Morneau scractched. Roster moves. Lineups are up. Henry Sanchez crushes one
Posted on March 31st, 2009 – 8:37 AMBy La Velle
Twins first baseman Justin Morneau was scratched today after this back tightened up during batting practice. “Not a big deal,” he said. The Twins decided not to risk any further injury. Brock Peterson replaced Morneau at first base.
Catcher Jose Morales was told this morning that he will begin the season with the major league club. He began having flashbacks to events over the past couple of years, debuting in Chicago, injuring his ankle, trying to play on a bad ankle last year before having season-ending surgery.
“Then I started crying,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Drew Butera looked to have the edge to be on the Opening Day roster, as he was stronger defensively (which goes a long way with the pitching staff). But Morales made up enough ground since then to get the nod. He’s a switch-hitter with a good bat, which is a plus.
“We had a very, very tough decision on this one,” Twins general manager Bill Smith said. “Both Drew Butera and Jose Morales have played very well this year. Ultimately, Morales is an offensive catcher. Butera is a very good defensive catcher. And I think Jose has had a little more experience. He’s played at triple-A. We wanted to give him this chance.
“He’s a good fit with Mike Redmond. And Morales has improved his catching a lot during this spring training. The coaching staff has talked to him about cleaning up his catching and he’s worked very hard at it.”
Lefthnader Jose Mijares was cut from camp this morning after showing up overweight and posting a 9.90 ERA. Mirares told the media that he would be back in June, but Smith said he told Mijares to get ready as soon as he can because the Twins have frequently made mid-April pitching call ups.
In addition to Mijares and Butera, infielder Alejandro Machado also has been cut. Catcher Jeff Christy has been told he wil stick around until Saturday.
Was told that the decision on the final bullpen spot will be made soon, but the decision on the final backup infield spot could come down to the last day.
Outfielder Michael Cuddyer is in the Twin Cities having his left index finger examined. I was told its just a routine checkup and that he’s expected back in time to play in tomorrow’s game.
Carlos Gomez is leaving after batting practice today to take his pregnant wife to a routine check up.
Joe Mauer, working his way back from a sore sacroiliac joint, was on the field with the rest of the team this morning to play catch. Mauer squatted as he caught throws of up to 100 feet from Jason Kubel. One Twins official I spoke with this morning emphasized that Mauer is expected to rejoin the team sometime in April - whether it’s two or three weeks -or a little longer into April remains to be seen.
Joe Crede told me he will probably sit out the next couple of games to left his swollen right hand heal. Crede was plunked by a Matt Garza pitch yesterday. “No sense in pushing it,” he said.
Because Cuddyer and Gomez aren’t around. There’s a very interesting right fielder today.
Forgot to mention that Henry Sanchez, the Twins’ sandwich pick in 2005, hit a loooooong home run yesterday while playing for Class A Beloit. The oft-injured Sanchez, who is running out of time, recently had his knee drained. While the Twins initially wanted him to open the season at Class A Fort Myers, he’ll likely open the season as Beloit’s first baseman.
Lineups
Pirates
1. Nyjer Morgan, LF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B.
3. Nate McLouth, CF
4. Eric Hinske, DH
5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
6. Brandon Moss, RF
7. Ramon Vazquez, 3B
8. Jack Wilson, SS
9. Jason Jaramillo, C
Pitching: Jeff Karstens
Twins
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, SS
3. Brendan Harris, 2B
4. Jason Kubel, LF
5. Brian Buscher, 3B
6. Mike Redmond, C
7. Matt Moses, 2003 first-round pick. DH
8. Brock Peterson, 1B
9. Chris Parmelee, 2006 first-round pick, RF
Pitching: Nick Blackburn, Luis Ayala, Joe Nathan - Nathan will pitch the first of back-to-back outings as he gets ready for prime time.
384 Responses to "Morneau scractched. Roster moves. Lineups are up. Henry Sanchez crushes one"
Very suprised about the back up catching situation.
Thanks, La Velle!
So the cuts were only Machado and Mijares, right? I assume that Butera is sticking with the club until they break camp, based on what you wrote.
Good news about Mauer. Let’s hope that he stays away only for the minimum 15 days
I like the decisions made by BS and company thus far. Boy am I ready for opening day!
It will be fun to see what Morales can do. Let’s hope Mijares can figure things out at AAA because I have a feeling we are going to need him at some point. Jeff Christy!?! Center for the Vikings Jeff Christy? He plays catcher too?
So really there are two bullpen spots, then. I would assume that Mijares getting cut means that Duensing made the team, but is that set in stone?
With the nod to keep switch hitting Morales over Butera on the 25 man roster, I see no reason why anyone could defend taking Buscher north over Tolbert and Harris.
Butera was cut. I made that clarification.
Joe Crede said he’ll miss a couple games with a sore hand but it’s not serious. That’s been added to the post.
thrylos, no, Butera will be sent down. That was the big news about Morales sticking.
Delmon’s shoulder - any reason for more concern than being indicated….
Does that mean Smith and Gardy are disagreeing on players like he and Ryan did occassionally?
LaVelle,
What the hell is the outfield going to look like today with Gomez playing Mr. Mom, Cuddy in the Twin Cities and Young out with a bum should? Is Span going to play all three spots by himself?
Should be an interesting outfield today
You have to think that with Morales staying around, that’s more of a vote of confidence for the pitchers and their ability to control games from the mound than anything.
K - Buscher third catcher
Thanks LaVelle. These decisions get me excited because it means the season is approaching fast. Now the real decision…Harris or Tolbert?
So much for that edge Butera had.
Special K,
Tolbert and Harris may be kept, but not because Morales will be a LH pinch hitter.
You don’t want to waste your “other” catcher in that spot, and then have your starting catcher get injured.
In an emergency, OK; but not part of a plan.
Are you telling me that Reusse had it wrong?
First Kevin Love, now Jose Morales?
I would assume that Mijares getting cut means that Duensing made the team, but is that set in stone?
I hope not. Dickey out-pitched him this spring and deserves a spot before Duensing.
Read my lips…THERE IS ZERO SHOT THEY CUT HARRIS
All you people who think Harris is not a look can’t be serious
Sorry…lock not look
I TOLD ALL YOU THAT BUTERA SUCKS! HaHa!!!
La Velle, thanks for the clarification 
another question: I assume that both Butera and Mijares were optioned to Rochester and not New Britain, correct?
(Machado was re-assigned so no need for an option there)
And, darn, what a lineup today!
98 Burtera was assigned to AAA.
It said Final decision on infield roster spot will be made Sat. So does that mean that one of them between Buscher, Tolbert and Harris is in but on the other two a decision will have to be made? If so, who’s in at this point, and who is the final decision of two involve?
Interesting……….
I am Topp Dogg…….
It has to be Harris and Tolbert. Tolbert is too valuable because of his versitility and speed to not make to club.
I really hope that they decide to go with 11 pitchers at the last second. Dickey has shown to be good out of the pen but a Knuckleball reliever still makes me nervous. Duensing should continue to groom himself as a starter in AAA. IMO
I think we need Buscher, Harris, and Tolbert.
If Tolbert goes to AAA he take AB’s from valuable prospects like Hughes.
Special K says:
“With the nod to keep switch hitting Morales over Butera on the 25 man roster, I see no reason why anyone could defend taking Buscher north over Tolbert and Harris.”
That’s silly given that Morales is the 2nd of only 2 catchers; Gardenhire is not going to be using Morales as a bat off of the bench- based on his past moves.
It said Final decision on infield roster spot will be made Sat. So does that mean that one of them between Buscher, Tolbert and Harris is in but on the other two a decision will have to be made? If so, who’s in at this point, and who is the final decision of two involve?
Topp Dogg,
Harris has no options. He is in. The other 2 have. It will be between your boy and Tolbert. The loser goes to Rochester.
I smell one of those blockbuster Billy Smith trades coming! (or awaiting Crede finger)
Too much has been made about Buscher being a backup 1B. Just about anybody can do that. Put Cuddy or Delmon there.
Talk about the D squad!
Moses at DH…what a fall from being a first round pick and having decent prospect status.
“I think we need Buscher, Harris, and Tolbert.”
No one needs Buscher, Harris and Tolbert.
Heck, put a glove on Kubel and have him take some grounders at 1st.
OK 98.
Then who is it? Buscher or Tolbert?
I am Topp Dogg? And why wait unitl Sat., you know they know their decision now. So go ahead and announce it already!
I am Topp Dogg……..
Does anyone else find it odd that Cuddy would fly to MN for a routine checkup? If it was so routine, seems like he would have gotten it looked at before ST or once they break camp in a week. I wonder if something happened that we don’t know about yet.
Kubel, Span and Tolbert
I agree that Buscher isn’t as valuable as Tolbert, but its clear he’ll make the club. It might be that the Twins want to do a pseudo-platoon with Crede until they are confident in his back. Maybe Buscher plays 2 games a week at 3B, and Crede 4 or 5?
Regarding Morales, maybe this decision is about 2010. Find out if Morales is a suitable backup to Mauer and whether need to bring Redmond back. He’ll be a free agent next offseason.
Delmon cannot play at first base. That would require him to pay attention to the game. He would end up taking a line drive off his forehead.
““I think we need Buscher, Harris, and Tolbert.”
No one needs Buscher, Harris and Tolbert.”
CORRECTION: No one needs Buscher, Harris OR Tolbert.
by not cutting Dickey the Twins are considering only having 1 lefty in the pen. If they were confident in Duensing they would of cut Dickey today so if Dickey pitches good thursday i could see them keeping him
Anybody can play 1B at least as well as they can play LF.
Anyone else want to think that Morales will injure himself the first game??
Harris and Tolbert should go up no doubt about it, i like buscher but doesn’t fit right now he goes to rochester and waits for a call, get’s him a little fired up in the meantime. At least the problem is TOO many good players to choose from, I remember years when there was no decisions like this..lol
Does anyone else find it odd that Cuddy would fly to MN for a routine checkup?
when you have surgery it is routine to have a routine check up by the doctor who operated. Cuddyer had his operation in MN, that’s why he is flying there.
buscher is a dh without power. he has no value in the field, harris and tolbert can play any infield spot, both are decent on the bases. buscher is slow and can’t field, the decision is clear keep buscher.
also, sure they want Cuddy looked at before breaking camp in case of potential issues - or Twins are hoping to solve the outfield situation medically.
Maybe Buscher plays 2 games a week at 3B, and Crede 4 or 5?
they can have Harris play 2 games a week there and would hot have a black hole defensively.
I think that Buscher, based on his lack of versatility and one-dimensionality (LH PH) does not make the club. It might make sense for the Twins to try to work a trade with a NL club that might be looking for a LH PH. This would probably work better for both Buscher and the Twins.
trish - lol - NOW we have the Buscher answer - in case needed to catch.
98 I certainly understand that but there is discretion in scheduling. The thing that I find odd is that it would be scheduled smack in the middle of ST. He will be in MN for good next week and was up there for TwinsFest back in January.
My guess is Buscher will be the last cut (besides Christy).
thrylos98,
Trade Harris?
“I TOLD ALL YOU THAT BUTERA SUCKS! HaHa”
If Butera getting cut, indicates that he sucks, then Guerrier sticking would indicate that Guerrier is not done, like you told us.
But, don’t worry.
No one pays attention to you, anyway.
trish, why would you want to think that Morales will get injured?
Given the Twins track record with selecting defense over offense, I am really surprised by the selection of Morales. However, I think the Twins were thinking about the loss of Mauer and maybe getting an extra bat in the lineup. Also, maybe Morales showed a better command behind the plate.
The knock on Morneau was that he was a defensive down grade at first when he was brought up after Doug was traded to the Red Sox. However, Morneau has proven to be an awesome defensive first baseman. Maybe Morales will be our Catcher in a few years when Mauer goes to New York.
I wish todays game was on FSN i would like to see both Parmalee and Moses play. Does anyone know where these guys will be starting this year AAA, AA?
Parmelee will probably be at AA… as for Moses, he should be in the bigs by now except for that he’s no good.
It’s too bad because the jokes would write themselves for a guy named Moses. He could hit a bases-clearing double and let his people go.
Trade Harris?
Why? He is more versatile than Buscher, has more gap power, much better defensively and the Twins have more than enough LHB and SH
Who’s better Matt Moses or John Moses?
BC of ND,
“i would like to see both Parmalee and Moses play. Does anyone know where these guys will be starting this year AAA, AA?”
My guess:
Parmelee at High-A (Fort Myers)
Moses in Indy League (St. Paul Saints)
I’m kidding! - AA
Harris doesn’t bowl.
Parmelee isn’t going to start at AA.
He hasn’t been to High-A yet.
Good for Parmelee! I hope he has a good game, maybe goes yard once! I like seeing guys like that mixed into a more standard, regular lineup. This is a huge spring for Matt Moses. He could go back to New Britain for about the 4th straight season.
sane, I think that Whitney Robbins will probably start as the Miracle’s first baseman, backed up by Johnny Woodard. With Brock Peterson up in Rochester there is a hole at 1B in New Britain that was closed by committee (Lis, Moses, Winfree) after Peterson moved up late last season (He moved to Rochester when Ruiz moved to the Twins.) I suspect that Winfree will be in Rochester, as well, so Parmelee will probably be in New Britain, because he is ahead of the other guys (Robbins, Woodard). It would be a good thing for him.
Ben W,
Maybe Trish was refering to Morales’ record of being injured in EVERY ML game he plays
Regards,
I’d like to see the Twins keep Dickey as “the other left-hander” in addition to Breslow. IMO, a right handed knuckler can fill that void.
Oh, I thought maybe she had some kind of unhealthy crush on Drew “Bootsie” Butera.
Parmelee isn’t going to start at AA.
He hasn’t been to High-A yet.
Actually, the quality of competition between the Midwest league (A, Beloit Snappers) where Parmelee played and the Florida State League (high A, Ft. Myers Miracle) is not that much different. The Midwest league is an A league and not a low A league (like the New York/Penn or Northwest leagues), where the competition level is close to a high rookie league (like the Appalachian League)
whit robbins will play 1B in New Britain this year after playing the position in Ft. Myers the last couple of seasons. Parmelee will certainly be playing in Ft. Myers this year.
t98,
Parmelee needs to succeed at High-A before he is allowed to fail at AA.
The other guys you mentioned are JAGS, so rushing (and ruining) them is not as disasterous as rushing (and ruining) Parmelee.
The Twins may do as you suggest, but IMO that would be beyond dangerous and approaching suicidal for Parmelee.
Seth,
I thought that Robbins was still “somewhat learning” the position after his transition there from 3B in 2007. Don’t you think that they might want to “fast-track” Parmelee (see Plouffe), because he is probably the best power hitting prospect in the system, to a league where the curve and the slider is thrown a bit more, than the FSL?
Robbins is 24 and played college ball.
Parmelee is 21 and played High School ball.
Robbins is more prepared for AA and his clock is ticking.
Robbins played 1B and 3B at Georgia Tech.
I can see merit in doing it either way… Robbins is not a bad player. He did have an awful 2007, but he rebounded big time last season. AA would help him also. Just not the kind of prospect Paremelee is…
Robbins was THE 1B at Georgia Tech until Wes Hodges was injured and forced to play 1B, which shifted Robbins to 3B.
t98,
“Don’t you think that they might want to “fast-track” Parmelee (see Plouffe)”
Fast-track is seldom the Twins MO.
Plouffe made every stop and even repeated AA.
Tolbert is too versatile to cut. Someone will get hurt soon he can replace any of the outfield and infield positions without us losing much. We are talking about a back-up player to keep, why would you cut a BENCH player that can play so many positions, has very good speed and has a good eye at the plate and a switch hitter.
Robbins was THE 1B at Georgia Tech
Robbins had great college numbers, indeed. But unless they get away from the aluminum “bats”, college batting numbers (esp. power numbers) do not mean that much.
Punto batted .284 last year
Tolbert Batted .283
Tolbert will make the team no doubt. It’s our starters who I am concerned about. Mainly Span and Crede producing.
Dragon,
You would be correct. Hence why I have a good probability of winning a bet of him getting injured.
t98,
“Robbins had great college numbers, indeed. But unless they get away from the aluminum “bats”, college batting numbers (esp. power numbers) do not mean that much.”
I was referring to his experience as a first-baseman and responding to your “I thought that Robbins was still “somewhat learning” the position after his transition there from 3B in 2007″ comment.
The decision has already been made “Butcher” will go to Rochester, but he wont be there long.
sane,
got it.
“Don’t you think that they might want to “fast-track” Parmelee (see Plouffe), because he is probably the best power hitting prospect in the system”
Sure, they might ‘want’ to fast-track Parmelee, but I can’t see them doing it for several reasons including because he is the best power hitting prospect in the system. Also, he clearly need to work on putting the ball in play more, and pushing too quickly wouldn’t help that at all.
We know trish bc Morales broke his ankle. How has he made it this long without snapping it again, weird.
In other words - Robbins was (and is) an experienced 1B who was actually out of position (although drafted as a) 3B.
since someone always asks
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_31_pitmlb_minmlb_1
In a Q&A on my site, Robbins told me that he had two shoulder surgeries in high school. He also has two stress fractures in his back. he’s had to learn to play with both. he’s a good eye, good bat type.
trish says:March 31st, 2009 at 10:27 am
“Dragon,You would be correct.”
Trish,
I am keeping a copy of this 1st, on this site 
Please don’t repeat this mistake, it will surely ruin your reputation here.
Regards,
Thanks much CM
Tigers released Gary Sheffield today.
Sheffield can join Bonds as former steroid users who put up huge numbers and are out of work
I’m liking how they added Parmalee into the line-up!
We know trish bc Morales broke his ankle. How has he made it this long without snapping it again, weird.
Well, that’s obvious. He only snaps his ankle in MAJOR LEAGUE games.
Duh.
Have the stretcher ready for the third AB of the first game (next Tuesday or Wednesday?) Morales is scheduled to start.
T98,
Do they allow composite bats in college?
Butera and Morales ??? Is it 1979 again??? Any relation of these two to former Twins Sal and Jose? Thanks for the great updates.
Thrylos, You will love this.
In my circuits class, we have some pretty hardcore Twins fans and some pretty hardcore Sox fans. We always go back and forth on who is the better team, yadda yadda yadda. Anywho, I decided that it would be a great idea to look at how each of the teams did in ST and compare it to the regular season.
From just the graphs, I can see that the Twins have a better linear relationship between how well they did in ST to how well they did in regular. While the Sox have no correlation to how they did in ST and how they did in the regular season. Which in my opinion makes it easier to see how the twins should do but up in the air at how badly the Sox will do.
We can afford to give Morales a shot, it’ll only be for a few weeks(hopefully) and Red will be there to help him with the nuances of the position. I would expect Duensing to make it now along with Humber. I think Dickey will make it thru waivers and be back at Rochester. Buscher will be the odd man out IMO with Tolbert and Harris making it but don’t be suprised to see Busch back up soon.
JJ - Drew is Sal’s dad… no relation between the two Joses.
actually, Drew is Sal’s son… my bad!
werbellik - good point about dickey being the 2nd “left-hander” (I know he’s right-handed). If you look at last year’s splits, he was very good against lefties. I don’t know what his spring numbers would look like against lefties but I’m guessing pretty good as well. He’s also more versatile than a one batter special situation left hander, IMO. The question coming in was can he throw strikes. I think his K/BB ratio this spring answers that question.
Morales starts the opener? Gardy likes getting the kids in right away, and Felix a tough righty….
Harris/Buscher is where the decision will be made. With Punto starting we no longer have the SuperSub, and that was a role Punto played very well.
Tolbert is that guy. He is LNPII.
I cannot see how they would keep Buscher over Harris, but we shall see.
ossieO @ 9:35- my thoughts exactly. If Morales fails big time then Butera has the inside track to replace Redmond next year.
Trish,
From just the graphs, I can see that the Twins have a better linear relationship between how well they did in ST to how well they did in regular.
cool! you are on your way there
Check this out:
http://tenthinningstretch.blogspot.com/2009/03/does-spring-training-record-matter.html
“Any relation of these two to former Twins Sal and Jose?”
JJ, Drew is related to the Seattle Sal Butera, not the Twins Sal Butera. The two Jose Morales? Of course they’re related. Duh.
With Morneau scratched the Twins have 3 potential first round busts in the same lineup!
(I know Parmelee has a chance but he better avoid further injuries)
Short,(I hope), but boring (I’m sure) story, related to Parmelee’s assignment.
We had an A+ and 3 A- hitters on the Freshman team.
The A+ was promoted mid-season to the varsity, (not my idea) where he faced pitching he was not ready to face. His confidence suffered.
The A-(’s) progressed normally, never lost their confidence (fearlessness) and all three became better hitters as seniors than the former A+ hitter.
Lessons learned:
Confidence is EVERYTHING to a hitter.
NEVER let a hitter fail by rushing (pushing in some coaches’ minds) him beyond his current capabilities.
Very Nice Thyrlos. And I promise I didn’t look there before I got my results.
Now all I have to do is rub this into my Sox fans faces to show them how good of a season why should (hopefully) have!
Trish,
ST is not over yet, let the Twins win 2-3 more games and then rub it in their face…
“If you look at last year’s splits, he was very good against lefties.”
As an ex-left-handed hitter, ALL knuckle-ballers are @#$%@#$%-king miserable to bat against.
Left-handed or right-handed was (is?) irrelevant!
“Do they allow composite bats in college?”
kind of irrelevant. not only do aluminum bats have 10% more pop (at least), they also have a much bigger sweet spot. much bigger.
i’ve been playing adult baseball for more than a dozen years. about three years ago we changed to wood and composite bats. scores went from 14-11 to 3-2. (and the games became much more fun.)
but the point is, if you have a choice between aluminum and wood or composite, you’re going to go with aluminum every time.
WOW… talk about a 1-2-3 inning for Blackburn. 3 strikes pitched, three outs recorded. Nice!
Gadden is talkin bout trading Harris on the radio game broadcast
Span and Tolbert lead off with two singles
trish, don’t trust the gameday pitch count. They are not accurate in spring training.
“the Twins have 3 potential first round busts in the same lineup!”
All first round picks are “potential first round busts”.
The blog jury is still out on Mauer.
And Parmelee is 21-yrs-old.
Gadden is talkin bout trading Harris on the radio game broadcast
Classify that with Sid and Charlie talking about trading Delmon…
Harris works a full count and drives in span with a single to right.
mauer is a bust he doesn’t hit enough homeruns. trade him for bullpen help.
sane,
I think that he’s talking about Span being the third “bust”
Can we trade Gladden for a deaf-mute radio announcer?
Blackburn throwing sinkers and Buscher at 3B.
I hope the grass is high.
Tolbert trying to still home in a walk? Gee what is Scottie thinking… beam him up?
steal
mickey mental,
Thanks. Gotta say I’m shocked. When I played baseball it was only wood. But I’ve played slow pitch softball since the introduction of alum. I witnessed them evolve. Then Mikan came in with a composite that blew all the alum bats away. Now all the high end softball bats are composite and cost $300+. The comparison between alum and composite is no contest for pop, sweet spot and durability. I’m shocked to find out this is not the case in baseball. They must “dumb down” the baseball bats for safety.
t98,
Yeah, he did mean Span.
I just meant that ALL 1st-round-picks are “potential busts”
The final decision on Moses is fast approaching when the “potential” is removed.
did they think the pirates wouldn’t notice?? (about harris stealing home)
Trish
It would have been really hard for Harris to steal home from first, Tolbert didnt even make it from third. Stop looking at graphs
Moses just turned 24. Span was a “bust” until he turned 24. Heck, Hunter, was a “bust” until he turned 24.
What was the situation when Tolbert walked home?
Could he have lost track of the count or the other baserunners?
We had a baserunner at third do that on a 2nd-and-3rd walk, when he thought the bases were loaded.
That kid has since become an urban legend.
I think guys should try to steal home more often, personally. The shock of it might actually work sometime.
t98,
Span and Hunter were great athletes and great defenders.
Even if Moses hits, he is borderline.
Stealing home with one or less outs is the single dumbest base running “play”…
COco… my bad. sorry. 
Coco,
“It would have been really hard for Harris to steal home from first, Tolbert didnt even make it from third.”
If Harris and Tolbert would have attempted to steal home simultaneously from 1st and 3rd, it might have created a diversion, and we could have scored two runs.
sane,
he didn’t walk, he tried to steal. It was part of a double steal. Here is the situation: Harris on first, Tolbert on third, no outs. Buscher on the plate with a 3 ball count. I can’t remember how many strikes.
You just don’t send the runner at that situation… With one strike, you can suicide squeeze, but that’s about it. Buscher had his bat on his shoulder.
Thrylos This site is F up. I think all of ur information just popped up under mine e-mail and website
You can’t go straight to home from first. You have to go to second then third, etc.
Parmelee just raised his BA one thousand points.
Pittsburgh’s lineup really lacks punch without Mientkiewicz and Rivas this year. Hopefully they can pick up Chris Gomez and Augie Ojeda off the waiver wires.
Parmelee just raised his BA one thousand points.
Bet he can’t do it again!
paul,
i guess maybe i misinformed you. i was talking about “wood composite” and it sounds like you’re talking “metal composite.” i’m sure metal composite bats are much more like aluminum. in my league, we even use bamboo bats (which actually aren’t too bad).
but the difference between wood and metal is enormous — can’t remember the last home run i’ve seen since the switch to wood. not only that, but balls hit off the handle are lazy bloopers to the infielders. with metal, those “lazy bloopers” often carry over the infielders’ heads.
Morales would be an excellent catcher for the Twins. Mauer calls a bad game and the pitchers should not have too much confidence in his decision making in calling pitchers. Redmond and Morales are much better pitch callers. Morales’s switch hitting abilities add alot to the balance of the roster.
Still think that ST stats don’t count much even for a veteran player? I don’t think that was the case for Gary Sheffield as he was hitting in Span territory this spring and is now looking for a job. I bet the Tigers are kicking themselves for giving him that huge extension now.
Ben D, no problem. That information is public anyways It is a known incompatibly of wordpress (the blogging platform they are using) and IE 7
Can someone please post the gameday link?
“As an ex-left-handed hitter”…sane, are you no longer a lefty? Perhaps you are a righty like Phil Mickelson until you watch your swing in the mirror?
sane - you left us all that opening and when no one jumped on it you just couldn’t leave it alone, could you?
Jim Marshall,
“You can’t go straight to home from first. You have to go to second then third, etc”
Thanks, Jim.
I did’t know.
Next time that you recover a fumble, make sure that you are wearing a GPS.
OK. That just has never happened before.
sounds like punto has been coaching baserunning again!
the Tiggers have made some really bad financial decisions and they will pay big starting this season. Last year their payroll was close to 95% of revenues and their season ticket orders were cut for more than half for 2009. If you do the math, it will not be out of the realm of possibility that the Tigers will pull out a Marlins fire sale come this June/July and start fielding a AAAA caliber team
werbellik,
“As an ex-left-handed hitter”…sane, are you no longer a lefty?”
Still a left-handed-batter, no longer (if ever) a hitter.
that was nice!! need a few more of those.
statman,
‘Mauer calls a bad game and…Redmond and Morales are much better pitch callers. Morales’s switch hitting abilities add alot to the balance of the roster.”
The roster is already balanced.
You, statman, are NOT!
Mariners option Jeff Clement.
Another bad trade avoided.
stat man = troll
please ignore
Matt Moses, haven’t heard that name in awhile
Matt Moses, haven’t heard that name in awhile
Kubel’s OPS has to be awesome.
Hope he can carry it into the season.
mickey mental,
That’s interesting. The composite I was talking about is a graphite mix. (top secret ingredients) I think it is similar to the stuff high end hockey sticks are made from. (Gotta brag here. My 8 yr old grandson plays in an advanced hockey league called “Showcase”. I watched him last Sat. They lost 8 to 7 but Tyler scored 6 goals. I was braggin up a storm in the stands!) Anyway, they have bat restrictions in softball and all the best bats rest right against the upper COR (coefficient of restitution) limit. Some players cheat by “rolling” the bat or squeezing it in a vice. This breaks down the fibers in the bat. This cuts down the bats life but makes it much more lively. I’ve read that the next generation of bats will change color or cloud up through a window to signify an illegal status. There is real danger to the pitcher now-a-days. A lot wear goalie face/head protection.
Re: Mijares, it always amazes me when someone who is already a major leaguer and stands to make millions of dollars playing a game any of us fans would give our first born child to play for a living (just slight hyperbole there) can’t get up in the morning and run for an hour through the off season to keep the weight off. I know these are young guys, but shouldn’t someone in the Twins organization be checking in with them in the offseason to be sure they stay in shape?
Questions for the Blog Psychiatric Team:
What motivates a troll to be a troll?
What would a troll possibly accomplish, if he hit the troll’s jackpot?
‘What would a troll possibly accomplish, if he hit the troll’s jackpot?’
A response from others.
Ignoring them is the only way to get them to go away, IMHO.
Next time that you recover a fumble, make sure that you are wearing a GPS.
I sure wish I wasn’t one of the few here old enough to get that reference, Sane.
sheesh. make a little mistake forty years ago and people won’t let you forget it.
sane,
My opinion. A desire to makes others less effective so they are “safe”.
Their jackpot. Everyone so cowered they are in no danger.
paul,
i’m gettin up there in years and still pitch. it’s a 35-and-over league so some dudes still swing a pretty mean bat (there’s a sprinkling of former minor and even major leaguers and many with college experience). but i don’t fear the comebacker nearly as much since the switch to wood. it’s really gone from a hitters’ game to a pitchers’ game, and i think even many of the hitters like it better (more strategy, quicker games).
cool about your grandson, interesting about the softball bats.
’sheesh. make a little mistake forty years ago and people won’t let you forget it.’
Some of us have long memories, Jim.
And a lot of us are old.
Chief,
Hate to say that (not really), but Marshall’s play was before even I was born; now if you are talking about Roy Riegels’ Rose Ball play, you are really old
‘What would a troll possibly accomplish, if he hit the troll’s jackpot?’
A response from others.
Not much reward.
Chief,
I resemble that remark too. Unfortunately people will remember that play more so then his stellar career as one of the all time great lineman.
Mikael,
These players are adults, they don’t need babysitters. If the promise of big guaranteed money isn’t enough motivation for players to work at keeping in shape/being ready to go, then they don’t have the mentality for the game and will weed themselves out.
I don’t believe minor league contracts are guaranteed, so their income can stop at anytime.
Wait a minute. I do NOT want to be on the blog’s psychiatric team.
Three ground ball outs by Blackburn in the 5th. His sinker must be coming around now.
[…] Twins Insider – […]
mickey mental - I also play amatuer ball here in MN (season opens April 19th for us).
The switch to wood bats happened in 2003 I believe (been playing since ‘00). Our games also went from 12-8 ish scores to many more 4-3 contests. The biggest thing I’ve noticed however is the HR totals. The leaders in our league were hitting about 15 a year with metal bats, last years leader hit only 5 I think.
Its definitely a big difference.
Also, Duensing has an ERA 2 full points lower than Dickey this spring. Only difference has been all 4 of Dickeys runs given up have been earned, while of Duensing 4 runs given up, only 1 was earned.
It will come down to whether the Twins want another Lefty in the pen or not.
shameless plug - click my name and read up, and shoot holes in my thoughts if you disagree.
Also, Duensing has an ERA 2 full points lower than Dickey this spring. Only difference has been all 4 of Dickeys runs given up have been earned, while of Duensing 4 runs given up, only 1 was earned.
Yes, but, ERA is not a good measure of pitching ability. Here are their lines this spring:
Dickey 3.63 ERA, WHIP 0.95, 3 BB, 15 K, 13.2 IP (9.85 K/9, 5 K/BB)
Duensing 1.93 ERA, WHIP 1.29, 4 BB, 6 K, 14 IP (3.86 K/9, 1.5 K/BB)
not even close. Dickey should come North.
mickey mental,
I admire you guys that can still play. My eyes started to go in my late twenties. I could no longer recognize the spins. I say enjoy it for as long as you can.
I think Dickey will be coming up north… Let’s give Duensing some more time down in AAA. I’m sure he will get called up sometime during the season.
Does anybody have any idea how Tolbert got caught stealing home?
thrylos - I’m not disagreeing with you, hence why I mention the unearned runs, guess it doesn’t really read with that intention. But my last statement still holds true, extra lefty? or no extra lefty? that is the question.
I also would point out that Dickey has never posted an ERA below 5.00 in any of his MLB stints. (but I do like the knuckleball)
Mickey is Mental……..Just like 98!
I am Topp Dogg…..And don’t forget it.
trish,
I hope you’re right. Knuckleballers are a lot of fun to watch.
Dickey has never posted an ERA below 5.00 in any of his MLB stints.
Last season he was really his first in the bigs as a knuckleballer. As a reliever he had a 2.00 ERA and held the opposition to a .203 BA; as a starter he was awful: 6.72 ERA, .316 OBA. He is not a legit starter but can be a good reliever. And another interesting split (career AAA numbers so we compare apples vs apples), against Dickey LHB bat .269 and RHB .282; against Duensing LHB bat .283 and RHB .272. Add to that a whole bunch of walks from Duensing and Dickey is a better choice to get (even) lefties out than Duensing.
Buscher’s agent is working on a trade for Harris.
sid…
I am willing to concede that Guerrier deserves a chance to start the season. I still have my doubt that he’ll make through the season.
Not that anyone reads your posts anyway.
I’m old enough to remember wrong way Marshall’s fumble recovery and spring to the wrong end zone. I think my Dad taught me some “new words” as big Jim was running in the wrong direction. Good memories!
shazel,
If we continue to ignore each other’s posts, we will each have to designate someone to continue disagreeing.
2-3 and a HBP there are no errors on the board so why was Harris pulled? did he make plays that were supposed to be errors at 2b and not called or was Gardy just trying to keep him from getting hot….
Because Steve Singleton will be the Twins 2B starting in 2011!
Interesting debate on the decisions Gardy has to make in the next couple days on this webshow:
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/generic/video/sod/Sports_On_Demand_Archive
Gardy wants harris average as high as possible when we trade him.
thrylos….
I’m just curious what were Dickey’s numbers in relief last season against left handed hitters? How many wild pitches and past balls did he have in relief last year? I’m just worried about him coming in to relieve with runners already on…..ya know?
LMS,
Spring Training substitutions are seldom (if ever) reactionary.
The substitution plan was almost certainly designed pre-game.
If Harris (or whoever) had gone four-for-three, he would still have been replaced, if that was the plan.
Sorry, sid!
The 1:16PM post was mine.
The system kicked my butt again.
[…] Jose Morales will serve as the Minnesota Twins backup catcher. […]
well for one that would be awesome, and secondly of all the positions he gets ripped for playing is 2nd, I think to get a “fair” battle against Tolbert he should play the entire 9 innings to either let another team (like Gladdon was suggesting) or even his own manager that he can play the position decently if Lexi goes day to day and they don’t want to move Punto. It should have been pre-designed that he played the entire game at 2b instead of 3b, we know what he can do at 3b, not if he had improved in a game situation at 2b, and if that is his poison to gardy…..
Gladden just now on the radio:
“That was a gaffe, I think, by 3rd base coach Scotty Ulger.” And the runner gets hung up between 2nd and 3rd.
God, I forgot about the Ulger thing. It can only mean that the regular season is just around the corner.
Lotsa luck, Gardy.
Scott Ullger may be as bad a 3rd base coach as a hitting coach.
seth,
“Because Steve Singleton will be the Twins 2B starting in 2011!”
Since Casilla is only one year older, I don’t think so.
Today’s my birthday, so I don’t have to read all the entries above.
I just want eye-witness reports (or the next best thing) on how Blackburn did.
JimCrikket, get your ass out of the sand and give me your report.
Thanks in advance.
I’m just curious what were Dickey’s numbers in relief last season against left handed hitters? How many wild pitches and past balls did he have in relief last year? I’m just worried about him coming in to relieve with runners already on…..ya know?
I do not have the splits against LHB and RHB as a reliever. As a reliever batters batter .205 off him and as a starter batters batted .316 off him. Total (as a starter and reliever) LHB batted .259 and RHB .309. Based on that, I suspect LHB batted about .180 off him as a reliever. He threw 11 WP total in 112.1 innings. That’s about 1 in 10 innings or about 6 in a 60 inning year. For comparison purposes Nathan averages about 3 WP a season. Dickey will be 3-4 more. I’d take those over Duensing’s projected 20-30 more walks.
Harris will be traded if we had to play him everyday at 2B. He is too slow to play there especially turning a DP.
I hope you’re right. Knuckleballers are a lot of fun to watch.
To each his own, I guess. For me, watching knuckleballers is slightly more painful than a root canal without anesthetic.
If Harris (or whoever) had gone four-for-three, he would still have been replaced, if that was the plan.
If Harris managed to go 4 for 3 on the night, I think a number of mathmeticians (sp?) would’ve stormed the stadium and dragged him away for research.
T,
close to spelling. Mathematicians.
Awesome T
LMS,
‘(let) his own manager that he can play the position decently”
Gardy has seen Harris get thousands of reps in drills, pregames and games.
One or two ST game plays can’t change Gardy’s perceptions and opinions.
And regardless of Gladden’s opinions, Harris will not be traded based on any “new” information - and I don’t think that he will be traded.
If he gets traded because Gardy doesn’t like him, then he is going to a better place.
I still prefer my idea to trade Gladden for a mute replacement.
T
that would take care of the debate on who goes north - Buscher would then be available.
Harris is a gamer; he’ll work harder on his glove and speed (he’s still young too). Buscher is getting older and shows no desire to get better defensively. Harris is better at every position in the field over Buscher. Tolbert’s bat is solid for average, and he’s a switch. He’s got a better glove than both of them.
Should be a no brainer that Buscher goes to AAA; he just better not block Valencia - that guy is the future at the position.
ALSO,
Harris stock with the Twins rises potentially, the longer that Buscher plays 3B.
they should trade gladden and coomer for hiedi that does games on nesn.
What up T-rish? how you been? didn’t know you had a blog. I’ll check it out now.
msm,
“Buscher is getting older and shows no desire to get better defensively”
How are you measuring “desire to get better”?
I hope that you aren’t presenting that as a fact.
Ya, matt… where ya been??
And I just started the blog about 3 hours ago. I was bored.
Any way we could get Trent Tucker to call the Twins games instead?
Guy is a basketball mind, but man he knows how to call a game.
‘I feel you young fella! Don’t be so mean!’
This guy the Twins are hitting, Capps, had a 2.28 ERA in 2007 in 76 innings & a 3.02 ERA in 2008 in 53.2 innings. A pretty good pitcher they are taking to task here.
harris: 8/26/80
buscher: 4/18/81
does that make buscher older?
Hapyy birthday, romer. You’ve always been on of the most thoughtful, fun, and wiser posters here. And you know just when to kick ass.
jimmybee says “hi”, and he’s sorry for being such a sclump to you last season. But as you know he’s a better guy now and we all love each other.
BTW, I didn’t see Blackburn pitch. I was in the training room working on my knee. Feelin’ pretty good now…..and much younger than you, ya old pigeon-toed pushover.
All my best,
T-Rish - med school is where I been :). we’ll chat sometime though. how are classes and whatnot?
Sane
being a coach, I’d think you’d understand what I mean. Buscher is on record as saying that he ‘can’t understand’ why he’s not getting a shot when he’s ‘hitting so well’. guy just doesn’t get it that he sucks in the field. and he’s shown no improvement in the last few years, AND they are even giving him reps at 1B and he’s blowing that too. There is no desire. Also, a guy with that kind of build should hit for more power (he clearly doesn’t). I think he’s just happy with slapping around righties, getting grilled by lefties, and sucking in the field.
“does that make buscher older?”
Only if Harris was born in the D.R.
Tolbert 2 for 5 with 2 rbi
Harris 2 for 3 with 1 rbi
Buscher 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored
Nobody wants to pack there suitcase.
msm,
I agree on your take on Buscher, Harris and Tolbert. Just a little factual thing: Harris is 8 months older than Buscher (and Tolbert a year and a month younger than Buscher) so age is not much of an issue here. All 3 are in their prime.
Sadly, Buscher spent a LOT of time working on his fielding in the off-season. What we are getting is after all that work.
I have not seen him except for a couple of televised games, but there were moments when he looked, well, not sharp.
ggg
oops; thanks for the correction
even so; he’s not shown a glove at any level, so why would it get any better?
once again… the math world is getting turned upside down!!
If buscher is older than harris and they were born 1981 and 1980 respectively, and Harris went 4-3… I need to find a new major.
While you are trading Gladden and Coomer, throw in Dick Bremer. He makes my ears tired.
Speaking of E5, Buscher just dropped an infield fly…
Trish
You should have looked for a new major when you accused Harris of trying to steal home from first.
What up T-rish? how you been?
I’m not trish.
ugh ok sorry about the age thing; I just could have sworn Harris was 26 and Buscher was 28.
and anyway, its down to Harris (a lock) and Tolbert vs Buscher. Buscher’s asset is his Lefty bat, whereas Tolbert’s bat is coming alive, he’s a switch, and has a very good glove. seems like a no brainer.
How about cutting Guerrier?
Problem solved - plenty of room for the Dickey’s, etc. in the bullpen now.
Regarding the infield side, all I know is we need to keep Tolbert.
“There is no desire.”
THAT’S where we disagree.
I have the DESIRE to be a multi-trillionaire:
BUT
My financial records don’t show it.
His quotes are directly related to the interviewer’s questions and interpretations of Buscher’s answers.
Been there, done that.
If you don’t think he has any desire to improve defensively, then one (or both) of you has lost touch with reality.
Buscher didn’t reach the Big Leagues, being THAT clueless.
He may be so defensively challenged that he doesn’t want to talk about it.
But the subject has been brought up at every one of his player evaluations, and everyone says he works his @@@ off at it.
His abilities may have peaked out, but not his desire.
Pack your Sh(*T Butcher I knew you couldnt go a full 9 innings
If buscher is older than harris and they were born 1981 and 1980 respectively, and Harris went 4-3… I need to find a new major.
It makes more sense if you remember to divide by zero halfway through.
Hey me too, romer. I’ve learned a lot from you. Congrats!
My preference would be to never have to witness a knuckleballer at the major league level. Just an aesthetic thing for me. Almost as bad as watching a lousy fielder. Like Brian.
I wish my last name was de Los Santos?
I don’t like Alex Burnett pitching for the Twins. Did you see how he let the other team score a run just so he could let Eric Hinske bat and showoff by striking him out? Not a team player.
Hey ROMER…..I’ve got 14 mil and nowhere to go. Where should we meet? The shots are on me!
Just promise you won’t tickle me anymore.
Sane
ok. thats very fair
but I am just saying his comments (quotes) were very suspect.
usually if one works their @$$ off at something, you’d THINK they might show SOME improvement. For example, I am terrible at Micro, but if I work my @$$ off on it even I can get a B or even an A in it. I also suck at basketball, but when I practice, I get better.
if you show me him working his @$$ off, I will concede he has the desire.
and I mean desire as it runs his life and he will work his tail off to get it right, not ‘oh itd be nice if I was better’.
Thanks, guys. Got a hot date.
SEE ya!!
They really threw Testa at the lions today. The guy has one year in the pro and was only successful in the short season rookie league and now he pitches in a MLB-camp ST game
by the way
what the heck happened to this game? are all the low level players getting their kicks in?
romer
tell your mom I said hi (sorry, had to do it).
Happy Birthday!
t98,
He flunked his testa.
Blevins with the ’save’.
Testa’s ST ERA = 108.00
He’ll lower that next time.
Chief,
Don’t like knuckleballers huh? I think they’re fun once in a while. But a steady diet might be painful. Like watchin a wiffle ball game. What exactly do you find painful?
Testa’s ST ERA = 135.00
He’ll lower that next time.
…3B Buscher to 1B Brock Peterson…
I hope I never see that in the major league team box score…
But unless they get away from the aluminum “bats”, college batting numbers (esp. power numbers) do not mean that much.
Robbins had a great start to his minor league career with wood bats. He was derailed by a stress fracture in his back that will never fully heal. Like Moses, back injuries will hinder him throughout his short career. But he is a fine first baseman who’s ahead of Parmelee.
…3B Buscher to 1B Brock Peterson…
I hope I never see that in the major league team box score…
coming soon to a AAA park near you.
“…3B Buscher to 1B Brock Peterson…
I hope I never see that in the major league team box score…”
I do.
For the White Sox.
And sane just makes my day
Sane
I’d rather see it in Cleveland (they are actually pretty good this year.)
sane,
That can’t be right can it? That’s 5 runs for each out. Was that his line?
sane,
Sorry. I just looked. Ouch.
Hey, lay off Testa. Everyone has an off day. Just a problem with his location. Florida.
alright… you guys have fun arguing i mean talking about baseball. Time for this girl to go to dance classes/rehearsal.
Thrylos… one more game for the win column… another game closer to telling off my sox-fans friends.
by the way guys, I’m playing fantasy baseball this year and I did a live draft for the first time.
my lineup is very strong - V Martinez (McCann went 2 picks ahead of me…), Morneau, Utley, Hardy, Chipper, Burrel, Wells, Ibanez (I picked OF’s last but there were still some good finds) and my UTIL is M. Bradley. My bench is DY, Jed Lowrie (back up for 3B and SS) and Konerko (in case Morneau gets a day off).
my pitching is solid - Dempster (he and I go WAY back ), Beckett, Kasmir and Baker (yay), with relievers as Crain, Nathan, F. Rod and Fuentes
any suggestions? there are some solid FA’s out there. what’s the assessment on Lowrie? should I try and find a back up 2B for utley? I have a feeling Punto will have a good year and he’s available…
thanks
here is a plug (and I bet La Velle will not mind) :
Seth Stohs’ weekly podcast today at 9 PM CDT, will feature the guy who had the best pitching season in the Twins’ organization in 2008, Dan Osterbrock (among the unknown guests Kelly Thesier and Aaron Gleeman). Go hear Danny, because he is about to become the next Kevin Slowey for this organization and hes as much exposure as Slowey did at that stage of his career (zero)
The URL is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SethSpeaks if interested.
(knuckleballers)…What exactly do you find painful?
Everything. Too many baserunners. Too many passed balls. Too many wild pitches. Too many stolen bases. Long half innings. Bouts of wildness.
I don’t trust ‘em. There’s something about trusting in random changes in air flow to get hitters out that just rubs me the wrong way.
I prefer my pitchers, especially relievers, to come in and throw aspirins on the black. Knee-buckling curves. Change-ups that appear to stop forward progress 10 feet from the plate.
I fully acknowledge there have been effective knuckleballers in the majors. I just don’t like ‘em.
And as for Dickey, count me as very skeptical. Skeptical that there’s some reason, other than small sample size, why he’s pretty much sucked except for a couple months as a reliever. Skeptical there’s some lasting and tangible reason why he would be orders of magnitude more effective as a reliever. Skeptical it will continue.
It’s possible.
Not probable.
Trish get back in the kitchen where you belong and cook me somethin’
I share your loathing of the knuckler, Chief. Dickey’s 14 innings in ST do not convince me either, but frankly, I don’t exactly envision Duensing painting the corners, so pick your poison until Mijares or someone else gets their act together in AAA. My preference: anyone but Dickey.
The thing with Dickey is that he is not a traditional knuckleball pitcher. He throws his knuckler about 70-75% of the time and it is faster (low 70s) than that of most of the other knuckleball pitchers. This allows him to have more control with the pitch. His K/BB ratio is practically phenomenal for a knuckleball pitcher. He also mixes in a mid to low 80s “fastball” and has a decent curve. He can pitch 2-3 innings, 2-3 days in a row. If you bring him in only when the Twins are behind and have him finish a bad start, he can save the pen, so last year’s issues will not happen. This is a great advantage and no other reliever in the roster can provide…
We’ve found common ground, bop.
What’s next, peace in the middle east?
trish=dancing with the stars
thrylos…
Thank you for the numbers and I’m sold. Other than Slowey no one has better ST numbers than Dickey PLUS Dickey does better against lefties than RH. So if the Twins go with 12 pitchers and send Tolbert to the minors or dump Buscher than Breslow should be the lone lefty in the pen until Mijares finds his control. If there comes a situation where you would need a LH reliever and Breslow is unavailable than call on Dickey because LH hitters only hit .205 against Dickey last year.
Thrylos - question for ya..
When do you think Robert Delaney and Anthony Slama make their MLB debut?
I’d like to see them (both) this year if you hadn’t already read my ‘The Next Twins’ post…
Does Dickey have to pass through waivers if they send him to AAA since he signed a minor league contract???
There is another good thing about having only one lefty in the pen: Last year, Gardy used guys to pitch to one batter way too many times. If there is only one lefty he will not be able to e.g. warm up Deunsing (30 pitches in the pen) to throw 5 pitches to a lefty, warm up Ayala or Humber (30 pitches in the pen) to throw 5 pitches to a righty and then go with Breslow for the next lefty (and you’ll end up with 3 pitchers semi-shot for the next day). You got to have consistency and defined roles in the pen.
Cheif, don’t worry when some one picks up a fumble and runs for a safety even 16 year olds know about it
Does Dickey have to pass through waivers if they send him to AAA since he signed a minor league contract???
Nope, but these kind of minor league (mixed) contracts have an expiration date some time in June/July if the player is not up, allowing them to be free agents.
If buscher gets traded the only thing i would miss is his batting potential. He has hit a couple of key hits, remember that homer vs Milwaukee
I know dickey struggled with the mariners a little bit but he has put together a really strong spring. He will be on the roster sometime soon if not now, expesialy with his rubber arm
When do you think Robert Delaney and Anthony Slama make their MLB debut?
Before the Ayala signing, I was thinking that Delaney would have an outside chance to start this season in the bigs. I think (and hope) that Delaney will be the closer in Rochester (Korecky is a Dback now and hopefully they do not let Mijares or Julianel block him) and Slama will be the closer in New Britain. If all goes well, I expect to see Delaney up in September and fighting for Ayala’s spot next year and Slama in the major league camp next Spring Training with a possible debut in September of 2010.
Any interest in Gary Shefield as a right handed DH or does he carry to much baggage? He didn’t produce much in Detroit but has 499 home runs and might be worth a look
Gardy has his favorites… not everyone gets a fair shot…thats all I’m going to say. Even if you are ‘hot’, you can and will be yanked.
Kubel has much more value as a DH than Sheffield, and if you’re worried about LHP then Delmon or Cuddy can DH with more value on those days. Sheffield has had declining numbers for several years in a row and there is no reason to think he isn’t washed up.
Any interest in Gary Shefield as a right handed DH or does he carry to much baggage?
NO!
Sheffield is just about ready to sign an one year contract with the Phillies…
I disagree with you there thrylos.
If there is only 1 lefty in the pen, and he happened to be the guy who came in to pitch in the game the day before, you don’t even have the option to play the percentages you talk about. There is still a place for that.
I see Duensing as a guy who would be like Glen Perkins before he joined the rotation last season.
Part of Breslow’s defined role could be the guy to come in and face 1 lefty batter, and Duensing would have value as both a long reliever and second left handed option.
I like this far more than only 1 lefty…just my thoughts though…
pass on shef
thrylos, I get all of that about Dickey, but I still don’t trust him completely. But he’s a far cry better than Bass and Rincon. Which brings me to a disagreement with you about the cause of last years bullpen collapse. You want to assign far too much blame on Gardy (what a shock). Rincon, Neshek, and Bass did not break down because of mismanagement by Gardy. Crain was not 100%. Reyes was Reyes. But you want to believe that Gardy was consistently blundering, don’t you? It’s an exaggerated characterization at best.
TwinsNoteGuy….
Please compare Duensing and Perks minor league stats….they are nothing alike.
thrylos - glad to see someone with a vast knowledge who echoes my same thoughts about Slama and Delaney…
as a relief pitcher dicky was very good last yr: 2.00 era, .205 ba, 1.11 whip.
as a starter not so good: 6.72 era, .316 ba, 1.77 whip. keep him in the pen he may be ok. let humber spot start when needed.
shazel - I wasn’t saying Duensing would be Perkins, only that he could fill the same role.
I always hated seeing Knucklers against the Twins. I have no statistics but it seemed that every time one came to town we would not only struggle against the knuckler but also against whoever threw the next day. Just seemed to throw off our mojo. Thylos, I agree about the lefty righty stuff. I hate one batter pitching changes. I would imagine the pitchers themselves don’t think that highly of it either.
Rincon, Neshek, and Bass did not break down because of mismanagement by Gardy.
I am critical of Gardy, but, heck, someone has to do it, because the guy seems to have teflon all over him… That said, you are correct about those three. Neshek got hurt (no Gardy involvement) and Rincon and Bass were just not good enough to be there to begin with (I am not sure how much Gardy had to do with them coming up North.)
BUT
Gardy was the one who used Juannie and Bassie after they failed in similar situations (because people like Crain, Guerrier and Reyes where shot by the practice I described before) and Gardy (to his credit) blames himself about Guerrier’s misuse last season. All I am saying is that this is a bad habit for him. And if there is only one lefty up, it will force him to quit it, which will be good for the team.
and Duensing and Perk actually compare very close to each other Shaz…(when looking at minor league #’s)
Only difference I see is Perk struck out more guys…(also walked more)
Perks minor league career WHIP is 1.26,
Duensings is 1.27
Not the same guys ya, but very comparable
go get sheffield he just needs a new home the twins would be in the world series if we land him.
How would Sheffield make us better?
exactly it’s all about the K’s! You should have good enough stuff to get K’s in the minors. Perk threw a few nasty Changes yesterday. If he can do that constantly than look for his K’s per 9 to go up from the disappointing total of 2008. He consistently had more K’s than innings pitched in the minors so I’d like to think he’ll get more K’s than he had last year.
shazel, the good things that Perkins showed this spring is that he a. abandoned his awful slider, b. started spoting his 4-seamer better and c. using his change up more. Last season, opposing batters hit Perkins’ pitchers at this rate: Slider .351, change up .300, curve .288 and fastball .299. I’d love to see him throw more curves, but I’d take one step at a time.
too bad there’s a Dunkin Donuts around every corner in Roch. Mijares will NEVER be ready for a call-up now.
Gardy was the one who used Juannie and Bassie after they failed in similar situations (because people like Crain, Guerrier and Reyes where shot by the practice I described before) and Gardy (to his credit) blames himself about Guerrier’s misuse last season. All I am saying is that this is a bad habit for him. And if there is only one lefty up, it will force him to quit it, which will be good for the team.
Seems to me you’re blaming Gardy for using his entire bullpen, while at the same time calling for Gardy to use his entire bullpen. The simple fact is, whether the bullpen is 6 or 7 strong, the ENTIRE bullpen will be needed, particularly if it’s just 6, as many here demand. You can’t plan ahead and say, well, we’ll use Bass tomorrow when it’ll be a blowout. You can’t know in advance WHEN you will be using the weakest parts of your pen. The Twins (all teams, really) play a lot of close games. Often those come back to back to back. It’s the nature of baseball, low-scoring and close, usually.
Bottom line: You can’t simultaneously blame Gardy for bringing Bass or Rincon into a close game, and then turn around and blame Gardy for overusing Guerrier. One or the other, but not both. If you never want your weaker relievers in a close game, then you have to accept that your better relievers are going to be called on often, and often for back-to-back games, or maybe even 3 or 4 in a row.
Now, You’re blaming Gardy for overusing Guerrier, but calling for only one lefty in the pen, which you seem to think will somehow prevent him from overusing Guerrier THIS season. How, pray tell, will having one FEWER reliver available (the lone lefty) lower the use of ANOTHER reliver (Guerrier)? Seems to me it would be just the opposite. If Gardy only trusts a couple relievers to pitch to David Ortiz, or Texiera, or Thome with the game on the line, and his lone lefty isn’t available, what do you expect him to do?
Now, You’re blaming Gardy for overusing Guerrier, but calling for only one lefty in the pen, which you seem to think will somehow prevent him from overusing Guerrier THIS season. How, pray tell, will having one FEWER reliver available (the lone lefty) lower the use of ANOTHER reliver (Guerrier)?
Here is why: If he does not have the luxury to use 3 pitchers in an inning (after they threw 30 warm up pitches each in the pen) and use only one to face both lefties and righties, the other two will be able to pitch the next day successfully.
“Crain, Guerrier and Reyes where shot by [Gardy’s bad habits].”
Crain was inconsistent, perhaps overused to some degree, but not shot because he warmed up too often, thrylos. Reyes was not overused, just overweight maybe.
Guerrier was overworked, and pitched too many consecutive days. Did Gardy get him up in the pen more often than he should have? Maybe on a few occasions. But this did not cause the problem. You can quibble about Gardy’s management of the pen, but it’s a minor quibble, not the huge failing you portray it to be. He had a crappy pen to work with, so spread the blame to include Billy Smith, or bad luck, or some of each.
Shazel - no, it is not all about the K’s.
They are a ‘flashy’ stat, but not necessarily one that can be directly translated to pitching success. Take Nick Blackburn for example, he never struck out anybody in the minors(in comparison to Perk), but still has done pretty well…(and actually struck out more guys than Perk last year)
I agree with you USAF on the bullpen.
So thrylos, do you believe there is NO merit to pitching a lefty vs. a lefty then?
If everyone has an exact ‘defined’ role, there are going to be far more times when that guy isn’t available because of the day before than if you give yourself options…
Danger! Chief and bop are agreeing on things. The end is near.
You can quibble about Gardy’s management of the pen, but it’s a minor quibble, not the huge failing you portray it to be
How minor? Did it cost the Twins just one game?
Think of what an extra game could have done last season and then re-define minor.
The bottom line is when a team is set up to compete and win, “minor quibbles” hurt. Ask the Mets…
thrylos, I do get your argument in favor of Dickey on the basis of his ability to reduce strain in the bullpen. That makes sense. I remain skeptical about his chances of maintaining his performance at the current level.
So thrylos, do you believe there is NO merit to pitching a lefty vs. a lefty then?
Depends on the pitcher and the batter. (Lefties hit .183 off Breslow and righties .211 last season, for example) In some cases, if you have a RHP and a tough lefty comes up sandwiched between righties, it might make more sense to pitch around the LHB, than waste 2 more pitchers…
“How minor? Did it cost the Twins just one game?”
Think of a manager who you can’t quibble about some decisive decision during a season. Yes, a minor quibble, especially if you give Gardy credit for the many insightful moves he makes to win a couple extra games each season.
bop,
worse come to worse, with Dickey on the pen used only when there is a blow out to reduce strain in the pen, the risk of failure (even if Dickey allows 5 runs an outing) is minimal, compared to using 3 pitchers to finish such a game…
This myth of “overuse” and “mismanagement” of the Twins bullpen is just that, a myth.
The Twins bullpen problems last year were caused by some combination of poor bullpen construction (blame Smith), bad luck (losing Neshek), and, mostly, but piss poor performance by too many relievers, too many times.
You want Gardy to leave the reliever in to finish an inning. We all do, including Gardy.
But when that reliever comes in, puts the first batter (or first two) batters on base, in a 3-2 game in the 7th, what the hell do you want Gardy to do? Leave him in their until he finally gets somebody out, and it’s now 9-3? Or call to the pen for a better matchup to try and clean up the mess already created?
Yes, a minor quibble, especially if you give Gardy credit for the many insightful moves he makes to win a couple extra games each season.
Touché . I might not give him enough credit (but I think that there are way too many others that do that.) Frankly, I am not convinced that he is the great manager a lot of people think he is.
For example, here is a challenge:
the many insightful moves he makes to win a couple extra games each season
Name just two moves he did to win a couple of extra games in 2008.
But when that reliever comes in, puts the first batter (or first two) batters on base, in a 3-2 game in the 7th, what the hell do you want Gardy to do? Leave him in their until he finally gets somebody out, and it’s now 9-3? Or call to the pen for a better matchup to try and clean up the mess already created?
That’s fair.
What I want Gardy not to do, is not to use the same reliever in the same situation until the reliever gets his act together is some low leverage situations. And he failed in that part last year with Rincon, Bass and Guerrier (after the AS break for the latter)
Delmon cannot play at first base. That would require him to pay attention to the game. He would end up taking a line drive off his forehead.
The laugh of the day. Thanks. : )
Testa’s spring ERA is up to 135.00. That’s got to be a record!
So OK thrylos, we’re down to the nitty gritty finally. Some believe Gardy never errs. A ridiculous point of view. Others believe he really sucks. A ridiculous point of view. Some cut him a lot of slack (me). Others find fault very easily (you). What’s my motivation for cutting him slack? I don’t know, maybe it’s because I really don’t know squat about managing a ball club.
What’s your motivation for discovering more faults and bigger faults than most?
La Velle, Any word on the progress of outfielder Ben Revere?
I agree with you Thrylos that Gardy’s main managerial flaw is his use of the bullpen, there is ample evidence to support that…
I think he goes with his ‘feelings’ too often. Which I think was the case with Guerrier last season, before he imploded he was the only guy who was having success, which led to overworking him.
“In some cases, if you have a RHP and a tough lefty comes up sandwiched between righties, it might make more sense to pitch around the LHB, than waste 2 more pitchers…”
I can and do agree with that, but there are times where pitching to that one guy has merit. Its not always going to be no outs and the beginning of an inning where this situation happens and you use that single lefty sandwiched between 2 other guys fresh from the pen… If you DO do that though, then it is also nice to have a second option available in case the same thing comes up the next day…
van - I wonder too, as hard as I’ve looked, I haven’t been able to find anywhere that has minor league spring training stats…
“Name just two moves he did to win a couple of extra games in 2008.”
You are kidding aren’t you, thrylos? Every one on this board can recall many game moves that worked, whether that was with the lineup card, pulling a starter at the right time and having the pen do its job, a sacrifice bunt, a pinch hitter, you name it. Many good decisions, but you want him to turn in his badge because of a handful of transgressions, mostly minor ones. And you give him absolutely NO credit for managing the club house, which is the failing for most managers and a strength for Gardy.
What’s your motivation for discovering more faults and bigger faults than most?
I am not really motivated to discover more faults and bigger fault. All I am trying to do is to say that a. Gardy is a human and he makes mistakes and b. that he is not the incredible manager the media picture him to be.
There needs to be a balance. No mainstream TC media ever said anything negative about Gardy. Someone’s gotta be objective about it…
I gave him credit several times publicly this off-season (just because I was told I don’t do that enough.) So I’m working on it.
For some reason, “Minnesota nice” could be a detriment to the performance of our teams. Here is an example (and I am moving away from Gardy: ) Tom Kelly was a fantastic manager for about 10 years or so. Then the team started having financial pressures, he got comfortable, he was affordable and he turned into a curmudgeon burning rookies left and right and caring more about his horses in the late 90s than the Twins until he retired from managing. Nobody ever in the TC mainstream media pointed a finger at TK at that point.
Last season Gardy had a lot of family issues and I think that he was pressing (I watched about 90% of the Twins’ games and I cannot count the occasions he just threw himself over the dugout railing portraying helplessness during games). Hopefully that is passed him (it sounds like it is) and he assesses his situation…
“Name just two moves he did to win a couple of extra games in 2008.”
You are kidding aren’t you, thrylos? Every one on this board can recall many game moves that worked,
I am sure that everyone on this board could then name just two of these many to contradict me then
here you go:
“Gardy’s main managerial flaw is his use of the bullpen, there is ample evidence to support that”…
Maybe so, TwinsNotes, but please don’t say that you think he goes with his feelings too often and expect that to suffice as evidence. That smacks of non-objective sentiment, or ‘feelings’. You don’t want to go with your feelings too often you know.
worse come to worse, with Dickey on the pen used only when there is a blow out to reduce strain in the pen, the risk of failure (even if Dickey allows 5 runs an outing) is minimal, compared to using 3 pitchers to finish such a game…
How many games do you think the Twins play in a year where they are up, or down, by more than 5 runs after 6 innings? And if Dickey came in and DID give up 5 runs, threatening a big lead, do you support leaving him in there to finish the game anyway?
What I want Gardy not to do, is not to use the same reliever in the same situation until the reliever gets his act together is some low leverage situations. And he failed in that part last year with Rincon, Bass and Guerrier (after the AS break for the latter)
On Bass, I might agree with you, although I’d argue the fault for Bass lies with whoever decided he was a major league pitcher in the first place.
And that gets back to my argument. You want Gardy to use his relievers more efficiently, but you don’t want 3 (or 4) of them used whenever the game is on the line.
What is it you want Gardy to do when he’s in his 4th, or 5th, one or two run game in a row?
Get better relievers, that’s the answer, so you can go to your secondary guys when necessary with less probability they’ll make a close game, uh, unclose.
Which is why having a guy like Dickey in the pen is a bad idea, unless he can pitch well. If you can’t use him for weeks at a time while you wait for a blowout, you’re playing with a 24 man roster.
btw,
here is a great move that Gardy did last season (executed by 2 of the most maligned players in the Twins’ roster) :
April 4th, Twins vs. Royals, the Dome. Lamb on third, one out, Everett on the plate. Gardy puts the sacrifice squeeze play on (first, btw, the Twins executed in the dome), Lamb scores, Everett is out, the Twins win 4-3.
(this doesn’t count… I am waiting for 2 more)
FWIW, I agree with Chief. I can’t wait ’till they officially DFA Dickey so I don’t have to argue about why I think Dickey is a bad choice.
The main problem with Gardy’s bullpen management last year was they guys he had to choose from. After Neshek got hurt, he had no eighth inning guy he could rely on, and a lot of close eighth innings. So he used the guys he had and only stopped using them when Smith released them. Gardy is great at managing a great bullpen. He’s good at managing a good bullpen. He’s bad at managing a bad bullpen. Most managers would say the same thing.
cmath: well put, in much fewer words than I used.
What is it you want Gardy to do when he’s in his 4th, or 5th, one or two run game in a row?
depends on how the starter is pitching and depends on who is available. If the starter is fine, let Andy eat his clicker and let the starter finish the game. If the starter is not fine, use Crain, Ayala or Breslow is high leverage situation, until the others can prove they can pitch
Way too easy, thrylos. How many extra wins did Mauer provide according to your beloved statistics? Gardy inserted him in the lineup what, about 135 times? Using your line of reasoning, most other managers would have started him less, and therefore the Twins won an extra game or two. Or how about this: Gardy brought Nathan in to pitch the 9th and he Nathan saved the game, thanks to Gardy.
The Gardy mistake that cost the Twins a game would not have been made by another manager, isn’t that right?
My point: it’s mental masturbation to go through your exercise because even you, despite all your expertise, cannot reasonably conclude how many decisions, or which ones, resulted in an extra win here or there.
Gardy is great at managing a great bullpen. He’s good at managing a good bullpen. He’s bad at managing a bad bullpen. Most managers would say the same thing.
ok. Point taken.
So did Guerrier turn from “good” to “bad” overnight? Or what that a bit of Gardy’s doing? (he admitted to that to his credit, btw). Or was Mijares that worse than yesterday Eddie last September that he had to sit for a week before he was used and then ended up used sparingly?
use Crain, Ayala or Breslow is high leverage situation
For the 4th or 5th game in a row?
Wouldn’t that be counter to what you’re complaining about? Overuse?
“Let the starter finish the game.”
Right.
Just that easy.
I will agree that sometimes Gardy lets his desire to win today–which is generally the way to go, BTW–cloud his decision making.
Using Guerrier 6 times in 8 days last July was criminal, and quite possibly had a negative effect on Guerrier’s second half.
He did the same thing to Neshek in 2007: 7 games in 9 days.
All the more reason a team needs to put as many good arms in the pen as possible, so the manager isn’t tempted to overuse his few good options.
Wasn’t there some discussion this winter about whether or not Bill Smith should’ve done a bit more to improve the pen over the past 9 months or so?
“He’s bad at managing a bad bullpen. Most managers would say the same thing.”
Very well said cmath.
Gardy had performance problems from almost all of the pen, but thrylos, you’re convinced that Gardy exacerbated the problem and caused poorer bullpen performance overall. Maybe a little bit, and his peers would have done the same.
use Crain, Ayala or Breslow is high leverage situation
For the 4th or 5th game in a row?
No, you use one of them every other day for an inning depending on the situation and on who is rested. Here is the math. Let’s assume 4 close games in a row (which is a mega stretch, btw) :
game 1: Starter 7 innings, Crain 1 inning, Nathan 1 inning
game 2: Starter 7 innings, Ayala 1 inning, Nathan 1 inning
game 3: Starter 7 innings, Breslow 1 inning, Crain 1 inning (gotta give Nathan some rest)
game 4: Starter 7 innings, Ayala 1 inning, Nathan 1 inning.
The bullpen situation is one criticism I see as valid. Bringing in Ayala as a “high leverage” solution is too remindful of past bargain hunting maneuvers, and I was hoping we were past that era. But then, didn’t we have the same complaint last spring regarding the starting rotation? I wish Billy Smith had found one more quality arm, but he can’t be sentenced unless the crime is committed, and maybe this pen will surprise us. Hope springs eternal.
Assuming four close games in a row (within 2 runs) is a mega-stretch, but assuming four starters in a row pitch 7 innings isn’t?
I’ll have to check, but I don’t believe any team in the majors averaged 7 innings per start last year.
Which is why I snicker when some posters (not you) repeat the “just get another inning or two every game from the starters and the pen won’t matter” mantra.
Ain’t happening. And that’s a good thing. The Twins take care of their starters, and I don’t want them to stop.
Assuming four close games in a row (within 2 runs) is a mega-stretch, but assuming four starters in a row pitch 7 innings isn’t?
well, if it is going to 4 close games in a row you’d have to assume that the starters are pitching ok, don’t you? Or, if it makes you feel better substitute the 7 innings for the starters for starters+mop up (Guerrier, Humber, Dickey/Duensing) for the games that the starter bombed and the bats made it close. Does it make better sense this way?
Span into lead off in the order.
Craig supports Morales as the pick to be the short term backup catcher.
There is no sensse to have a good prospect like Butera sit on the bench for a month. This would hamper his development. Also, it would start the service time clock ticking on Butera. The Twins don’t want that.
Morales fits the mold as a Chris Heintz type, shuttle-butt 3rd catcher. A guy they don’t care about who can be sent back and forth. Good move.
Craig supports Jose Mijares being sent down. Supremely talented, but mentally unprepared to be a major league player.
Mijares has a long history of behavior and psychological issues. He’s a headcase and grossly immature. He had the horrible family tragedy a while back. Hopefully, the Twins can help the young nut case. Craig says don’t count on it.
…and 2 - Staying with the 3 other outfielders when Cuddy returned last year.
Craig does not see Henry Sanchez or Chris Parmelee as prospects. He thinks their ships will sink at, or before, they reach the AA level.
Terry Ryan has recently mentioned Brian Dinkelman as a prospect, and Craig agrees wholeheartedly. Craig would like to see Dinkleman playing 3B at New Britain this year.
Span into lead off in the order.
about a month too late…
…and 2 - Staying with the 3 other outfielders when Cuddy returned last year.
while taking away at bats from Kubel and Ruiz (who were hotter than Cuddyer in September) at the DH spot…
Craig is happy to hear the Twins have made the decision to go with 12 pitchers rather than 11. A major league team needs at least twelve, or better yet, 13 pichers.
This is necessary because starting pitchers only pitch 5-7 innnings nowadays. The old days of pitchers going 9 innings or as long as the game lasted are a thing of the past.
The men of Craig’s generation were real men. Tough guys. Craig finds the generations of younger men to largely be soft and sissy types. Especially men who are now in their twenties. Baseball has to accomodate these weak kneed pansies. Craig understands this and accepts the new reality.
Your Request: “Name just two moves he did to win a couple of extra games in 2008.”
I agree Span move was late, much discussed beforehand but did help win games after.
DH’ing Cuddy agreed - but keeping Span in RF was not hurtful.
Terry,
I really meant, in-game moves, not big picture things, because a lot of those were the front office doing, when I asked for 2 moves of the “many” that Gardy did to make the Twins win more than they were supposed to win…
craig,
regardless of 11, 12 or 13, do you think the twins bullpen will be strong enough? or is a new face or two still needed?
Craig believes the final infield decision comes down to Buscher or Harris. Buscher provides the far superior bat, whereas Harris is much more versatile.
Gardy’s history indicates he always chooses two backups who can play the middle infield. Tolbert can play the middle infield and Harris can….sort of. Buscher can’t.
Earlier Craig had simply expected Harris to be released at the end of spring training. Now, he is far less certain.
Most people repeat their behavior. Gardy will likely do the same. Craig believes now the edge goes to Harris to be the “25th man”. Buscher to AAA.
Buscher can be recalled when the Twins play National League teams. That is when the team is more in need of a good hitter of the bench. Right now, versatility is the key.
Craig showed up.
Thread done.
but, Chief, Craig is speaking on the third person about himself… I see some neon Deion in the making. There is still hope about this thread
Fair. Things that work are ‘expected’ and ‘things that fail’ are Monday arm chair - what I’m saying.
Hi mickey,
The Twins staff has not recovered from the loss of Garza and Santana. I would love to see a pitcher as talented as Perkins or Blackburn in the pen. I think the Twins would have cruised to a division title if one or both had been in the pen last year.
The pen looks weak. Especially with Mijares farmed out (a necessary move). Aside from Nathan, none of those guys are consistently solid. Joe Nathan is also getting long in the tooth. If age catches up to Nathan, turn out the lights, the party will be over early.
‘things that fail’ are Monday arm chair
ok, and be true about this:
Were there any times last season that you were uncomfortable when Gardy brought Bass or Rincon or Guerrier or yesterday Eddie in September in to pitch before they failed in that particular game?
believe me, I was…
I hope you got my point
“Craig showed up.
Thread done.”
Thread back up.
Craig Done.
So did Guerrier turn from “good” to “bad” overnight? Or what that a bit of Gardy’s doing?
Guerrier’s innings:
2007: 88.0
2008: 76.3
Lest you think there’s much of a disparity prior to August (when he started to suck) in the two years:
2007 months 3-7: 60 1/3
2008 months 3-7: 56 2/3
Gardy didn’t overuse Guerrier last year. He just started to suck as more responsibility was placed on him. After Neshek and Rincon were gone, he fell apart. There is some doubt he will ever return to form. He sure hasn’t inspired a lot of confidence this spring.
Relievers do this sometimes. In his case, there was never a lot of margin for error anyway. As long as he had one of the best curveballs in the game, he was fine. When he lost the feel for his curveball, he was awful. I hope he gets the feel back this year. If not, he’s my pick to be released as early as June.
I’d say most of us were uncomfortable when Gardy brought MOST OF THE PEN into ANY close game last year, BEFORE they failed.
What I fail to see is the better options Gardy ignored.
no advice on my fantasy team? oh well…
and if Craig speaks in 3rd person one more time I will tell my 8th grade English teacher and she’ll use her third eye to find where he lives and beat him to a pulp.
Projected bullpen:
Nathan
Crain
Ayala
Breslow
Guerrier
Humber
Dickey
Crain and Ayala have set-up man stuff; its more mental than anything (Crain falling back on that straight fastball, Ayala with his off-field issues and recovering from injury) but both look better than ever. Breslow can be counted on as he loogy, and as a 1 inning guy if needed (ie if there are 2 lefties to be faced in an inning, he can stay on and take out the righty no problem). Guerrier is a question mark, although his stuff seems to be returning (nice save the other day). Humber is a decent long reliever and Dickey can be counted on for that as well.
not really seeing a huge concern; yes it won’t be lights out but there is no reason why it can’t be at least above average to good. plus you could cut one of the guys later in the season and someone like Mijares can come up and fill in (once he gets his act together).
Guerrier’s innings:
2007: 88.0
2008: 76.3
That’s about half of the story or less… if you did deeper, you’ll see:
Guerrier:
2007:
Games with 0 days rest: 16*
1 day rest: 26
2 days rest: 16
3 days rest: 10
2008:
Games with 0 days rest: 22*
1 day rest: 25
2 days rest: 17
3 days rest: 6
*that’s what made the difference
wow; 47 of his appearances on a day or less rest? thats sad really
msm,
I hope you get my point then about bullpen management and Gardy…
I think it had more to do with his losing the feel for his curveball than fatigue. To the extent that it was fatigue, it had as much to do with all the innings he pitched in 2007 as consecutive games pitched. In any event, I wouldn’t blame Gardy for Guerrier’s implosion. I argued at the time that he should have used Breslow in more close-and-late situations. But he was the only underused guy out there. Otherwise, the 20 blown saves from set-up guys was a team effort.
I think I’ve been on his case longer than you have Thry.
cmath,
check this about whether or not Guerrier lost the feel of his curveball in 2008 vs 2007:
http://overthebaggy.blogspot.com/2008/12/curious-case-of-matthew-guerrier.html
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. I check in quite a bit.
Today’s thread on Gardy’s usage of the bullpen motivated me to comment.
I think we all agree that personnel in the bp was the biggest factor last year. To say that removes Gardy from any responsibility is curious. You have a rookie GM, and I think you can see that Gardy has influence (Punto resigning). In fact I would even blame Anderson a bit. You have a guy that good in “fixing” pitchers and you keep thinking you can right the ship. But I digress.
One area I was pretty vocal about was Gardy never using Nathan except for a 3 out save situation. If fact I remember Gardy did do it in the Seattle game and we ended up losing, but I loved the move. Too often we would lose leads and games with our best pitcher on the bench. Of course the risk is overuse… Let the discussion begin.
Thrylos: I’m not convinced by that article. The main problem is it doesn’t segment the numbers by month. Prior to July 28, Guerrier was very good. Afterwards, he was awful. Also, after July 28, Guerrier’s innings were seriously curtailed, so his suckitude had a small affect on his year-long numbers.
I watched him pitch in just about every game. And I can tell you that, after July 28, his curveball went from a 12-6 hammer to a 2-8 slurve. This did two things: It affected control of the pitch, and it made it much more hittable. It also caused him to throw it less and rely more heavily on his very hittable slider, with predictable results.
I will be pleasantly surprised if he can regain his 2007 form. His career path mirrors Hawkins and Rincon before him, who started out in long relief, had relatively brief success as set-up guys and faded from the scene. The difference is, he doesn’t throw as hard as the other two, so his secondary stuff and command must be that much better.
“I think it had more to do with his losing the feel for his curveball than fatigue.”
fatigue is among the biggest reasons for losing the feel of a curveball.
cmath,
I watch about 90% of the Twins’ games last season, too and, frankly, I did not see him throw a slurve-like pitch (on the other hand, a lot of people claim that Crain’s tight curve is a slurve and I would swear that I saw Blackburn throw at least 20 screwballs last year than nobody else saw, but it might be my eyes )
here are some numbers that I hope make you sleep better tonight:
Guerrier’s BABIP in 2008 by month:
April: .306
May: .277
June: .250
July: .300
August: .361
September: .364
one more thing: just because Guerrier’s BABIP increased when my favorite scapegoat (E5) was handed the third base job, I wanted to make sure that it was not his doing, so here is the team BABIP last season, month by month:
April: .300
May: .318
June: .315
July: .284
August: .296
September: .300
Plainly, Guerrier was darn unlucky the last couple of months of the season…
sane-in regards to your 9:10,Morales won’t have to PH.Being a switch hitter affords us the option of starting and using Mauer at DH.I hope he takes advantage of his opportunity and plays lights out(of most of,but not all)hope all the Twins,even Punto!
ops-play well!
[…] asked for our advice recently. • The Twins sent Michael Cuddyer back to Minnesota to have his left index finger examined, and while the team insists it’s a routine procedure, the timing is a little bit odd since the club […]
Thry: You’re trying too hard. You’re actually saying that Guerrier’s ERA went from 2.5 per month to 10 per month because of luck? That’s rich. You must not have watched. The only reason he got anybody out after July 28 was they hit balls right at guys. It’s tough to pitch worse than he did.
These were his numbers in August:
13 G 10.2 IP 10.12 ERA 16 H 13 R 12 ER 3 HR 6 BB 8 K
His numbers in September are not much better:
12 G 10.00 IP 15 H 10 R 10 ER 3 HR 8 BB 6 K
Morneau doesn’t need to play in these games just like Adrian Peterson doesn’t need to play in his final preseason game. Get the season started with at least some of the middle part of the order in tact.
“The only reason he got anybody out after July 28 was they hit balls right at guys.”
There are guys in the Hall of Fame that got there doing just that.
[…] Kansas City News latest RSS headlines - Kansas City News.Net added an interesting post today on Morneau scractched. Roster moves. Lineups are up. Henry Sanchez…Here’s a small reading Twins first baseman Justin Morneau was scratched today after this back tightened up during batting practice. “Not a big deal,” he said. […]
I’ve got both Johan, CC, Morneau, Nathan, Shields, and Ibanez on my fantasy team as well as Wells, Thome, Slowey and Gomez. Wish me luck.
Happy Birthday Romer!!!!
Two things in life have made me feel old, when the time came that I was older than a lot of the ml baseball players of the day and now, when my kids are older than a lot of them.
I saw Harmon play, the Beatles at the old Met, and The Purple People Eaters, marched in the band at 2 Green Bay games.
Earl Batty was my favorite Twin. My mom got to go to one of the WS games in 1965 and my brother in 1987. My aunt lives in the same building as Perkins’ great-aunt…
I appreciate this blog for its wisdom as well as it’s fun and last but not least
trish, I love your picture on your page, you are a beautiful girl! (love the twins shirt too.)
GENO,
“sane-in regards to your 9:10,Morales won’t have to PH.Being a switch hitter affords us the option of starting and using Mauer at DH”
When Mauer returns, Morales will be optioned to AAA.
Someone suggested that Buscher won’t be needed as a LH-PH, if Morales is kept instead of Butera, because Morales can be the LH-PH.
But Morales shouldn’t be used as a LH-PH, when Red-Dog is starting, because a Red-Dog injury would then force use of an emergency catcher. (Morneau?)
That is a terrible contingency plan.
My point is:
Keeping Buscher as the LH-PH is much better than using Morales as the LH-PH.
thry: Had to go out for supper, so delayed response. btw - becoming a fan of your site. I am agreeing with you on the bullpen. It scared the $%#* out of me in 2008. I fully see your point, but Gardy had limited options - gasoline or propane. I attempted to find 2 situations where we can credit Gardy to be somewhat supportive of Gardy and prob to be dis-agreeable to your point of view as no one else seemed to take the bait. He may not be the best manager in baseball but he is OUR manager and I kinda like the guy in a big picture, not a tactical view. He has spunk, plays a little but of hunch, keeps the team loose - lots of reasons to like the guy. I remember the pitching coach from Baltimore era and don’t care to go back there.
Awww AgateHunter’swife, you’re too sweet! I actually cut Punto out of the picture. He might go back in it soon enough
trish, only put Punto back if he earns it with is bat and glove!!!
TF RE: Gardy “He has spunk, plays a little but of hunch, keeps the team loose - lots of reasons to like the guy.”
I think is was partly Hunch that made him choose Gomez over Span last SP, that worked out okay for everyone. I do agree though Gardy makes some wierd moves.
There are guys in the Hall of Fame that got there doing just that.
Nobody in the Hall of Fame had an ERA over 10, or gave up two runners per inning or a homer every three innings. To get to the Hall of Fame, you also have to get strikeouts, weak grounders and other easy outs.
Twins fans and Gardenhire are both slow learners. Hey, by mid-season Punto will have demonstrated that he is not a positive for the team. Tolbert should be the starting shortstop.
The contest between Dickey, Humber, and Duensing for the bullpen spot is a no-brainer. Duensing is clearly the best choice-he has more potential, is left handed, and his ERA is far better than the other two possibilities.
Henry - My understanding is that Duensing is not directly competing against Dickey and Humber for the final spot. I believe Duensing already won his spot when Mijares was sent down. So the bullpen looks like this: Ayala, Breslow, Crain, Duensing, Guerrier, Nathan, and the winner between Humber and Dickey.
So it isn’t a no-brainer… Dickey is a little bit better at this point, but Humber has more potential and is out of options. It would take at least a 3/4 brainer to figure out a good solution here.
Who’s the upper case JOE? I’ve been out for awhile, but did see the Twins play the Yanks and BJs on 3/20 & 22, respectively.
What’s wrong with Span? Where are Crede’s HRs? Good thing he has an incentive-ladened contract.
