Minnesota Twins: Will the Twins Coaching Staff Doom Josh Willingham?

Josh Willingham figures to be one of the Minnesota Twins' most important offseason acquisitions in 2012. The Twins will be relying on Willingham to replace some of the power that they lost when Michael Cuddyer to the Colorado Rockies.

Many people have assumed that Willingham is comparable to Cuddyer in that they are both pull hitters that are able to put the ball into the seats on a regular basis. While hitting home runs isn't a bad thing, the Twins coaching staff has deemed that pulling the ball is a cardinal sin in the book of the "Twins Way."

There have been several players that have recently left the Twins and found greater success, in terms of power numbers, when joining their new teams.

The most notable was Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. Over his career with the Twins, Ortiz averaged 21 home runs and 85 runs batted in per 162 games. However, when Ortiz left for Boston after the 2002 season, his numbers exploded to 41 home runs and 130 runs batted in over 162 games.

Ortiz blamed this on the Twins wanting him to pull the ball the other way rather than using his raw power to force it over the right field baggie in the Metrodome.

A counter argument to this could be that Ortiz moved to one of the best hitters park in baseball in Fenway Park, and also joined a lineup that had Manny Ramirez hitting behind him rather than Torii Hunter, Corey Koskie or the five-hitter du jour in the Twins lineup.

Ortiz also had a broken wrist in 2001 that required surgery. Oddly enough, the Twins seem to be pointing to a wrist when it comes to the latest power hitter to get out of Minnesota and explode.

Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy criticized the Twins last week for them coaching him to take the ball the other way.

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"That was my approach for the Twins,'' Hardy said on Monday. "And then [Baltimore hitting coach Jim] Presley's approach was 'I want you to drive the ball. I want you to hit homers. I want you to do what you did in '07 and '08 with Milwaukee.'''

That would result in Hardy pulling the ball more and launching a career-high 30 home runs. When asked about the sudden turnaround for Hardy, Joe Vavra had this to say to Phil Mackey of ESPN1500.com.

"When J.J. came from Milwaukee, he really had a lack of confidence after getting sent back down to the minor leagues," Vavra said. "So what we were trying to do is get some balance back in his swing.  We definitely tried to get him to use that pull side, but I think he hit some balls in our ballpark that didn't go out. ... Plus, he hurt his wrist. ..."

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Hardy suffered a wrist injury in 2010 that would limit him to 101 games and just six home runs. Even if the injury and the ballpark were to blame for Hardy's performance, how can the Twins explain the late season power surge of Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young?

Young hit just four home runs in 305 at-bats for the Twins before being traded to Detroit in July. Suddenly, Young started hitting balls out of Comerica Park, hitting 18 home runs in 202 at-bats (including the postseason, where he hit five).

Despite the Twins adamantly denying that they ever told any of them to not pull the ball to their strength, the evidence presented suggests otherwise.

This all spells bad news for Willingham as he tries to become a pillar of stability in the Twins lineup. Will the Twins let Willingham do what he does best and drive the ball to left field? Or will the Twins coaching staff cement Willingham's spot in the Terry Ryan Free-Agent Hall of Fame?