Twins Success All About the System
The superstitious will demand that when
the Twins move their locker room and offices from the Metrodome to
Target Field they must take along the water coolers. The less informed
may believe the organization’s winning ways and stubborn will not to
give up can be attributed to the water consumed by the front office,
manager, coaches and players. In fact, the franchise has a system
worthy of study at the University of Minnesota business school, if not
Harvard.
After yesterday’s incredible 12
inning tie-breaking win over
Detroit, the Twins have now won five Central Division championships
in the last eight years. To win the latest title the team had to come back from
three games behind the Tigers with four to play on the regular season schedule.
The never-give-up franchise serves up
comebacks with the best organizations in baseball. The Twins spent much
of 2009 playing less than .500 baseball, but yesterday finished 87 and
76, winning 17 of their last 21 games. They followed the blueprint of
comebacks in other seasons when the team started slow including in 2003
when the Twins went 47-31 to win the Central after having a 43-41 record
in mid-July.
Characteristics that define winning
organizations in business are visible with the Twins. Among those
characteristics is a confidence that the franchise knows how to win.
Manager Ron
Gardenhire and his staff didn’t panic this season when the pitching
staff was imploding because of injuries and poor performance. They
didn’t stop teaching players and doing the best they could when problems
were also evident at third base, second base and left field.
Pitching coach Rick Anderson
rebuilt a staff during the season, offering suggestions and
encouragement to some guys not even on the roster at the All-Star
break. In the last days of the season the pitching responded
remarkably, both among the starters (only two of five remained from the
early season rotation) and bullpen.
Gardenhire tightened the defense in
September, putting Matt Tolbert at third and Nick Punto
at
second. That’s the Twins way. Emphasize pitching, defense and always
fundamentals in every aspect of baseball. And team play. One guy goes
down, another has an opportunity.
Michael Cuddyer moved from right
field to first base and went nuts at the plate hitting eight of his 32
home runs and producing 24 of his 92 RBIs in the final weeks of the
season. Left fielder Delmon Young emerged as an unlikely hero
producing 15 hits in his last 42 at bats including three home runs and 15
RBI.
Substitutes were
dramatic in yesterday's win. Center fielder Carlos Gomez,
who scored the winning run in the 6-5 victory, had a .143 batting
average during limited play in September. Second baseman Alexi
Casilla, who drove in the winning run, hadn't
played since September 29.
A successful organization must be able to
evaluate talent, and the team’s front office including general manager
Billy Smith deserves credit for a farm system that produced
in-season acquisitions like left handed starter Brian Duensing
and catcher Jose Morales, plus acquired talent from other major
league clubs. While a lot of fans were feeling sorry for themselves
when the team acquired shortstop Orlando Cabrera in late July, he
was a big reason why the Twins were so good late in the season. Front
office evaluators brought in additional contributors from other teams in
relief pitchers Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay.
Over the years has the organization made
personnel mistakes? Moved too slowly to retain players or trade for
others? Sure, but this organization has shown a skill for
identifying and developing players. For example, Joe Mauer,
Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and Cuddyer were all
draft choices.
The Twins operate within a system of
loyalty and stability. The front office people are usually promoted
from within. The players are nurtured and groomed to not only help the
franchise win, but also to enhance their careers (encouraged, for
example, to learn how to play multiple positions). Patience is usually
extended to all concerned.
All of this and more has created an
environment that gives the organization the best chance to win. It is
classic business management.
Now the Twins must target another 2009
miracle, beat the Yankees in the playoffs. The Yankees had baseball’s
best regular season record and have a home field advantage. They must
drink some pretty good water, too.
