What Ron Gardenhire really needs is a substance abuse problem

It seems to have

worked pretty well

for managers this season.

Of course, maybe Gardy is working on it already.

Ron Gardenhire needs to find better sources for advice

Hey, have you wondered what Ron Gardenhire thought of new acquisition Lester Olivares? From Rhett Bollinger:

"He's pretty good," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I talked to Jim Leyland, and he likes him. He has a good, live arm -- 'electric stuff' -- as he put it. He has a chance to be a good pitcher here. He's a young guy, but has a great arm. Jim said he's still making some mistakes in the strike zone and will misfire a little bit, but he's a good-looking pitcher."

And then Jim Leyland laughed and laughed. This is almost as bad as the time that Bill Smith asked Dayton Moore for the best reliever in their bullpen, and they passed along Dusty Hughes.

An exchange of ideas with Michael Rand

Earlier today, Kurt Rambis was fired by the Timberwolves, which obviously caught the attention of local sports writers. Michael Rand, writer of Randball at the Star Tribune was kind enough to exchange a few tweets with me, but it all started with this fun fact from the Strib's Judd Zulgad
(@JuddZulgad) Leslie Frazier now has 2nd-longest tenure of 4 pro men's coaches in Minnesota. Frazier has yet to coach a game without interim tag.
Rand replied to Zulgad: (@RandBall)  @JuddZulgad if Twins had played for past 35 games like they did their first 54, might Frazier be No. 1 on that list?
I then jumped in, and Rand and I fleshed out our ideas at 140 characters or less. Keep in mind, Tweets that start @whomever are actually from the other person.
 

@RandBall @JuddZulgad The Twins haven't fired a manager in 25 years, I don't know why they would this season

 

@Victoriawxtimes you're probably right, but what if they were still losing 2 of every 3 games?

@RandBall You and I could call for Gardy's head, but if Tom Kelly survived the mid/late 90s...

 

@Victoriawxtimes those teams TK had were brutal, bargain-basement bunches. This team is a high-payroll squad w/expectations

 

@RandBall Totally agree, but low rent teams have blamed managers in the past. The Twins were loyal to TK, will be loyal to Gardy.

 

@Victoriawxtimes Agreed. Just thinking back to other recent MN bosses who have been fired quickly after success (Chilly, Denny, Flip).

 

@RandBall The Twins have always been the exception, not just in MN but all sports, I think. W/ Gardy's track record, still employed in NYC?

 

@Victoriawxtimes no way.

@RandBall Exactly. Being the Twins manager might be the best job in sports, Timberwolves coach the worst

 

And there you have it, Michael Rand and Ryan Henning's symposium on coaching, specifically managing in the Twin Cities. 

This is when the team needs a manager

Part of my problem with Ron Gardenhire, the biggest problem, really, is that I think he gets way too much credit for the team's success, when really he has been blessed with some of the best players the team has ever had, and the highest payroll the Twins have ever paid. Why does he get so much credit and the Twins' front office get so little? After all, it was the front office who added Jim Thome as a free agent last year, and traded for Delmon Young, who each stepped up when Justin Morneau went down.
That said, I find it curious that Gardenhire has received none of the blame for the current Dumpster fire that is the Twins team. Now, I think he deserves as much blame for this iteration of the team as he does credit for the playoff run, which is not much. There are certainly a lot of injuries that have completely destroyed the team's offensive hopes. There were certainly some mistakes he made in the offseason that Gardenhire can be blamed for, but the fact that the team is as bad as they are isn't really his fault.
I don't understand the heat that the Twins front office is getting, however. The decision to get faster was not theirs. It was a plan that was handed to them by the now untouchable manager (and this IS the mistake that Gardenhire made, the desire to have a faster infield), and who knows how life would be if Tsuyoshi Nishioka hadn't been injured. One of the biggest complaints is the trade of Wilson Ramos last year for Matt Capps. Capps is the only hard thrower that is remotely effective in the Twins pen, and Ramos is a .260 hitter in the National League. It really, truly wasn't that bad a trade.
Anyways, this is the time that an exceptional manager would really come in handy. How nice would it be to have someone who would trust his starters to go an extra inning or two in games so the bull pen isn't used as frequently? How nice would it be to have a manager that could get the most out of players put in spots that they may not be accustomed to? If you ask me, this proves that Gardenhire is not an exceptional manager beyond any reasonable doubt. Sure, the team is decimated, and even with an exceptional manager, would still be bad, but with some better decision making and leadership, games might be less depressing.

The Twins refuse to get fired up

Whether you think Ron Gardenhire is a good manager or not, there is one thing that seems to frustrate everyone. The team never seems to show much fire when out on the field. Sure, there is the hustle and the manager likes to come out and argue every once in a while, but they never come out and seem to play with any emotion. This is something that stat heads and non-stat heads tend to agree on. (Also, and not really related to the point, I saw that while Joe Mauer was slumping early, Gardenhire wanted him to bunt more. It happened so long ago that I don't want to waste a post on it, but ugh.)
I mentioned this earlier, but I had a conversation on the topic with a friend yesterday. After Tsuyoshi Nishioka got his leg blown up by Nick Swisher, Gardenhire insisted that it was a clean play and he had no problem with it. Even if this was the case (and not everyone agrees with whether or not it was a clean slide) how can you not try to draw some inspiration, put some fire in the belly of the team that always seems lackluster, particularly versus this particular opponent. Why not try to at least suggest that the team should stand up for the new guy who is having a tough time fitting in with the new team in a new country?
My friend suggested that they would, and to expect a fastball in the ribs of an unfortunate Yankee the next time we play them. We are actually making a wager on the topic, because I am in full disagreement. When have the Twins EVER stood up for a player? When was the last time a pitcher threw at an opponent to send a message? I mean, there was Mijares last year, but then Delmon Young flipped out at MIJARES and Gardenhire took Young's side. This isn't a team that mixes is up anywhere but on the field.
Just expect the Twins to get pushed around again.

So Ron Gardenhire won Manager of the Year

Isn't THAT interesting.

But hey, he really earned it this year. He had a dramatically increased payroll, a weak division, greater rotation stability, and Joe Mauer for the entire season, but he really came over all the obstacles this year, didn't he? I mean, Justin Morneau was injured last year too, just like this year, but it's not just any manager that could have the wherewithal to plug in a guy with over 500 career homeruns into the lineup. And never mind the fact that Danny Valencia never would have made the lineup if Nick Punto hadn't got hurt. Or that the team's best right handed hitter was only in the lineup because Gardenhire was backed into a corner and HAD to play Delmon Young. Not many people that could take all that and do exactly the same thing they did the year before. Special kind of manager.

Also, I'm so glad we gave that no talent ass-clown an extension. Sorry, I mean, I'm glad we gave the manager of the year an extension.

OK, now Reusse is in on it

Just like Jim Souhan, his cohort at the Star Tribune, Patrick Reusse had something asinine to say about the Twins. In essence: The Twins are wimps.
Yes, Ron Gardenhire does have a tendency to protect his players, but as I've said time and time again, if he has any advantage, it's that he saves his younger players. The Twins have so much more talent than the rest of the AL Central that they should easily win the division, should they remain healthy. Aside from Justin Morneau's concussion, none of the significant players had a season ending injury this year. The Twins didn't lose to the Yankees because they were hurt, that's for sure.

What do you think of Slowey now?

While I among of Ron Gardenhire's most outspoken critics, I feel that my credibility would be ruined if I didn't state when I actually agreed with his moves. His faults lie in game to game strategy, development of young hitters, favoritism, bullpen management, and a menagerie of other flaws, but one of his greatest strengths is his insistence on protecting his players from injury. Justin Morneau has been kept out of the lineup because of concussions concerns, and yesterday Gardenhire pulled Kevin Slowey, fresh off an elbow induced missed start in them middle of a no hitter thanks to his high pitch count.
It was a very tough decision, no doubt, but one that was absolutely the correct one to be made. The best part was that he acknowledged the situation. Gardenhire stated that he "would have booed him too" for pulling Slowey in the middle of the no-no, indicating that he struggled with the decision. It was one he made with the health of Kevin Slowey in mind, and it's impossible to argue with it.
Oh, and all you that were in favor of knocking Slowey out of the rotation, or trading him to Seattle in order to get Cliff Lee... still feel the same? We're going to have Slowey now for a few more years, thanks in part to Smith not trading him and Gardy being unwilling to ruin his arm in an effort to gain a mere statistic.

Ugh, with the bunting

I have heard all the excuses, and there is no good reason that Joe Mauer should ever be bunting. Bunting is what a player does when he is terrible at baseball (see: certain little leaguers and Nick Punto) or what you are told to do by a manager who has no faith in his team to get base hits (Ron Gardenhire) or when there are 0 outs, a runner on second and its the bottom of the 9th in a tied ball game (good baseball strategy). I mean, Gardenhire didn't even tell Mauer to to do this. I'm baffled and saddened. At least they are winning this afternoon.

Some stats ARE overrated

As everyone knows, I am a big fan of stats, but only so they tell you about performance and how they might perform in the future. I am not really a fan of stats for stats sake, ones that are merely accomplishments and not really telling, like pitching wins or RBIs. Fortunately for us, Ron Gardenhire doesn't either, and he pulled Francisco Liriano before he could get his complete game Friday night.
Say what you will about Ron Gardenhire, and Lord knows I have, but he has an excellent track record of protecting his young pitchers. Anyone who is upset that Liriano didn't get his complete game isn't looking at the big picture (or simply has him on their fantasy team). Liriano had 107 pitches in 8 innings which is on the high end for any pitcher. The other, more important issue is that Liriano has an extensive history of arm injuries. You simply can't push him. Had he gone the full 9 and ended up with elbow problems again, Gardenhire would have been crucified. I admit that I am not his biggest fan, but in this instance, I am completely willing to admit that made the right decision.
Now if only we could work on his penchant for putting the worst hitter in the lineup in front of Joe Mauer.

Oh Gardy, I was so close

I was so, so, so very close to writing something good about you, and the way you manage this season, especially the way you have handled what really has been the only sticky spot in your day to day affairs, the whole Kubel-Young-Thome issue. It's becoming clear that the only people upset with Delmon now are media and fans who want him to smile and be Kirby Puckett.
But today, Gardy, you proved once again that you all to often don't think your decisions through. First you had Brian Duensing walk Mark Teixeira load the bases. And you know what? Given the circumstances, I will even say that was a good decision. Then you decided to bring in Matt Guerrier, because that's what you do. Put a righty against the right handed hitter, Alex Rodriguez. Here's the rub. Alex Rodriguez is one of the best hitters in the history of the game. That said, if slugging percentage is your favorite metric, he is better against literally no one than he is against Matt Guerrier (among pitchers he has faced at least 5 times) He has 4 home runs now in 7 plate appearances. Guerrier, in 7 plate appearances against A-Rod, has retired him once. Once. The Grand Slam was a foregone conclusion
So Gardy, you have taken two steps forward and one grand step back.

Gardenhire.... the Rebuttal

Before I left to go on my little adventure to Tennessee, Beth and I got into a debate over the merits of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. Never one to let a sleeping dog lie, I dwelled on this subject for 5 days, and am now back with my rebuttal to a few of Beth's counterpoints. My counter-counterpoints, if you will.
1)I’m not sure who Ryan thought Gardy should put there [the number two spot in the order]. Joe Mauer. Instead of Span - automatic out - Mauer, wouldn't it be awesome if you always knew that, when Span got on base, there would be no outs when the MVP hit? Mauer makes good contact, drives to the gaps and can come through in situations when the pressure is high. Essentially, he is the prototypical 2 hitter. Also, he hits lefties almost as good as he hits righties. I think Morneau has grown accustomed to the clean up role, so another reliable hitter, like Jason Kubel or Michael Cuddyer, depending on the handedness of hte pitcher should move up to the third spot in the lineup. In my wildest dreams, I thought Delmon Young would come around and become the perfect three hitter for this lineup. There is still hope.
2) Conversely, I think using pitchers for shorter periods can be useful. If Jose Mijares only faces one batter, he can likely pitch nearly every other day. As a strong lefty reliever, this could be important. If you pitch one pitcher, say, Mijares, for one hitter in a 5 pitch at bat, and you pitch, say, Matt Guerrier for an entire inning with 5 pitches per at bat, that is 5 vs 15 pitches. Now, Mijares and his one day rest goes in the next day. Guerrier gets a couple days off. Mijares warms up twice, throwing about 40 pitches each. Guerrier goes once. Over the course of, say, a three day period, Mijares has thrown almost 100 pitches because of his 2 batters, while Guerrier who pitched an inning, has thrown about 55. So, do we really want a bullpen full of pitchers throwing 100 pitches every 3 days? No, no we don't. Stop messing with the bullpen, keep pitchers in there.
3) Who was the manger when Mauer and Morneau got called up? The point here was that players that came up through the Twins system were better off than players who had to receive tutelage from Gardenhire. So thanks for that Beth!

I think we can all agree, though, that the Twins will be in a lot of trouble if they lose Joe Mauer, no matter what your opinion of the manager is. So hopefully, before Christmas, the Twins make Gardenhire continue to look good for the next several years by locking up Joe.

Too bad Bill Smith couldn't get votes

In today's Manager of the Year voting, Ron Gardenhire was voted second, perhaps disappointing a few. I think it's appropriate though, given that the Twins turn around was thanks to Bill Smith's reaction to Gardenhire's mismanagement, rather than anything Gardenhire did. Well, that and some dumb luck.
First, let's take a look at the mistakes he made that Smith turned into benefits.
Gardenhire is incapable of putting together a batting order. The Twins were consistently weak at the number 2 spot in the lineup, mostly because Gardenhire consistently put shortstops or second basemen at the 2 hole, regardless of their ability at the plate. The only time the Twins had a strong hitter in the two spot before Smith got involved was when they put Mauer there. Why Gardenhire didn't see the light and put a good hitter, no matter the position is beyond me. Bill Smith adjusted and picked up Orlando Cabrera, because he can hit AND he plays the middle infield. I hope the Twins can resign Cabrera, if only because Gardenhire is stupid enough to bat Punto second again next year.
Gardenhire devastated the bullpen. Just a year and a half ago, the Twins featured one of the strongest bullpens in the league, however they eventually broke down as the season progressed. Why? Too many appearances. If individual relievers were allowed to go full innings, rather than one or two outs at a time, the bullpen would have been saved. Instead, Bill Smith had to go out and restock, adding Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay. With the injured Boof Bonser and Pat Neshek hopefully coming back, perhaps more depth will keep the bullpen in tact until about July next year.

Of course, there were a few lucky turns of events that gave the Twins the late season boost they needed. Of course, they had to happen to offset the typical blunders he makes.
Gardenhire is terrible with young players, especially if they aren't his favorites. Terry Ryan and Bill Smith have always had to contend with this. Kyle Lohse had to be jettisoned, after which he flourished in Cincinnati. Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett didn't get along with Gardenhire and were packaged up and sent to Tampa, where they became key members of a World Series team. The inability to aid young players in their development continued this year, and would have continued if it weren't for Justin Morneau's injury. Because of his typical slow starts, Delmon Young lost a lot of playing time early. When he struggled to rebound after the death of his mother, he continued to lose playing time, and was redressed by Gardenhire. It takes a special lack of awareness or compassion for someone to realize that a kid in his early 20s might not be completely back within two weeks. It's even more ridiculous that he was left on the bench to dwell on his mother's passing and his own shortcomings on the field, rather than put in the game to help get his mind back on playing good baseball. When Morneau went down, that meant one player or another would have to get on the field more. With regular playing time, Young excelled.. Somehow, Punto, no matter how bad he is, gets to play every day, so Gardenhire has the capability to let players work through their slumps. Delmon Young never would have had the chance, had it not been for Morneau's injury.
Gardenhire is terrible with young players Part II Players that have come up with the Twins have always done well, because the minor league system is so well constructed. Players that have come over in trades, left to develop in Minneapolis and not, say, Rochester, have languished. Carlos Gomez was acquired from New York in the Santana trade. He spent very little time in the minor leagues and as a result, he has failed to develop. Smith recognized that Gomez likely never will develop in Minnesota and sent him to Milwaukee to prepare the team for next year. It was the right move, and will be even if Gomez turns into a 30HR type of guy, which he could with the right coaching. It wouldn't have happened in Minnesota, however. The thing that bothers me is that when it happens, it will be Smith who will be blamed and not Gardenhire. Fortunately, fundamentally sound players whose development wasn't monitored by Gadenhire, like Jose Morales contributed in the end to the team's success.

It's nice to think that the Twins are a cute little story because they keep getting to the playoffs out of the AL Central. Great. It's been one of the worst divisions in the game since baseball went to 6 divisions instead of 4. The talent the Twins have, especially over the past couple of years, should mean the Twins are winning the division by 10 games annually. They shouldn't be taken lightly in the postseason. If the Twins are only inching into the postseason because of dumb luck and the gifted General Management of Bill Smith, the Twins will forever be an afterthought.

Finally, It's Delmon Young's time

It's been an interesting 36 hours for the Twins, and especially Delmon Young. Yesterday's game was hotly contested, and the tension was thick. For those who didn't see it or read the recap, here's what happened.
Denard Span was plunked by Nate Robertson. The next inning, Scott Baker (who had had control problems through the game) hit Marcus Thames, who then stared at Baker and looked like he wanted to charge the mound but instead went to first. The next batter, Brandon Inge hit into a fielders choice, where Thames went way out of the base line to take out Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera appealed to the umpire for the double play because of runner's interference, and Thames and Cabrera yelled at each other from the dugout and field respectively. The next time Thames was up, on an 0-1 count, Baker through a curveball up and in. Thames glared again, but this time Mike Redmond told Thames to calm down, and that he was an idiot.
Nothing happened, then, for the next few innings. Later, Jose Mijares came on to pitch for the Twins and threw behind the Tigers shortstop Adam Everett. In response, Jeremy Bonderman came in and threw at Delmon Young. Young popped up after a few seconds of writing in agony, spiked his helmet and started yelling at Mijares of all people. Benches cleared, and it was all very testy.
Young has had a history of being petulant and anger prone. Bert Blyleven even said that Mijares did the right thing, protecting his teammates and that Young was in the wrong. It looked like another childish outburst by Young. Then something strange happened. Ron Gardenhire actually stood behind Young, and said that it WAS Mijares' fault. And you know what? It was. Until that point, the instigator had been Thames, and not the Tigers or their pitching staff. Now Mijares had brought the Tigers as a team into the contest, and it was open season on Twins hitters.
Tonight, as many may know, Delmon Young hit a grand slam in tonights key game and induced the fans to call for a curtain call. He wouldn't have had the chance to get his clutch hit if he wasn't in the lineup, which he has been almost every day since August. He has hit .375 in the past 14 days in response, showing the promise he came to Minnesota with.
The question is, what did Delmon do to become best friends with Gardy? Will the trend continue? Is Justin Morneau's injury what it took to make Gardenhire make legitimately good decisions and perhaps understand the game better? If this is the Ron Gardenhire, and this is the Delmon Young we get next season, I like our chances. Hopefully, it also means that the Twins have a post season too.

It happens all the time

Pitchers sometimes have bad games and give up 10 run leads. Sometimes, umpires blow important calls at the ends of games. People make mistakes. Neither of these things really upset me about the game Monday night against Oakland. Sure, this was all frustrating as hell, but it didn't make me angry. These things happen all the time.
What doesn't happen all the time is an apparent Manager of the Year candidate sending someone who hasn't bunted (Mike Redmond) in 3 years to the plate with 6 outs left to the plate to sacrifice someone over. Let's see, 27 runs already, right? You had already blown a 10 run lead, right? Personally, I would try to go for the gusto, scoring as many runs as possible without sacrificing any outs. Given the same number of outs (had the Twins scored), I wouldn't trust my pitching staff to hold the A's scoreless over two innings. If I were to try to execute such a strategy, however, I certainly would have tried to do so with someone actually capable of performing the task in question.
In case you don't remember, after flailing in his attempts at a bunt and a hit and run, Redmond was down in the count and had to take a defensive swing to prevent a strikeout. Instead he grounded into a double play. As much as the pitching staff and the umpire's call at the end of the game affected the game, don't pretend that bad decision making from Gady didn't have a role in that atrocity last night.

What are the Twins doing?!

(I will have a much, much angrier screed on the Wild later this week)


It's been widely reported that Delmon Young is "exceptionally available" because Ron Gardenhire is exceptionally stupid a terrible manager, prefers Denard Span and Carlos Gomez. I've made my peace with the fact that the Twins don't like Young, because he is still a developing young hitter who takes about a month and a half to get going, but he doesn't smile and isn't a gold glove outfielder. They would rather build the team around Denard Span, a slap hitter who has already maximized his potential, or Carlos Gomez who can't hit outside of spurts, but smiles a lot and runs really fast. Whatever.
So, here's the thing. They want to trade Young, and I would be surprised if they don't before the trade deadline. What I really don't understand is why they aren't playing him. Young is finally coming around after the death of his mother, and has started hitting, both for power and for average. Not only would his presence in the lineup help the team now, but it would drive up his trade value, so the Twins could actually get a component they need instead of some crap middle reliever, which they will probably trade for straight up.
The only reason I can think that Young isn't in the line up on a daily basis is that Ron Gardenhire is petty and is too dumb to look at things like "numbers" or "strategy" especially when it doesn't involve bunting, So, because he wants his guys in the lineup and has no perspective on the future of the team, he continues to drive it into the ground. Ron Gardenhire is a terrible manager and deserves to be fired for his inability to bring this superfluously talented team to the fullness of their ability.
Wow. That came out of nowhere.

Please do not allow children to view this picture

Frightening

Changes at the top

In two different sports, two coaches who were thought to be at the top of the game just a couple of years ago have been relieved of their duties. It seems hard to believe that a couple of guys who were so highly thought of can suddenly be seen in such a negative light. I'm talking, of course, about Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA and John Tortorella of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL. Well, they used to be. I used to think that it was strange firing successful coaches when success was so recently in their rearview mirror. I used to think so.
Saunders was working with incredible talent who was working well as a team before he got there. I'm not much for the NBA, but I do know that Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown each served to develop a strong team atmosphere and brought the Pistons to the NBA Finals. Saunders has been unable to push the team to the next level, despite previous evidence that this group of guys was capable of doing so. This suggests that Saunders lacked the motivational skills to get the guys to advance, or, more likely, he wasn't the best game time decision maker in the clutch. He probably deserved to go.
Tortarella maintained about the same record since his team hoisted the Cup after the 03-04 season, but the squad failed to advance past the quarter finals in either of the following two seasons. This year, he saw the Lightning collapse to 5th in the Southeast despite starting the season with many of the same core players he won the Cup with. It seemed apparent that Tortarella had lost the respect of his players. A tirade a few seasons ago against his goaltender to the press certainly didn't help.
That being said, I think this season should probably be Ron Gardenhire's last. Much like Saunders, he came into a situation that was created mostly by his predecessor, Tom Kelly, and he managed to continue the success for the next three seasons. Things took a negative turn the next year as well as last year. I'll get to 2006 in a moment, but it appears to be the exception that proves thr rule. This year, the Twins are contending in the AL Central despite themselves.
Gardenhire has two major flaws that are seen in two other managers in particular. Two successful managers at that, which is part of the reason why they may not be seen as flaws. Gardy, like Tony La Russa, micromanages his bullpen, therefore using up way too many pitchers and putting himself in potential binds in tight games, particularly those in extra innings. In La Russa's most successful seasons, he had pitchers in Matt Morris and Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder that could eat up innings, meaning that he didn't have to use the bullpen for three or four innings, as we are seeing all too often this season in Minnesota.
His other flaw is his devotion to small ball, or smart ball or whatever you want to call it. Ozzie Guillen used a variant on route to the World Series in 2005. The difference is this. Guillen's version involved the top of the order, guys like Podsednik and Iguchi getting on base, maybe stealing a bag or two, followed by Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede hitting an extra base hit, like a home run. Gardenhire's version involves the lead off man, Cristian Guzman, Luis Castillo, Shannon Stewart, or Carlos Gomez in previous incarnations, getting on base, then putting someone like Nick Punto in the two slot to bunt the runner over. Always a bunt. Always an out. Then the problem would be compacted by having Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer or Torii Hunter try to slap a ball the other way. In these two scenarios, the White Sox have scored 2-3 runs, while the Twins have scored 1. Do you see the issue? Nevertheless, Gardenhire's teams were always praised for manufacturing their runs. That 2006 season, where the wins won 96 games and won the division, by the way, was the one in which Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter were the first two Twins to hit 30 home runs in a season since Tom Brunansky back in 1986. Funny what a little power in the meat of the order will do.
La Russa and Guillen each had the pitching staff and the mashing lineup to cover up their flaws in the middle of their World Series winning years. Current general manager Bill Smith appears to be trying to augment the Twins power, particularly with the addition of Delmon Young in the offseason, but it doesn't seem to be taking. Nobody in the Twins lineup is hitting for power this year, outside of the always reliable Justin Morneau, and eventually, the accusatory eye has to be turned to the coaching staff. At what point does Smith react to the fact that Gardenhire is coaching away from the team he is trying to build?
Now, I'm not saying that Gardenhire is necessarily a bad manager. He is an excellent fundamental coach. The Twins farm system, however, is steeped in the fundamentals, and in the majors, it seems redundant to continue this approach. For a team like the Pirates who could just use guidance and direction, Gardy would be perfect. For a team that needs to step up and reach the next level, following Bill Smith's framework, it might be time for Gardenhire to go, even if he has been successful. It happened to Saunders and Torterella.

Please, don't listen to the manager

All right, Delmon, Carlos, I know you'll read this, so I want to get this point across quick. Don't listen to Ron Gardenhire. If what Joe Christensen said is true, then Mr. Gardenhire has lost his mind.
First, Carlos, (can I call you Carlos? I'm 2 years older than you, so I'm going to call you Carlos. Or Chuck. I'm calling you Chuck)... First, Chuck, Gardy seems to like how hard you swing the bat and how aggressive you were. Well, Chuck, let's make one thing clear. You have one offensive skill right now. You are very fast. You are Jimmy John's delivery fast. So far, you aren't much for hitting. That means, you need to take pitches. You need to walk every once in a while. For a guy who stole 60 bases in a short, minor league season, just getting a walk would be almost as good as a double, what with your motor. What we don't need is some kid leading off and pulling his hamstring because he swung too hard when he shouldn't be swinging that hard in the first place because his only skill at this stage in his career is his speed. So. Don't be so aggressive.
As for you, Delmon, I think everyone can agree that you aggressively swinging a bat is a scary proposition. Other than that, it pains me to say that the Devil Rays organization may have had the right idea, telling you to be patient at the plate. Seriously, it's a good idea. Look at what happened to Torii Hunter when he figured that out. 90 million dollars is what friggin' happened. So, Delmon, swing away at good pitches. Under no circumstances, however, should you swing at balls out of the zone, pitches on a 3-0 count, pick off throws to first or umpires.
Now, Gardy, if you are reading this, shaking your head in disbelief, I want to remind you of something. You were a career .232 hitter with 4 home runs. You may not be the best example for young, good hitters. Actually, there is someone on the team that seems to fit your mold a little better. Why don't you go ruin him?