Rick Anderson and Minor League Coaches
Sirsean and I were discussing the other day the importance of Rick Anderson to the pitching staff. We decided it was totally overrated. Now, don’t get me wrong, Anderson is a great pitching coach. However, we feel that he is getting too much credit for the performance of our pitchers. At least recently. The five current starters were studs in the minors and continued that success in the majors. Anderson does a fine job preparing them for games (much like Dave Duncan does for the Cards, for those of you who read “Three Nights in August”). But when it comes to pitcher development, all of that is done by the minor league instructors. The Twins have some of the best in the business in that regard. Everyone says “Andy (a terrible nickname by the by, its not so much a nickname as it is just a different name) will work his magic on so and so. When has he ever done this. Sidney Ponson? Ramon Ortiz? Livan Hernandez? The only old pitchers the Twins have had in the Gardy years that have been effective have been Rick Reed and Kenny Rogers. Both were above average when we got them, and just kept doing what they had been doing. Now, I’m sure developing pitchers is a small part of what a major league pitching coach does. So I’m by no means calling for Anderson to be fired, but can we stop calling him a pitching God? He pours over scouting reports with pitchers, and sets up a game plan for how they can use what they have to attack hitters. Oddly, he seems to preach groundballs, when most of our starters are extreme fly ball pitchers. When he comes along a pitcher who is more of a strikeout “thrower” (Matt Garza) instead of a control “pitcher” (Kevin Slowey) he doesn’t know what to do. He tries to force everyone into his mold, even if that is not where the pitcher’s strengths lie. It didn’t work with Garza or Lohse. Everyone says it was because they are head cases (you can probably include me in that group). I do not think its fair to blame a player for getting frustrated when a coach is trying to change his approach this late (late being once he reaches the majors) in his career.
I am very happy with our current rotation, and how they play the game. Lets start giving credit to the Cliburn’s and all the other minor league coaches, in addition to the credit Anderson gets. We should also stop assuming Anderson can work his “magic” on any crappy veteran pitcher we sign (RA Dickey, Luis Ayala, etc.) you can only coach up so much talent.
I’m sure everyone is thinking “Where in the hell do you get off criticizing the best pitching coach in the AL?” Fair point. I just wanted to bring this topic to light. Who are some of the other “projects” Anderson has worked on. Where has he succeeded and where has he failed? Silva is one that comes to mind where he both succeeded and failed.
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Off the top of my head I can’t think of any free agent “project” that worked. At all. We do always bring in these guys, and are told that The Great Rick Anderson will work on them and make them AMAZING AT BASEBALL. But, you know, it never happens. And every single time, it’s the pitcher’s fault. At what point is “Andy” no longer The Great Rick Anderson, and merely Rick Anderson, the pitching coach.
Garza and Lohse had great arms and needed some guidance to turn them into good pitchers. Anderson said “You know what you need? A sinker!” Arguing with The Great Rick Anderson is a futile effort, of course; people will simply call you a headcase and a malcontent, even though you’re not a sinkerball pitcher and the pitching coach is supposed to guide you toward success while considering who you are as a pitcher, not treat you exactly the same as he treats everyone else — which just happens to be his own unwavering opinion on the one and only type of pitcher that can possibly exist.
And, um, notice what Dave Duncan did with Kyle Lohse almost immediately upon getting his hands on him. And note that Santana’s success was due to RADKE teaching him a changeup that he worked on with the Cliburns during a rehab stint after an injury.
Rick Anderson has exactly zero responsibility for any of the pitchers currently on the roster. Isn’t it about time for him to adapt to that?
Next you’ll be saying that Joe Vavra teaches hitters to hit a certain way and that way sometimes conflicts with a hitter’s natural ability to hit…then you’ll say it’s a systemic problem of the Twins organization that holds back players from becoming great.
Yes, yes we will.
The one good thing I’ve ever heard of Joe Vavra doing was working with Morneau in 2005 when Vavra was the hitting coach at AAA. Vavra took Morneau’s strengths and weaknesses in stride and did not attempt to ignore them; rather, he worked with Morneau to build confidence and strength and adjust his swing to emphasize his strengths. Which is what a hitting coach should do.
Morneau was so pleased by the work Vavra had done with him that he recommended Vavra be promoted to the big club. That recommendation is why he’s here. And he has apparently regressed to the Anderson method.
But we’re not here to talk about Vavra. I don’t think anyone overrates him.
I’ve been saying all along that Andy is an average at best pitching coach. In addition to not being able to turn lost causes around, there have been way too many injuries to young Twins’ pitchers during his tenure some of them severe (Mays, Crain, Liriano, Neshek, Balfour, Reyes, Perkins et al). In addition several pitchers who were considered busts with the Twins were able to turn it around with other organizations. Probably the best example here (but the least known) is Mike Nakamura (the Ausie/Japanese sidearmer) who after he left the Twins became the best closer in Japan putting Joe Nathan-type of numbers. What Andy does well is to click the pitch count clicker and get pitchers out after 100… I never heard of a particular new pitch being taught to pitchers, just mechanics changes which do not always work (as Deolis Guerra)
Anderson is constantly harping on the sinker for all the pitchers, regardless of whether or not they know how to throw it or if it will fit into their repertoire.
And I don’t know if Anderson had anything to do with Guerra’s mechanics change — the Twins organization may have forced that on him because they wanted to avoid another Liriano-esque flameout based on a too-violent delivery. But it does worry me that Guerra’s down to an 85 MPH fastball.
I probably wouldn’t use Nakamura as an example, given the difference between the AL and the NPB. But if someone’s doing great in Japan, they’re PROBABLY good enough to play in the majors.
Anderson = better coach than Gardenhire
I really didn’t think this many people would agree with me. Its good to know I’m not taking crazy pills.
G’day! As an Australia-based Twins fan, I found your blog on google and read a few of your other Twins posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.