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As I sit here writing this article, it is Sunday night and I find my mind drifting back to something I said in this column a little over two years ago. In that column I asserted that managers like Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa, and Bobby Cox were considered by many to be the best in baseball. I then went on to say that, although this trio of skippers were all-time greats, I would choose a different manager if I was a team owner. I said that I would pick Ron Gardenhire. A number of folks who read that column came right out and said they thought I was crazy. Others said they didn’t even know who Ron Gardenhire is. Several people, three to be exact, said they agreed with my choice. Today, if I had to make the same selection, I would again pick Gardenhire hands down. |
This season Gardenhire has again taken a Twins team that has mediocre talent and a low payroll and led them right into the thick of the American League playoff race. The Twins’ accomplishments in 2006 have surprised most so called experts. Picked by most pundits to finish in next-to-last place in the American League Central, Minnesota is currently battling the White Sox for second place and even has an outside chance to catch the front running Tigers. Two months ago no one in their right mind would have thought this possible.
Minnesota played horrid baseball in April and May, hitting poorly and committing a number of costly errors in the field. Ace hurler Johan Santana was inconsistent, as was stalwart Brad Radke. Only rookie sensation Francisco Liriano was pitching well.
My how things have changed.
Minnesota, managed by the soft-spoken but baseball savvy Gardenhire, began to right the ship in late June and soon thereafter went on a streak that saw the Twins win 35 out of 42 games. During the streak, the Twins played solid baseball in all facets of the game. Liriano continued to pitch so well that opposing players began reaching for the Portable-Pepto days before they knew they would be facing the talented young southpaw. Santana began pitching like he did back in his Cy Young year of 2004. Radke came back around as well and, all of a sudden, the Twins had the best front three pitching rotation in the American League. Add to this a solid bullpen with closer Joe Nathan and it became apparent that Minnesota would do much better than its predicted fourth place finish.
Minnesota’s offense blossomed as well. Joe Mauer has led the league in hitting for most of the season and Justin Morneau began blasting balls out of the yard with regularity. Young players like Nick Punto and Lew Ford also came up with timely hits, as did veterans like Michael Cuddyer, Torii Hunter, and former Marlin Luis Castillo.
The Twins began scoring runs in droves.
Since that hot streak, Minnesota has continued to play well and, as of Sunday night, is in first place in the race for the AL Wild Card. The Twins are in second place and only five games behind Detroit for the division lead.
No one, I repeat, no one, expected this.
Gardenhire deserves much of the credit for Minnesota’s turnaround. The Twins’ skipper has been a quiet but effective motivator for this young team and, like he did when he led a roster of rotating players to three straight division titles from 2002 - 2004, pushed all the right buttons at all the right times. Let’s give credit where credit is due. Few managers in baseball could have been as successful as the underrated Gardenhire who consistently gets the most out of what he has to work with.
Whether or not the Twins can make the post-season remains to be seen. Liriano went down with an elbow injury three weeks ago and when he returns, it is doubtful he can return to the form he demonstrated earlier in the season. Radke also recently went on the Disabled List and is not certain when he will be back. Still, the Twins can’t be counted out. It seems Gardenhire and his team of no-names always find a way to win.
The final month of the season should be interesting to say the least. Detroit and Chicago are both solid teams. The Tigers, even though they have faltered somewhat in August, still have the best record in baseball. Chicago has been markedly inconsistent, but has a talented roster.
Will the Twins play deep into October? Stay tuned.