get credit for Suzuki's great year?

 

Will Bruno be in hot water if Arcia and Hicks can't turn it around, or if there's noticeable regression from Santana, Vargas, Suzuki, etc?

[nicksaviking]

 There's a good chance that he'll be the only member of the 2014 coaching staff brought back in the same position.

 

Thoughts?

 

I have no reason to expect it, but my money is on Cuellar staying as the BP coach.  The offensive players get to keep a familiar face, maybe the pitchers get to keep one too.

[Trautmann13]

Very happy they were able to bring him back

[Brock Beauchamp]

The right decision.

[Mike Sixel]

Not a surprise to me.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Good decision.  I'll be a bit disappointed though if Cuellar isn't brought back.

[tobi0040]

Good decision.  I'll be a bit disappointed though if Cuellar isn't brought back.

 

I don't know. We were only 5th in runs with a great lineup.  I am totally kidding.  Great move.  Paul is 2 for 2 as far as I am concerned....this and Santana at SS.

[Brandon]

I don't see why Steinbach wouldn't be brought back.  I don't think he was the problem either.  He was 6-1 when Gardy was ejected or missed games last year wasn't he. I don't know enough about Vavra either.  Vavra was an ok hitting coach before Brunansky came on board.  I don't get to watch the games so I don't know how he is as a 3rd base or 1rst base coach.  Though I don't hear the complaining I did when Ulger messed up a play consistently.  Cueller is a good guy to bring back definitely I would bring him back.  He teaches the circle change. 

 

So in short if it was me making the decision:

Cueller = bring back

Steinbach = probably bring back

Vavra = maybe

 

I'd probably let the others go. Ulger and Anderson

[Otto von Ballpark]

Was initially concerned about our huge jump in K's in 2013, but he did at least follow it up with a pretty big jump in runs scored in 2014, so I am fine with another year of Bruno.  I would definitely re-evaluate next winter, though.

[Seth Stohs]

Good decision. I think everything was pointing that direction, and in my mind, it's the right choice.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Interesting sentence from this link:

 

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/With_hitting_coach_hired_rest_of_staff_remains_undecided_Ryan_says110614

 

"It's believed that Brunansky will be the only coach retained from Gardenhire's staff."

[gunnarthor]

Was initially concerned about our huge jump in K's in 2013, but he did at least follow it up with a pretty big jump in runs scored in 2014, so I am fine with another year of Bruno.  I would definitely re-evaluate next winter, though.

This.  The strike outs are an issue and a few players had good halves but not full seasons.  But I think Bruno certainly deserves more time.

[Winston Smith]

After getting over the initial disappointment of Scott Ullger not being named the new manager I think I'll be ok with this until the first loss anyway! 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I don't know. We were only 5th in runs with a great lineup.  I am totally kidding.  Great move.  Paul is 2 for 2 as far as I am concerned....this and Santana at SS.

Did Molitor make a statement about Santana? How'd I miss that?

[tobi0040]

Did Molitor make a statement about Santana? How'd I miss that?

 

My friend told me, I think Paul said it in the Q and A portion of the press conference.

[jharaldson]

Interesting sentence from this link:

 

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/With_hitting_coach_hired_rest_of_staff_remains_undecided_Ryan_says110614

 

"It's believed that Brunansky will be the only coach retained from Gardenhire's staff."

 

I don't buy this.  I would put money on either Cuellar or Steinbach being back in some capacity next season.

[ashbury]

I don't buy this.  I would put money on either Cuellar or Steinbach being back in some capacity next season.

Here's a reason to believe it.  "So once we got Paul in the manager's chair there, we sat down and started discussing staff and we both agreed that we'd like to have Tom back."  Unless Cuellar or Steinbach gets their invitation soon, it'll be a left-handed compliment to eventually get one.  Steiny in particular should have options elsewhere if he chooses, and IMO he may soon take one.

[jharaldson]

Here's a reason to believe it.  "So once we got Paul in the manager's chair there, we sat down and started discussing staff and we both agreed that we'd like to have Tom back."  Unless Cuellar or Steinbach gets their invitation soon, it'll be a left-handed compliment to eventually get one.  Steiny in particular should have options elsewhere if he chooses, and IMO he may soon take one.

 

I would agree that Bruno was the "no-brainer" choice to bring back but I would think that Steinback and Cuellar would take an extended search for their jobs the same way Molitor took an extended search for his job.  If Molitor was able to accept a 5 week delay then Cuellar and Steinbach should be able to as well.  

 

Personal Prediction:

 

Pitching Coach - Cuellar

Bench Coach - Glynn

[Steven Buhr]

I take Ryan's comments to mean that he and Molitor did not immediately agree that any other holdover coach sould be retained in thir current position. Doesn't necessarly preclude others from eventually being brought back in a different role.

[Monkeypaws]

Glad to have Bruno back.

[nicksaviking]

I would agree that Bruno was the "no-brainer" choice to bring back but I would think that Steinback and Cuellar would take an extended search for their jobs the same way Molitor took an extended search for his job.  If Molitor was able to accept a 5 week delay then Cuellar and Steinbach should be able to as well.  

 

Personal Prediction:

 

Pitching Coach - Cuellar

Bench Coach - Glynn

 

I guess I'm not putting my money on Cuellar getting a promtion, I'd think pitching coach is the most likely position to be filled from outside the organization considering there probably isn't a soul in the club that wouldn't acknowledge pitching at the MLB level for this club has been disappointing for nearly a decade.  However I still think Cuellar stays in the bullpen.

 

I also don't think a faiure to bring back Steinbach is a reflection on him so much as the team may look to use the bench coach job to retain/reward a guy like Glynn, hire a protege for Molitor, or perhaps plug in a stat-head specialist.

[tobi0040]

I would agree that Bruno was the "no-brainer" choice to bring back but I would think that Steinback and Cuellar would take an extended search for their jobs the same way Molitor took an extended search for his job.  If Molitor was able to accept a 5 week delay then Cuellar and Steinbach should be able to as well.  

 

Personal Prediction:

 

Pitching Coach - Cuellar

Bench Coach - Glynn

 

You may be right, but I would question the strategy.  90 losses four years in a row and we basically respond by keeping the GM,  firing one guy and promoting a bunch of other people within the system.

 

Some sort of outside perspective would be nice. My preference would be a pitching coach.

[jokin]

This.  The strike outs are an issue and a few players had good halves but not full seasons.  But I think Bruno certainly deserves more time.

 

As previously noted, the Twins K% improved nicely year-over-year in 2014 and more significantly, the BB%,, plus the OBP%, improved dramatically.  My suspicion is that the Bruno-Molitor collaborative effort reached a very effective level of synchrony, making it a on-the-same-page no-brainer for Molitor's first hire.  Kudos and congratulations, but I'm thinking (and hoping) that this is the first and last retention.

 

Here's the money quote from the Wetmore article about Molly and Bruno's working relationship:

 

 

Terry Ryan:  "But in this case - and Brunansky put it correctly that whoever the manager was going to be was going to have to have a lot of input on who the hitting coach was going to be.

                                                                                                                                                                So once we got Paul in the manager's chair there, we sat down and started discussing staff and we both agreed that we'd like to have Tom back."

[pierre75275]

I think Terry S will be back as well. I wonder if Bruno will put in a good work for his friend Viola as pitching coach? I hope Bert B, Frank V or Jack Morris is the next pitching coach. I would love Doug M(ajhdihapohgaafhajdpvich) as first base coach or third base coach as well. I think Bert would be my favorite for pitching coach simply because of the job he did with the Dutch national teams in the world tournaments.

[Coreygoeltl]

Not much of a surprise there, he was good last year and helped some of the younger guys hit in the bigs

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Congrats to Bruno he earned it.

 

Interesting sentence from this link:

 

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/With_hitting_coach_hired_rest_of_staff_remains_undecided_Ryan_says110614

 

"It's believed that Brunansky will be the only coach retained from Gardenhire's staff."

 

Believed by whom?

 

I wish Wetmore would at least add the meaningless "according to a source" at the end of it!