I'm also a believer that managers/coaches can change and improve. Jim Caldwell is a perfect example of that with the Lions. Clock/game management was a massive issue for him. He hired a coach to sit in the box and help him with it, and it's improved in a major way the last few years. That's basically how baseball works. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Gardenhire went to Arizona, saw stuff he never did in Minnesota, and sees the game differently now. It doesn't make the hire an inspired or good one, but there's no reason he can't change his philosophy on things just like everyone else in the sport has the last decade.
Rick Anderson is 60 and hasn't worked since Gardenhire was fired in 2014 (according to his Wiki page, at least). That seems like a bad hire if it happens.
Tony Paul now saying his wife filed for divorce right before the season. That's a lot of off field shit going on for a guy who also played all year with a bad back.
So this makes us look not good. At least Avila acknowledges it and cares enough to talk about it publicly instead of pretending it's irrelevant. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sp...alytics-department-we-went-nothing/106950786/
This is from a Twins writer so who knows how true it all is Just when the Twins thought their coaching staff for 2018 was in place, along comes Ron Gardenhire. Gardenhire, who was recently named manager in Detroit, has hired bench coach Joe Vavra away from the Twins for a similar role with the Tigers. “It was a really tough decision because of my indebtedness to the Twins,” said Vavra, who signed a two-year deal. “It was a really tough decision to leave [manager] Paul Molitor.” Vavra, 57, joined the Twins in 2002 as minor league field coordinator but moved to the majors in 2006 to the hitting coach. He was the third base coach from 2013-14, then became the bench coach in 2015. Gardenhire, named Tigers manager on Oct. 20, is still assembling his staff. Chris Bosio is expected to be named pitching coach, while longtime Gardenhire confidant Rick Anderson is expected to be the bullpen coach. Lloyd McClendon will coach third base.
Jeff Ellis is the draft guy for Scout. Here is his fall top 15 ranking for the 2018 draft: Spoiler 1 Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn This should come as no surprise to anyone who follows me at all, but I am sure it will be. Ethan Hankins is going to be at the top of most lists and, while I like him, it is hard to look past what Mize has already done. I place a high value on players who excel as underclassmen in the SEC. It is the top conference in college baseball, by a significant margin. It is why I was consistently the high man on Andrew Benintendi and also why I stayed the high man on Alex Faedo. Mize, last year, posted one of the lowest walks per nine I have ever seen in a college pitcher. He then combined this with a double digit strikeout rate. The big concern is injuries. He throws a splitter and it’s a plus pitch, but this is also a scary pitch for a player with elbow concerns already. 2 Ethan Hankins, RHP, Forsyth Central (GA) Hankins, right now, would rank as the third prep arm in last year’s class, for me. He would be right up there with Shane Baz. I tend to get a bit nervous with pitchers that are 6’6” and larger. This is an area where I strongly disagree with the rest of the industry. I am more leery of a pitcher who is 6’8” then a guy who is 5’10”. While the ceiling is much higher with a big arm, the risk is also significantly higher. I have found time and time again that bigger arms often have mechanical problems, which can lead to injury and control issues. Hankins, though, has very clean mechanics, so this is not as much of a concern for me. Hankins being this high, in spite of his current size, is a testament to how relatively safe I think he is as a pick. He is a plus athlete, with easy velocity, who was dominant this summer and won’t turn 18 until next spring. He has the highest pitcher ceiling in this class, for me, and, while every prep arm is a risk, Hankins is the type of arm you still feel safe drafting. 3 Nander De Sedas, SS, Montverde Academy (FL) Nader De Sedas follows in the footsteps of fellow Montverde shortstop, Francisco Lindor, though his report is a bit different than Lindor’s was at the same age. Sedas is a switch hitter whose best potential tool is his speed, followed by his power potential. He is an elite level athlete whose physical tools are some of the best in the class. De Sedas is a future shortstop, with an arm that would allow him to move to third, if needed. In terms of ceiling, De Sedas has the highest ceiling of any hitter in this class. The profile reminds me a lot of Carlos Correa, and De Sedas could see a similar rise in this class. 4 Nick Madrigal, SS, Oregon State Fun Fact: Nick has a twin brother, Ty, who is a pitcher for St. Mary’s. Ty is a bit bigger, but since the moment they were born three months premature, the twins have had to deal with questions about their size. Madrigal has been a day one impact bat for the Beavers. He gets on base at a high clip, rarely strikes out, and has shown doubles power. If Madrigal was 6’3”, instead of 5’8”, he would likely be the top player in this class. Even with the rise of great hitters under 5’10”, like Jose Altuve and Jose Ramirez, a player like Madrigal is going to be dinged consistently, because of his height. 5 Brice Turang, SS, Santiago HS (CA) Turang is a two way player who plays the second hardest position to fill on the diamond. He projects as a plus defender and a top of the order bat. He is the safer shortstop between him and Sedas. His ceiling is also lower, which is why I have him fifth. Turang is closer to a Trea Turner than any of the other big name shortstops in the game. Turang is a safe prep player, arguably the safest in this class. He plays a premium position and exhibits several plus skills. The comparison to Mickey Moniak is going to be inevitable but, of course, imagine if Moniak was a shortstop instead of an outfielder. 6 Tristan Pompey, OF Kentucky Pompey is a player who I am a bit conflicted on, even though I have him this high. When I saw him last year, he was the best bat I saw on Kentucky’s team. He had size, athleticism, and bloodlines, which will appeal to every team. He has shown legitimate five-tool talent. My concern is twofold with Pompey. The first is that he had a very high strikeout rate a year ago. I feel like, for the past few years, I have discounted the negative impact of a high strikeout rate. My other concern is that, for the past few years, we have seen junior year regression from a large number of Kentucky players. There is a new coaching staff and, last year, this was not as much an issue, but Kentucky also lost a lot of players from one of the best lineups in college baseball. Pompey still makes the top five, as he was the most impressive player I saw in person a year ago. The tools are there for a potential special player. 7 Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha West (WI) Kelenic is likely to rise in this class, as the swing is one of the best looking in the class. He is not the biggest guy, but still profiles as a potential five-tool player, thanks to his bat speed and overall tools. He has the speed and arm to play anywhere in the outfield, but will likely get every chance to succeed in center field first. The problem for Kelenic is that, while Wisconsin has improved as a high school baseball state, he is still not going to face great competition this spring. In addition, there is always the danger that his season could start late, because of extended winters in the north. It happened last year with Sam Carlson and with Gavin Lux the year before. 8 Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee (GA) Rocker’s father was a dominant college football player and was a college coach at the University of Georgia, most recently. Rocker is a baseball player who is built like a football player. He has electric stuff, and the gap between him and Hankins is nowhere near as large as it might seem, as one player is second and the other eighth on my board. He is a physically mature player whose velocity was up to 98 and showed three pitches. In spite of his size, build, and velocity, it is an easy delivery and does not inspire any concerns. 9 Jeremy Eierman, SS, Missouri State I started to follow Eierman while following Jake Burger at Missouri State. Eierman is a better prospect, because of position, though Burger was the safer player, because of strikeout rate and size. Eierman gets to feast on lesser competition, but he is more than just a stats darling. Eierman is a plus athlete who could play short, second, or third. He will get every chance to stick at short, where he would project to have plus power for the position. He also runs well on the bases. He could be a potential future three outcomes type of hitter at shortstop, which is not something we have seen at the position in the Majors. I believe in his power and production and think that he will rise up boards after an inevitable strong spring. 10 Matt Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge (AZ) Liberatore is a small step down from the top two arms in this class. He is still a top-level prospect and, right now, has distanced himself from the prep lefty class. He is a big, lanky pitcher who has been in the mid 90’s. The delivery is clean and easy and makes me think that, as he matures, he could add some mph. He has already gained significant velocity in the past year and, with continued growth as a senior, he could shoot up the board. Left-handed pitchers are something that every team always needs. Liberatore might be the third prep arm now, but I would not be shocked if he was the first one off the board. 11 Nolan Gorman, 3B/SS, Sandra Day O'Connor HS (AZ) Gorman has mostly played shortstop in high school, but most project him to third in the future. I don’t think it is a foregone conclusion that he is going to have to move off the position. Gorman is not a huge kid, at 6’1”, and is a good athlete, so I think he has a chance to stick. He has an arm that would allow him to settle in at third and it might just come down to what a team needs him to be. I would expect him to be given every chance to succeed at short. Gorman’s bat, though, is what gets teams excited. He can hit and hit for power. He has been viewed as one of the best hitters in this class for a few years now. It is a very clean profile, with a high ceiling. He also has the added bonus of not turning 18 until next spring. The only possible knock on him at this point is his height. 12 Ryan Rolison, LHP, Ole Miss I viewed Rolison as a second round talent out of high school. He ended up going to Mississippi and will be a draft eligible sophomore this year. As a freshman at Mississippi, he started 10 games, appeared in 19, and found success in the SEC from pretty much day one. There is always a danger with draft-eligible sophomores that, if they don’t excel, the leverage the player has can cause teams to pass on the player--- just ask Tristan Beck. Rolison looks the part of a future mid-rotation starter. He shows three pitches and commands them well. He is a fairly typical lefty arm but, combined with his SEC success and youth, he is pushing to be the first college lefty off the board in 2018. 13 Brady Singer, RHP, Florida I don’t get the Singer hype at this point. In addition, I do have some concerns that, for the last two years, there has been a high amount of regression among top Florida players, both hitters and pitchers. In addition, the delivery is a concern and I get nervous about any player with a failed physical in their background. Plus, he is one of the older juniors in the class and will turn 22 this August. This means he is as old as some seniors. Singer has been a very good pitcher at Florida but has excelled even more on the Cape. His control numbers are strong and he has also posted good strikeout rate data. There are just too many concerns and the hype doesn’t make sense to me. 14 Shane McClanahan, LHP, South Florida McClanahan is another arm that I am much lower on than the rest of the industry. I understand his velocity and fastball are rare for a left-hander but pitchers are much more than high velocity fastballs. Last year was his first year pitching for South Florida, after redshirting his freshman year because of TJ surgery. He came back last year and was a strikeout machine, with a rate of over 12 per nine. His walk rate was over four and is something I am curious to see this year, since control can greatly improve a year after surgery. The obvious concerns are going to be about his injury history and the competition he faces. His secondary stuff is also behind what we typically see from a college junior. Seeing what McClanahan does this year, two years removed from surgery, will greatly affect my view, more so than any other college arm in this class. His ceiling is high and the track record is so limited that it is really hard to have any feel for what he really is going to be as a player. 15 Griffin Conine, OF, Duke After his freshman year, I am not sure that anyone expected Conine to be a future first rounder. He struggled to get on the field for a program that is not exactly known as a powerhouse. Conine, three years later, has a lot going for him and should be a top 20 pick this fall. His lack of size will be a concern for some and he is only an average athlete. The pluses are clear, though, for Conine. His dad, Jeff, has been in baseball as a player, coach, or administrator since 1988. Conine lead the Cape in home runs this year, which always gets mentioned when one talks about him. He excelled in the ACC last year, showing power and a plus eye at the plate. He walked at a very high rate as a sophomore. One has to mention his age as well, as he won’t turn 21 until next July. He is nearly a year younger than Brady Singer, who I mentioned earlier. He is one of the younger juniors in this class. He shares his birthday and is the same age as Ryan Rolison, who is also mentioned above. Conine should be a safe, quick moving bat. He doesn’t have a huge ceiling, but is one of the safest players in the entire class.
The more I look at those lists, the more I think the best course of action is to pick our favorite 3-4 position players and see who gives us the best deal. Sedas, Turang, Kelenic, Madrigal, Pompey and Gorman all seem like interesting guys for different reasons. Consensus seems to be building that Mize >> Singer, too. I'm not sure how you can take that injury profile 1.1, though, even if you're getting a discount on the bonus.
Which one? I like them both, but Sedas being compared to Correa in any way makes me want him most. Correa is pretty good.
Ramon had experience playing for the 2003 Tigers, so he should be a help to the current roster the next few years when we're challenging that record.
Who the hell knows what a baseball coaching staff really does, but this staff is really uninspiring for a guy who supposedly "learned a lot about analytics and new ways" after getting fired. It's essentially popular guys from the former staff/roster and old buddies from Minnesota. Only guy who doesn't fit either category is Bosio, who seems like the only somewhat interesting choice.
If there was one assistant that should maybe be in jeopardy of losing his job, wouldn't it be Clark? Considering the atrocious base running we've seen the last three years, he seems like the perfect fall guy ...
Bosio seems like a nice "get" as pitching coach. McLendon isn't inspiring as hitting coach, but he's done okay for us in the past. The issue for me is more than Gardenhire's main bench help is going to come from his old Minnesota buddies instead of anyone with any experience with more analytical orgs. Not sure where his new ideas are going to come from unless the org pushes him to do different things.
I think Avila was the guy who gave us that tip. He supposedly knew him from way back in the day when he was a kid.
I'm pulling this straight out of my ass, but my failing memory recalls that Clark came to us from the Astros and suggested taking a flyer on the kid since he had made some very promising swing changes. The rest being history.
Could be. The media this year was giving Avila credit for it, and Avila said after he traded him to Arizona that it was tough for him because he's known JD since he was a kid.
I just looked back, and Clark indeed came over from the Astros, so maybe I'm remembering something that was actually reported at the time. At any rate, enough credit to go around on that one. But not willing to give Avila 10-yr guarantee.
Story on how the coaching staff is going to work, and how they go about the stat stuff is kind of interesting.
Fenech had a story today with Avila quotes making it seem very likely VMart is on the team next year. That would be really stupid. Also...
I doubt VMart is back. He will make it to spring training but will be cut before final cuts are made. What else is Avila going to say? He's still under contract, and he can't trade him.
He was quoted early this week saying there were really tough 40-man roster decisions. They can make an easy one and just release VMart now. Any AB he gets next season is a waste short and long term. There's no point in keeping him around into Spring Training if the plan is to cut him then.
Our roster is trash. We will have the worst 40 man roster in majors. There are no tough decisions to be made.