David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Twins need new players, not a new manager.
There’s speculation that Ron Gardenhire, the Twins’ manager since 2002 and the third-base coach 11 years prior to that, could very well be gone once the season ends. It wasn’t until a few years ago that Gardenhire was demonstrating why some considered him one of the best managers in the MLB. His team was contending despite not quite having the talent many other teams enjoyed.
Gardenhire has endured three-straight seasons with losses in the 90s and unfortunately, that’s usually enough to make fans and management forget about the upside, which includes six divisional titles in 12 seasons. They’ve only gotten past the divisional round once under Gardenhire, but getting a team into the playoffs with such a low talent level over the years remains remarkable.
It’s been challenging for Gardenhire to manage a team when Justin Morneau has been traded and Joe Maurer injured. The cupboard in Minnesota has definitely been bare.
It’s common to want to make a managerial move when a team is down season after season. It sends a message to everyone that the owner clearly wants to win and is making the move in the best interests of the organization.
The Twins aren’t going to win again until better players come up from the Minor Leagues or via free agency. In the Twins case, dabbling into the free agent market seems unlikely. If anyone can work with young players, it’s Gardenhire. He simply needs quality young ballplayers with some potential. It’s hard to believe anyone else could do better. All the Twins would do by firing Gardenhire is let some other team pick up one of the best managers in baseball.
John Raffel is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnCarlRaffel, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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