Tag: Paul Molitor

Twins all-opponent team DH

DH – Edgar Martinez – What? Not who you thought? You probably forget about this All-Star third baseman turned DH but this man was a hitting machine. Martinez started his career at the hot corner in 1987 but didn’t get a full-time gig until 1990 when he was 27. In 1995 he became a full-time DH after numerous injuries kept him from playing full-time. During his 18 year big league career he won two batting titles, five Silver Slugger awards and was a seven time All-Star.

He appeared in 2,055 games and had a career average of .312 and an OPS of .933. Martinez had 2,247 career hits and 514 of them were doubles and 309 were of the long ball variety.

Edgar found hitting against the Twins to his liking, in 436 PA’s he hit .353 with an OPS of 1.044 with 27 doubles, 25 home runs and 78 RBI and he crossed the plate 80 times. He also walked 58 times and struck out just 60 times. Twins managers had him walked intentionally eight times, more often than any other DH.

My runner-up for DH has to be David Ortiz but there have been numerous other great DH that have beat up on Minnesota over the years like Hal McRae, Harold Baines, Travis Hafner, Frank Thomas, Don Baylor, Victor Martinez, Billy Butler, Jim Thome, Mike Sweeney and of course we can’t leave Paul Molitor off this list. Are you sure that baseball is better without a DH?

 

Our previous selections for the Twins all-opponent team

Catcher – Ivan Rodriguez

First Baseman – Paul Konerko

Second Baseman – Lou Whitaker

Third Baseman – Wade Boggs

Shortstop – Cal Ripken

Left Field – Jim Rice

Center Field – Fred Lynn

Right Field – Magglio Ordonez

Will Paul Molitor be managing the Twins next year?

It has been a heck of a year for the Minnesota Twins organization as they bounced back from a 59-103 season in 2016 to a 83-76 season todate and became the first team in MLB history to make the play-offs after losing 100 or more games.

No one saw this coming, if they said they did they are BSing you. I though they would improve to an 80-82 mark and I thought that was optimistic on my part. The team has had a heck of a season but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

The guys at the top, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine with a few minor exceptions have sat back, watched, and learned in their first year at the helm of the good ship Minnesota Twins. Yes, they did make some trades at the deadline that indicated the Twins were out of playoff contention but maybe that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it seemed to rally the team and gave them a “we will show them” attitude.

Manager Paul Molitor found himself in a strange situation as he had just finished year two of a three-year deal when Falvey and Levine came on board with an edict from owner Jim Pohlad that Molitor stays as the Twins manager in 2017. I don’t think it was that big a deal for Falvey or Levine to have Molitor stay around for one more season as it appears that they had planned to sit back and watch in 2017 plus they had some don’t raid their previous organizations for one year stipulations they were abiding by. They sure weren’t expecting the Twins to make the playoffs in 2017 so they had to figure they could dump Molitor when the 2017 season ended with no problem. 

But now with the Twins heading for the playoffs and expectations even higher for the future, the pressure is going to be on Falvey and Levine to bring Paul Molitor back, after all, how do you fire a manager that took your team from 103 losses to the playoffs? A lot I think depends on the relationship that Falvey and Levine have with Molitor and I am not in a position to know how good or bad that relationship really is. But like everyone else, I have an opinion, and from where I stand, it seems that relationship is one of tolerance, as long as no one throws the first rock, the relationship will continue to co-exist.

The problem is that everyone in management wants to put their own people in positions that have an impact on their future employment. Who wants to stake their future on someone who you didn’t select for the job in the first place? On the other hand, if they send Molitor packing and the team doesn’t take the next step forward, then Falvey and Levine will find themselves with the creek rising and more rain predicted.

If Falvey and Levine decide to keep Molitor they need to give him a longer term deal after forcing Molitor to manage in his least year of a three-year contract. At least that is what I would ask for if I was Molitor. Having said, that I recently read a book by Ron Simon who was Molitor’s agent when he was a player and he stated in his book that Molitor was a very easy-going individual who was not necessarily all that confident in his ability (at least outwardly) and preferred to avoid conflict. 

So what will happen? Falvey and Levine find themselves in a damned if they do and damned if they don’t situation and we will just have to see what they do. It will be much easier to keep Molitor at the helm than it will be to fire him, that will tell us a lot about what these guys are made of. This duo has said all along that the number of wins will not be the decision maker but when it comes right down to it, what is more important than win and losses? Don’t they play this game to win?

According to ELIAS – Max Kepler

Kepler trades bruise for win

Max Kepler

The Twins beat the White Sox on yesterday afternoon when Juan Minaya hit Max Kepler with a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was the second time since the Twins franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961 that they won a game on a walk-off hit-by-pitch. The other walk-off hit-by-pitch for the Twins was when their current manager, Paul Molitor, was hit by Jeff Montgomery of the Royals in the bottom of the tenth inning on May 1, 1996.

It was the first walk-off hit-by-pitch in the major leagues this season.

It was a bad beat, maybe one of the worst ever

Justin Upton flung the ball into the air and the bat out of his hands as his second walk-off homer of the year lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 12-11 win over Minnesota at Comerica Park last night. The home run was part of a six-run comeback Detroit compiled over the final three innings to stun the hot-hitting Twins and snap their season-high six-game winning streak.

Matt Belisle

The Tigers jumped on Jose Berrios and the Twins for a 5-0 lead after just one inning of play but then Paul Molitor‘s boys came back with all their bats blazing and put up 11 of the next 12 runs between the third and sixth innings to take a commanding 11-6 lead. Matt Belisle gave up the walk-off blast by Upton but the relievers before him, Trevor Hildenberger gave up 1 run and Dillon Gee gave up 4 runs of which 3 were earned. Only Ryan Pressly went unscathed in his 2/3 of an inning.

The hitters had a night to remember, 11 runs on 19 hits and a walk, a HBP and an error thrown in for good measure. Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Joe Mauer all hit home runs. Everyone that stepped to the plate for Minnesota had at least one hit and Brian Dozier and Jason Castro had 3 apiece.

It is tough to lose a nine inning game when you get 19 hits and score 11 runs, how tough is it? Not counting tie games the Twins have played 9,048 games since they started play in 1061. In those 9,048 the Twins have played 66 nine inning games when they have had at least 11 hits and scored 19 or more runs, their record in those kinds of games is now 64-2.

Willie Banks

Prior to last night the only time the Twins lost a game like this was on August 4, 1992 at Comiskey Park II. The Twins must like hitting against the pitchers from Chicago’s south side as the Twins have had 12 games like this against the White Sox and won 11 of them. The one loss was that game in 1992 when the White Sox blew out the Twins 19-11. This is a game that Willie Banks will never forget, Banks pitched 1.2 inning of relief and gave up 10 earned runs after relieving Twins starter Bill Krueger who lasted just 2 innings giving up 7 earned runs. This game was a blow out from the get-go and last night game was a back and forth affair that was won with a walk-off home run. Either way you have to put a game like this in the “bad beat” category.

Twins longest 9 inning games

The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers are used to playing long 9 inning games. The Twins have played 11 nine inning games of 239 minutes or longer and the Tigers have been the opponent on five occasions and to make matters worse the Twins have won just one of those games and they had to score 20 runs to win that one.

Paul Molitor spent more time on the pitchers mound than any of his seven pitchers did in the Twins 9-6 loss at Target Field that lasted a Twins record four hours and 19 minutes.

Sunday afternoon’s 9-6 loss to the Tigers now stands as the Twins longest 9 inning game, fortunately the weather was great at Target Field. Paul Molitor and the Twins burned through seven pitchers, certainly not the kind of game anyone wants on getaway day when you are heading out to face the best team in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

Results
Rk Date Tm Opp Rslt IP H R Pit BF # Attendance GmLen
?
1 2017-07-23 MIN DET L 6-9 9.0 16 9 192 47 7 28,373 259
2 2016-07-23 MIN BOS W 11-9 9.0 15 9 196 48 7 37,600 251
3 2014-08-24 MIN DET L 4-13 9.0 18 13 196 53 5 23,983 250
4 1987-07-25 MIN TOR W 13-9 9.0 16 9   47 5 36,395 245
5 2014-08-03 MIN CHW W 16-3 9.0 8 3 134 37 2 23,471 241
6 2017-04-22 MIN DET L 4-5 9.0 11 5 189 47 7 25,719 240
7 1993-05-26 MIN OAK W 12-11 9.0 14 11 205 48 6 18,276 240
8 1992-06-04 MIN TEX W 15-12 9.0 16 12 171 46 6 31,848 240
9 2000-10-01 MIN DET L 11-12 8.0 19 12 178 46 7 28,293 239
10 2014-08-22 MIN DET W 20-6 9.0 15 6 172 44 6 29,394 239
11 2008-07-09 MIN BOS L 5-18 8.0 23 18 159 49 5 37,470 239
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/24/2017.

 

 

Will Molitor be back as the Twins manager in 2018?

The All-Star game is now over and the Twins resume play on Friday against the 60-20 Houston Astros. The rumors are flying around that the Twins are looking for controllable pitching, both from a starting perspective and the bullpen. Will the Twins make any moves? Historically the organization has stood pat at the trade deadline but the Twins have a new captain at the helm so it will be very interesting to see what transpires there.

Another item not talked about much at all but that I think is very interesting and important is what will happen with manager Paul Molitor. Molitor is in year three of a three-year deal.

When Derek Falvey and Thad Levine moved to town it was apparently with the understanding that Molitor would stay on as the Twins manager in 2017. Well, 2017 is half over and the only mention I have heard about Molitor staying or leaving was a quick blurb that his situation would be resolved after the season ends.

I have stated here previously that I am not a big fan of Molitor as a MLB manager and to my way of thinking I have seen nothing after 2 1/2 years to change my mind. I see Molitor as a “Gene Mauch” type of manager, technically very bright but not a manager who can motivate today’s players, manage a winning team and sell his brand of baseball to the fans of Minnesota. To me he seems like a manager who thinks he can win with his managing skills versus letting the players play. He has to be one of the worst managers the team has ever had in terms of bullpen management and use and his line-ups have often wonder what the man is thinking . I have never heard anyone complain as much as he does about his bullpen being over worked.

I know that Molitor has worked with most of the Twins young players in the minors but what has he done in his term as the Twins skipper to take them to the next level and become big league caliber? Do the players respect him? I would have to guess the young players do but the older players, not so much. How do you explain the recent situation with Hector Santiago deciding to pitch the way he wanted versus following the game plan?

Does Molitor help sell tickets? I say no, most of the time he is unapproachable and ducks fans when ever he can, he is not one to talk baseball with the average fan. Baseball is entertainment and should be fun, Molitor makes every game look like a war.

I can’t help but wonder also how Molitor is enjoying his managing gig under Falvey and Levine. Every time I see him on TV he looks older and older and more stressed out. Does the man ever smile or laugh? 

Molitor’s future may well depend on how the Twins fare during the rest of this season, it would be very difficult for Falvey and Levine to let Molitor go regardless of what they may think of him as the Twins manager if the Twins make the playoffs in 2017 although the odds of that happening are long. If you think you know what the future holds, you should be aware that baseball odds for the MLB are available at William Hill where you can put a few dollars down on your favorite team to win it all.

I think Molitor’s days as the Minnesota Twins manager are numbered and that at the end of the season he will walk away from his current job and both sides will be happier for it. But stranger things have happened in baseball and if you think

What do you think? Does Paul Molitor deserve to be the Twins go-forward manager?

baseball odds for the MLB are available at William Hill

According to ELIAS – Twins bounce back from 6 runs down

Twins spot the O’s a TD, win it with 3 field goals

The Twins spotted the Orioles a 6-0 early advantage built on three early home runs, but slow-and-steady won the race as Minnesota, without benefit of a single round-tripper, attained a 9-6 victory at Target Field last night. How did the Twins do it? Every player in the lineup either scored or drove in at least one run, and Paul Molitor’s crew produced seven hits in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position. That performance lifted the Twins’ season batting average with runners in scoring position to .254, the highest that it’s been since the first week in May.

Meanwhile, it was the second game that the Orioles have lost this season after leading by at least six runs. Back on April 28, the Orioles blew a 9-1 lead and wound up losing to the Yankees, 14-11. No other major-league team has lost two games after leading by six-plus runs this season.

Twins minor league player of the week – Zach Granite

Zach Granite

Rochester Red Wings (AAA) outfielder Zach Granite has been named has been named Twins minor league Player of the Week. Granite, 24,  appeared in five games for the Red Wings, hitting .526 (10-for-19) with five doubles, three RBI, five runs scored and six walks. Additionally, the left-handed hitting Zach Granite has hit in 16 straight games, batting .508 (33-for-65) with nine doubles, three triples, five RBI, 16 runs scored and seven stolen bases since June 1 while collecting multiple hits in 13 of the last 15 games. Granite now qualifies for league leaderboard, pacing the International League in batting average (.348) and on-base percentage (.401). Since June 2, he leads all minor leaguers in batting average (.525), hits (32) and OBP (.586). He also leads the league in runs scored (15), extra-base hits (11), total bases (46), stolen bases (7) and OPS (1.340) over that same period.

Zach Granite was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft from Seton Hall University. The Twins organization selected Zach Granite as the 2016 Minor League Player of the Year. Here is what manager Paul Molitor has to say about Granite:

“He’s aggressive, got a little moxie,” Molitor said of the Sherry Robertson Award winner. “Likes to get dirty, run the bases. Almost every day, the (reports) are fairly complimentary on how he gets after it. He’s finding a way to use what he can do in a game to make an impact. I know we don’t like facing those kind of guys.”

Mining the Minors: Is Zack Granite ready for a call-up to the Twins?

Twins Minor League Report 06172017

What just happened?

Here is what the May 29 Twins GameNotes say about yesterdays game:

The Twins lost to the Rays yesterday by a score of 8-6 in 15 innings, losing the three-game series two games to one. At six hours and 26 minutes, the game marked the longest game in Target Field history and the second-longest game in the history of the Twins (longest: six hours and 36 minutes on May 7, 1995 at Cleveland). The loss to Tampa was Minnesota’s longest game by innings since April 24, 2016 at Washington (16 innings). The Twins/Rays game was the longest game in the major leagues this season (previously: 6:05 by New York-AL at Chicago-NL on May 7).

It marked the Twins first loss in which Minnesota led in the ninth inning (previously 25-0).

Twins pitchers struck out a season-high 17 batters, their most since recording 19
strikeouts August 19, 2007 vs. Texas.

Mauer

Joe Mauer drew three walks to pass Kent Hrbek for second on the Twins all-time list
(840), trailing Harmon Killebrew (1,321). Mauer hit his 133rd career home run, moving him past Jacque Jones for 11th place on the Twins all-time list. He recorded a season-high
four hits and reached base a career-high seven times, becoming the second Twin ever
to reach base seven-plus times in a game, joining Rod Carew (8 times on May 12, 1972
vs. Milwaukee).

Some other facts about the loss to Tampa yesterday:

The announced crowd for the game was 28,951, Twins manager Paul Molitor guessed about 1,500 stayed to watch what turned out to be a bitter ending for Minnesota.

Twins used nine pitchers tying a franchise record equaled on five other occasions.

The total pitch count for the Rays and Twins was 553 pitches (289 by Minnesota).

With a burnt out bullpen the Twins made two moves this morning, putting Justin Haley on the 10-day DL and sending Kennys Vargas to AAA Rochester. The Twins called up pitchers Drew Rucinski and Jason Wheeler who has yet to make his big league debut.

Box score for Twins vs Rays game on May 28, 2017