Who Should Hire Ron Gardenhire?

Now that you are all down laughing at my witty play-on-words of a title, let's get down to business about a very important offseason subject: managers.

So far already, the season isn't even technically over and we've seen multiple managers lose their job. Rangers' manager Ron Washington resigned mid-way through September as his Rangers were limping to the finish line (they suffered the most injuries and most losses in the American League), but it wasn't because of his managerial resume, it was because of his personal life. Washington, who has experienced issues with cocaine in the past, held a press conference about a month ago to bring his marital infidelity out in the open. Read more here from Calvin Watkins with ESPN Dallas. Though Washington has shown good character after his mistakes have become public (both times), I have been critical of his ability to win the "big game" and etch his name into history as one of the great managers. In 2010, he took Texas to the World Series against Bruce Bochy's Giants when Buster Posey became a household name. In 2011, he was right back there with the same team and if Nelson Cruz plays that fly ball cleanly, those Rangers could have been a dynasty. Instead, the Cardinals fought and fought to win in 7, Freese ripped his jersey,

Freese's torn jersey from the 2011 World Series is one of my favorite pieces displayed at the Museum in Cooperstown - even if it is Cardinals' gear.

and Adrian Beltre is the only one from that team still producing for that team (Andrus is too overrated to be considered if you ask me). Mitch Moreland sat out this year with an injury, Ian Kinsler, CJ Wilson, and Josh Hamilton are at home watching Nelson Cruz in the ALCS, Mike Napoli is drowning in his beard but boasting his 2013 World Series ring with Koji Uehara. Looking back, the 2011 Rangers were stacked, but a lot of their players hit their stride after 2011. All I hope is that Neftali Feliz can recover to the same form his Rookie of the Year caliber in 2010 because I don't recall having more fun watching a pitcher than this guy. Talk about a live arm.

Anyway, sorry for the history lesson, but Washington not only lost 2 World Series, but he also lost the two All-Star Games he managed. All-Star Games are oftentimes not in a manager's hands considering how often pitching overpowers hitting (except for when Justin Verlander laid an absolute egg in the first inning in 2012), so it's not all on Washington, but in 2012, he had three of his starters in the lineup and could only scrape 6 hits in 9 innings. 

Washington managed the Rangers from 2007-2014, going 664-611, winning two pennants along the way.

While Washington has the most prolific story, Minnesota legend Ron Gardenhire was fired by the Twins not even a week after the season. This is a bad move by Twins' management if you ask me. Considering the Twins' pitching staff had the worst ERA in the AL, a 70-92 record (a half game behind the reigning World Series champs) is not bad at all. As for offense, the Twins were aggressively average (7th in AL in team average, total bases, steals, and 11th in home runs), but got timely hitting from quiet heroes like Brian Dozier and Kurt Suzuki. Joe Mauer had a very down year, only hitting .277 with 4 home runs in 120 games. The Joe Mauer Power Hour was never a popular show in Minnesota (that's a fun way of saying he's not a home run hitter), but his .277 is 42 points lower than his career average and nearly a hundred points lower than his career high .365 in 2009. Joe Mauer's talent isn't gone, not by a long shot, but when your best player isn't producing, that doesn't mean fire the manager. That means buy Mauer some protection that isn't strikeout machine and now current Royal Josh Willingham. Keep in mind - when Mauer won his three batting titles and his MVP he had fellow slugger and 2014 NL batting champ Justin Morneau right behind him. And no, Brian Dozier can not hit clean up. 

Gardenhire has managed the Twins since 2002, winning 6 division titles and MOY in 2010. He has a 1068-1039 record.

Long story short, 70-92 isn't a great season, but the Twins aren't a great team and they never have been even though Gardenhire won the division 6 out his 13 years as Twins skipper. In 2006, when they went 96-66, the Twins had a starting nine of Mauer, Morneau, Luis Castillo, Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto, Lew Ford, Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer, and Rondell White. Not what you would expect from a division winning team (even though Joe Nathan went 7-0 with a 1.58 ERA), and as you would probably expect from this starting 9, they got swept in the ALDS by the A's (Mauer hit .187 in the series). 

Mauer is the best AL catcher since Pudge Rodriguez - 3 batting titles and an MVP deserves a Hair and Shoulders shampoo commercial.

Here's a crazy thought: the Twins are only as good as Joe Mauer. And just because he didn't win a batting title doesn't mean you should fire Ronny. He has one Manager of the Year award and 5 runner-ups, why would you take away the one who has been squeezing the glue that's been holding this team together for the last 9 years (Joe Mauer was the glue - was that a horrible metaphor? Don't answer that). And with #1 prospect Byron Buxton/The Minnesota Messiah (Minnessiah?) just a few years away, you don't want a newbie manager leading a newbie centerfielder.

So who should hire him?

The D'backs fired Kirk Gibson and hired hitting coach AJ Hinch in the same week, which is another head scratching hire. The Astros fired Bo Porter (wrongfully, again - 19 win increase from 2013) and haven't hired anyone yet. 

Well, considering I went into such detail about Ron Washington and the Rangers, I think you know where I'm going with this. 

A) They're both named Ron.
B) They both rely heavily on their star players to get the job done, and Texas (when healthy) has no shortage of that. Remember when I said that the Twins are only as good as Mauer? The same goes for the Rangers, but I think their X-Factor is their outfield. On paper, an outfield of Shin Soo Choo, Alex Rios, and Leonys Martin isn't bad, but when Choo plays on one ankle most of the year and Alex Rios disappears for the 2nd half (.302 average as of July 18, .280 to end the season), leaving it to Michael Choice does not bode well. 

But look at next year. Once everyone heals up, here's what their lineup will be.
1) Andrus, SS
2) Choo, LF*
3) Beltre, 3B (ageless - he'll hit .350 when he's 40)
4) Fielder, 1B*
5) Moreland, DH*
6) Rios, RF
7) Odor, 2B (he hit .269 as a 20-year old, with a decent manager and lineup behind him, he could be a serious threat)
8) Martin, CF
9) whoever catches, whether it be Arencibia or Chirinos

For a manager who leans heavily on his star players, Gardenhire would have plenty of star power. Oh, wait their rotation - 
1) Darvish* (hopefully he won't need Tommy John after the Rangers shut him down in August with elbow inflammation)
2) Holland*
3) Ogando*
4) Harrison *
5) Lewis 

*indicates season ending injury in 2014

The Rangers had no one to work with in 2014, so it's no surprise they didn't show up. But give them their rotation and a manager, and holy cow, look out AL West. For a division that sent two teams to the playoffs (and had a third in contention to the very last day), there isn't a lot of room at the top, but if the Rangers play and are managed to their full potential - look out.

Thanks for reading. 

Torii Hunter

As I woke up this morning and was browsing the old Instagram, I've started to notice the Tigers dedication to high quality and tailored suits. Go through any of the players' feeds and somewhere in the distance you'll hear Tim Gunn applauding. 

Last Thursday, the day of the trade deadline and the infamous day when David Price became a Tiger (sorry Rays fans), JD Martinez posted a video of Austin Jackson (you're welcome Mariners fans) showing off his new suit with superhero comic strips lining the inside, and just this morning David Price tweeted that the Tigers locker room looks like the red carpet of the ESPYs. 

The Rays have their own fun getaway days with their goofy themes. Joe Maddon brought a snake into the clubhouse last year and other times the Rays will do team dress-up days. They have theirs, the Tigers have theirs. 

Hunter and Tigers' pitcher Justin Verlander have an ongoing competition for who looks better on travel days. Hunter began the contest two weeks ago today when the Tigers traveled from Detroit to Arizona for their last west coast swing of the year with a photo of him leaving Comerica Park with the hashtag #lookbetterthanJustinVerlanderDay.

Despite the length of this hashtag, Hunter has consistently posted nothing but his nice suits since then to show his competitiveness with the former Cy Young winner. 

Let me say, I love this and I think it's absolutely hilarious. That's who Torii Hunter is, though. He makes the game exactly that: a game. Sure, it's his fulltime job and baseball is indeed a business, but he keeps it light. Instagram and nice suits are all fun to look at, but at the end of the day, they aren't as important as the play between the foul poles. Aside from his infectious smile and lighthearted play, Torii Hunter is a terrific player who I think has been overlooked throughout his career. 

Now a fresh 39 years young, Hunter has played for only 3 teams in his 17 year career; the Twins, Angels, and Tigers. He's been an All-Star at least once with all of those teams (very spread out too, first in 2002 and most recently in 2013) and has played alongside some of the bigger names of our generation: Big Papi in Minnesota from 1997 to 2002 and Mike Trout 2011 and 2012 and now Miguel Cabrera and his fashion rival Justin Verlander. He's been on some big teams, but has never won a ring.

Hunter's first big league appearance came in 1997 - it is the absolutely definition of a cup of coffee. Hunter came on in an August 22nd game when the Twins were fighting a losing battle to the Orioles (down 3-1 in the 9th inning) and a losing battle to the 1997 season (Twins were 52-74). Hall of Famer and current Twins hitting coach Paul Molitor flew out to center to lead off the 9th. After a Scott Stahoviak walk and Terry Steinbach single, O's starter Scott Erickson was removed from the game to make way for closer Randy Myers, who would eventually retire the next two batters - but a young 21 year old pinch runner Torii Hunter came on and didn't leave first base for the game. He didn't see playing time the rest of the season. 

Hunter would not break rookie status for another two years in 1999 when he hit .255 with 9 home runs and 10 steals. An aggressively average season, and certainly an experience from which he has learned, considering he is now a .279 hitter with a career .466 slugging %, 9 Gold Gloves, and over 2200 hits. 

I reference Mike Trout earlier. Trout is obviously one of the biggest names in the game today, yet referred to Hunter as his mentor. Coming from Trout, who has led the galaxy in WAR the last three years and will have a bevy of MVPs in his future, that is high praise for Hunter. Angels columnist Alden Gonzalez has a full write up here. 

That's what makes Hunter so great. He's great to have on the field, but he's great off the field. Not just from his nice watches and suits, but because he makes the other players around him so much better. I'm not saying Big Papi owes all of his success to Hunter or that Trout should share his awards with Hunter but considering the similarities in their mindset: humility, gratitude, thankfulness to coaches, etc., it is obvious that he rubs off on a lot of young players. I'd be willing to bet that when Austin Jackson's career is said and done, he'll tribute some of his success to Hunter too. We'll see.

Hunter is a great player and an even better person. Here's some of my favorite tidbits:

• His postgame interview last summer when the Tigers and White Sox game got a little chippy.
• In his first All-Star Game, 26-year old Hunter robbing Barry Bonds of a home run after Bonds set the single season home run record.
• His interview with Jim Rome after LeBron James left Game 1 of the NBA Finals this year (warning: colorful material).

Here's to you, TNutts. 

Thanks for reading. 

2014 Predictions: AL Central

The AL Central was a tough one to decide. A lot of teams are on the upswing right now and truthfully I think between the Tigers and Indians, it's anybody's race with the Royals playing an excellent spoiler. Give it a few years and I think we could see them at the top of the list here too. Here's what I have going into 2014:

1. Detroit 95-67
The Tigers went through a major facelift this offseason, removing some of their major power in Prince Fielder and acquiring more speed in Rajai Davis (45 steals in 108 games in 2013), a balanced attack in 3-time All-Star Ian Kinsler (.277, 15 steals, 13 home runs, 72 RBI's in 136 games). The bullpen, consistently the Tigers' worry for the past few years, was also revamped, signing closing stud Joe Nathan to two years as well as Joba Chamberlain to bolster the back end of the bullpen. Expect Bruce Rondon to pick up more innings as he hones his offspeed pitches in Florida. Jose Iglesias will be the every day human-highlight reel, locking down the middle infield with the sure-handed (sometimes) Kinsler. Under new management, April will be slow (when isn't it for the Tigers), especially with highly touted rookie Nick Castellanos starting at third, but Ausmus will right the ship and the league's best rotation will right the wrongs. 

2. Cleveland 93-69
Opposite of the Tigers, the Tribe will have their classic hot start, but they won't be as inconsistent as last year (2 5-game losing streaks, ending the season with a 10-game winning streak). Ubaldo Jimenez has gone to Baltimore, so that will put more weight on youngster Danny Salazar to perform well in his number two position. I can see him having a great year, between 15-20 wins and a 3.30 or so ERA. Chris Perez is also gone, which is honestly a blessing. Last season, he pitched in 54 games but only completed 25 saves. In addition, the bullpen lost submariner Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano, but did pick up veteran hurler John Axford, who has been shaky as a closer to say the least. Pitching aside, the Indians can just plain hit. Last year they finished 4th in the AL in runs scored and that should only go up this year. Bourn is a demon on the base paths, and Kipnis/Cabrera both had down years (hard to believe .284 is down for Kip). Rumor has it Santana may move to third to give slugging Brazilian backstop Yan Gomes a shot at the everyday catching position. With the addition of David Murphy, Michael Brantley's extension, and Raburn holding down the right field corner, the Indians outfield crew is legit. With the veteran (and incredibly bro-tastic) leadership of Nick Swisher, Jason Giambi, and Tito, expect to see the Tribe in October. I would not be surprised with them win the division, but their rotation is an area of concern.

3. Kansas City 86-76
Another great young team that I think has an outside shot at the wild card, if not the division. Once the Royals hired George Brett as their hitting coach, they went on a tear and did not look back. With James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie and newly acquired Justin Vargas heading the rotation, their team ERA will be very good and bullpen will not have to do a lot of work, even if they do have All-Star Greg Holland waiting. Bruce Chen also always is a respectable spot starter, going 9-4 last year, and Danny Duffy will get the ball more often as well. On the other side of the ball, the Royals have one of the youngest lineups in the league. Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas (coolest name in the league if you ask me) and Salvador Perez all are still under the age of 28, and Alex Gordon is reaching his prime and just turned 30 earlier this month. Omar Infante is the elder statesmen (hard to believe) of Kauffman Stadium, entering his age 32 season and coming off of an incredible .318/.345/.450 campaign in division-rival Detroit. The Royals are still very young and need a few more pieces to the puzzle, like an everyday right fielder. If their tablesetters do their job, then Hosmer and Butler will have a blast. 

4. Chicago 71-91
There is not a whole lot to be excited about on the South Side this year other than Abreu and Chris Sale. Adam Eaton is a great pick up from Arizona, finally securing an everyday center fielder who can get on base consistently, but they had to give up Addison Reed, leaving the back end of the bullpen exposed. Avisail Garcia will be the everyday right fielder, supplying a healthy balance of power and speed to the lineup. He still has a lot of maturing to do, but when he's grown into his absurdly athletic frame, he'll be fun to watch. Last year, the only pitcher that had a winning record was Jake Peavy, who is now in Boston wearing a big old championship. Sale went 11-14 still with nasty stuff, and a lot of that is in part of the lack of offense. Hopefully Abreu can help with that but with the infield essentially as a revolving door and Alexei Ramirez as the defensively worst shortstop in the league, the Sox won't be much of a threat.

5. Minnesota 69-93
Even less of a threat will be the Twins up north. If the snow ever goes away, they'll finally get to playing up in the beautiful Target Field. With Justin Morneau gone to Pittsburgh, Mauer will have a lot of pressure on his head and shoulders (please tell me you got the joke), but adding veteran Kurt Suzuki will help foster the rotation. Byron Buxton, one of the most talked about prospects in modern years, will probably make his debut, and let's be honest, the Twins don't have a lot to lose in the outfield so he might as well start every day. The rotation picked up Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, both solid guys that won't be in the Cy Young conversation but will get 10-12 wins each. Legend Paul Molitor joined the coaching staff as well, so they have a recipe for success, but there still a few AAAA (players too good for minors but not good enough for majors) plugging the remaining holes such as Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Parmelee, and Aaron Hicks. Also, I will go on record that Glen Perkins is one of the best closers in the league, but he so rarely gets save opportunities so he can never really shine. I had him on my fantasy team last year and he was an absolute stud - 2-0, 2.30 ERA, 36 saves, and only blew 4. Gardenhire knows what he's doing and the Twins won't be in the cellar much longer, but this won't be the Twins year.