Five questions for the new week
Posted on March 10th, 2008 – 10:36 AMBy Howard
After watching most of Sunday’s game and pondering the activity so far in Fort Myers, here are some of my questions:
*Is Gardy gonna stick to the 12-pitcher pronouncement? I can see where he’s tempted, owing to the fact that the Twins have only 1 day off in the first 3 weeks of the season. But unless he’s considering Cuddyer/Young/Monroe as a back-up for the center-field winner (or planning to jettison Monroe with Jason Pridie as the backup to Gogomez), something’s gonna hafta give. 12 pitchers, 2 catcher and 6 infielders leave room for 5 outfielders/DH, right? That sounds like Cuddyer/Young/Kubel/Monroe and ???. I can’t believe the Twins would go with 5 infielders, given the limitations of everyone except Morneau. Mitt Harris isn’t a great glove guy, Lamb hasn’t proven himself as an everyday guy at third, Everett and Punto are offensively challenged. The Twins need more infield flexibility. With a 5-outfielder roster, I’ve gotta believe that the backup configuration would be Kubel/Cuddy 0r Monroe/Young and I’m gonna need to be made more comfortable with that.
*The rotation: Baker, Oof, Livan, Liriano and… ??? Right now, I’m thinking the Twins are giving Glen Perkins every chance to win that spot based on how they’ve been using him in Florida. It’s an interesting race. Kevin Slowey’s start today will be interesting to follow. (Update: Slowey gave up 6 hits — all singles — in 3 innings to Florida, and got out of bases-loaded situations in the 2d and 3d. In the second, he got two fly balls; in the third, Casilla caught a line drive to start a double play. Randy Ruiz had a 3-RBI double, but also managed not to cover first base on a bunt.)
*Does anyone else want to hear Cuddyer talk more about leadership? He jabbed Torii when he was asked by Dick’n'Bert during Sunday’s telecast about filling a leadership gap. No such thing exists, Cuddyer replied. He made it sound like reports of Torii’s leadership may have been a bit overstated and I wanna hear the follow-up queries. Cuddyer was on the verge of Crawfording ol’ No. 48.
*Who insisted that Gardy use the phrase “bathroom caulk” in the “Ron’n'Carol shop local” hardware store commercial? The dialog elicits a sophomoric response from some people I otherwise consider mature. (Biting own tongue here.) Good to know, though, that Gardy doesn’t go big box.
*What is Texas thinking?
other people are here too.
24 Responses to "Five questions for the new week"
1. I agree that the 12 pitchers is not going to work with this current club. There are too many young(read: inconsistent) players on the roster. I still think Lofton in CF is the best option. I’m hoping that Gardy lets Kubel get his AB’s this year.
2. This is the biggest question in my mind. The only locks are Baker, Boofeteria, and Livan(unfortunately). I think the next outing for Liriano will tell us whether or not he is going to start with the big club. I agree that Slowey’s next outing is crucial. Both Perkins and Slowey have looked bad this ST so it’s up in the air. Does Humber have any chance at that spot?
3. I love people ripping on Torii. I will be at the game on opening day and I am probably going to be the only person in the dome booing him. I don’t want to start a war over Hunter so I will end it there.
4. At least they didn’t go with the Caulk gun reference.
5. Low risk, I’m sure it’s only costing them a 100K or so to start with. Not that it is a great signing but they always need pitching. I saw that 5 teams were actually interested in him. Maybe he has put down the wine at dinner and has started working out. Then again….
Who’s the sixth infielder? I count Morneau, Harris, Punto, Everett, and Lamb. Buscher could make the team but I think if he did he’d probably bump Harris. Gardy did say Buscher was going to play some 2b.
Ben
I think Casilla is in the mix along with Buscher.
jama, Casilla’s got to dig himself out of Gardy’s doghouse first.
Lofton signed with someone else I was told. I’ve yet to find that information, but apparently he’s not an option.
………….
1) 12 man rotation for the first month of the season makes perfect sense to me.
2) the rotation if it were to be taken TODAY Baker, Booflet, Livan, Blackburn, Slowey with Perkins starting at AAA, and Franchise in extended spring. But that could change with Lirano’s next two starts. Blackburn has to be getting serious consideration for the rotation ahead of Slowey though if Liriano is 100%
3) It was pretty apparent that Hunter was the leader, but that Cuddyer has different views.
4) ugh
5) what?
Baker, Bonser, Hernandez, Blackburn, Slowey
nathan, neshak, guerrier, crain, rincon, reyes
mauer, morneau, harris, everrett, lamb, young, gomez, cuddyer, kubel
Monroe, Redmond, Punto
that leaves two spots open. back 2nd infielder, and 12th pitcher.
If they keep Liriano on the 25 man roster, you have to go 12 pitchers to baby him in.
Buscher and Tolbert battle for that infield spot though I’m liking this Ruiz guy.
If they go with the 11 man staff, Pridie is the other backup outfielder, to give Span the AAA CF job he doesn’t really deserve.
I will be at the game on opening day and I am probably going to be the only person in the dome booing him.
I doubt that. There are a LOT of people that didn’t like Hunter’s less than graceful exit.
And with Torii gone, there isn’t a leadership gap. Cuddy’s got it dead on. Redmond and Cuddy seem like good guys when it comes to attitude. There’s also Nathan, the anchor in the bullpen.
Just because Torii left doesn’t mean this team is suddenly without leadership. We knew all along Hunter was going after his paycheck in 08, so did his teammates. They were ready for him to be gone and have stepped right in to take over.
I was THRILLED to hear Cuddyer say what he said. Good for him! I’m so tired of the Torii was the greatest leader ever crap! He was the perceived leader because he talks so much. Just because he gets interviewed all the time and says stupid stuff and bashes his teammates a lot doesn’t mean he was the leader according to his teammates, which is what matters. From what I’ve heard, Mike Redmond has been one of the leaders in the clubhouse the last couple of years. You don’t have to be a star and have you face all over the place to be the leader.
Just because the Twins have a lot of quiet guys on the roster now doesn’t mean they don’t have leadership, just that they don’t have big mouths. Let’s not forget that Dougie Mientkiewicz was once considered a leader on the team and in the end, it was really just because he was a big talker. Using examples like his refusal to play once trade rumors started or his following Todd Walker’s comments say a lot.
For Hunter, it was his questioning of injured players when it was him who left the team completely when he got hurt a couple of years ago. He’s the one that threw a punch (I know, some consider being a bully being a leader… many don’t).
Jama, if I can get to that game, you won’t be the only one!
From what I’ve heard, Mike Redmond has been one of the leaders in the clubhouse the last couple of years. You don’t have to be a star and have you face all over the place to be the leader.
Agreed. And, I hope he stays with the team when he enters into his post-playing days. I, like a lot of people, have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the guy, even if he’s not the “star” of the team.
I agree on the the Hunter situation.How was his pandering to every out of town media member last year considered leadership? I said this when he left and I’ll aay it again,if you took a private poll of the players who were in the Twins clubhouse last year,very few would miss Torii’s “leadership”. They might miss his production, but not his mouth.
I also think Blackburn has a shot at the rotation.I’m not convinced Slowey is not just a 4A pitcher, but then again I had the same opinion of Baker,now he’s considered one of the teams mainstays.I’d love to see Perkins get a crack at the rotation as well.But given the lack of LH options in the pen I think his biggest value to the team could be there.
I’m going to go with a 12 man staff, Mauer,RedDog, Morneau,Harris,Lamb,Everett,Punto and Buscher in the infield with Young,Gomez,Cuddy,Kubel,Monroe as the OF/DH and LNP as the emergency CFer.
1) 12 pitchers to start the season is almost a lock, IMO, and probably a good idea. It’s not like you can’t go to 11 somewhere down the road.
2) Anyone speculating on anything past Baker, Boof and Livan right now is doing just that…speculating. My own speculation leans toward Slowey and Humber rounding out the 5, with Liriano replacing the weak link a month or so into the season. Perkins in the pen.
3) I don’t understand the Hunter bashing at all. Say what you will, he did nothing but run through walls for the Twins his entire time here. I defy anyone to point to a time when he gave less than 100% effort, despite the score, despite the record, despite his own health. He will be missed.
4) I have nothing to add.
5) Hey, they’re the Rangers.
” I defy anyone to point to a time when he gave less than 100% effort, despite the score, despite the record, despite his own health.”
I don’t think anyone is questioning his production - at least not from August 2006 through about July of 2007. I think we’re just questioning whether he was really the ‘leader’ that he was perceived to be.
Nick Punto gives 100% effort too…
I agree with Seth.
1. There are a couple of major problems with a 12 man pitching staff for the Twins: a. Most of the pitchers are young and are starters and they need work that will not get unless they are in a rotation. They are better off in a AAA rotation than the majors. b. The team would probably be served better with another right hand bat on the bench than a pitching prospect. The Twins’ bench has been plagued by light hitting. I’d love to see Ruiz there as a 1B against some left handers and as DH against left handers when Monroe is on the field (he was even CS’d today 
). The other options: Buscher is pretty much a LH Harris, which doesn’t say much… Punto is Punto (for some reason it seems that the Twins are genetically attracted to light hitting utility men - see Al Newman and Denny Hocking) I think that Castillo has shown enough this spring with both his bat and glove to be ahead of Punto in the depth chart.
2. The rotation looks like Baker, Boof, Livan, Slowey and Liriano if he is healthy. Blackburn has a great spring (so have Humber and Bass, btw) and he probably deserves a spot (and he might get it if Liriano can’t make it or Slowey struggles). I just wish that the Twins were a bit more creative with their pitching staff. There is a oversupply of RH relievers (Crain, Neshek, Guerrier, Rincon) all of whom have been used as set up men at different stages of their careers. Guerrier has been a starter all his career at the minors and he should probably get a try. There is a deficit in LHP. Ideally there should be an additional lefty starter and reliever. Reyes seems healed, would Perkins be the second lefty in the bullpen? Should the Twins package Rincon (he is having a fine spring btw) with someone like Punto to get a lefty starter? Not to stir up semi-burned out coals, but would a Rincon, Bonser/Slowey and Punto package get Lester and Coco from Boston? (Rincon by himself would probably get Coco, since that is pretty much what the Red Sox are asking from the Cubs)
3. The CF situation is interesting. It seems that the brass wants to give the job to Gomez and Gomez is not ready yet. Lofton might be an option, but I’d love to see Monroe and Young play some innings out there, too. The issue with the lineup is the opposite with that of the pitching: there are not enough righties. If Buscher gets a bench job, when a lefty starts for the opposition, the only righty that can hit above the Mendoza line would be the back up catcher… Down by 2, bottom of the nine, man on second and third, lefty pitcher, do you want Punto, Buscher or Ruiz in that situation?
my ideal 25 men roster from what I seen this spring would be:
1. Casilla 2B
2. Mauer C
3. Young LF
4. Monroe 1B
5. Cuddyer RF
6. Kubel DH
7. Monroe CF
8. Lamb 3B
9. Everett SS
with bench:
10. Redmond C
11. Ruiz 1B/DH/OF
12. Harris IF
13. Pridie OF
14. Punto IF
Gomez and Span at AAA
pitching:
Starters:
15. Baker
16. Bonser
17. Hernandez
18. Slowey
19. Liriano
bullpen
20. Nathan (CL)
21. Neshek
22. Crain
23. Reyes
24. Guerrier
25. Perkins/Blackburn
I thought I had left seventh grade behind long ago, but every time I hear Gardy say “caulk” I can’t keep from laughing. Why didn’t anybody catch that on the first run-through? I mean….I’m glad they didn’t, but I don’t understand it.
Pervert!
1. I pretty much concur with everyone on here — a 12-man staff doesn’t hurt with the schedule the Twins are looking at in April.
2. Baker, Boof, Livan and Liriano are locks, I’d say. Regardless of how the Twins are babying him right now, I can’t envision any scenario where he starts the season in AAA — A shattered ego is no better than a bum arm. As for the 5th starter? It’ll probably be a revolving door like every other year and just about every other team … as long as we see some production, great.
3. As a former ballplayer, I loved Torii’s production, but you can read between the lines, (and even from his demeanor in interviews — the media didn’t like him because he was a great guy; they liked him because he was a great quote and not an out-right donkey’s rear) and see that he wasn’t especially enjoyed behind closed doors. That said, unless you’re talking about a Barry Bonds-type, almost any ball player will tell you he’ll deal with a little “holier-than-thou” if the production is there.
4. What do you mean? I still laugh at those jokes 
5. SWEET! Unless we don’t play Texas in April. If everyone else in the AL gets to beat up on him and he gets cut before we get our shot, I’m cursing a blue streak!
I think the “bathroom caulk” line is a good follow-up to the commercial last year where Mrs Ron says “Gardy, you’re the best!!” and he answers by saying “GRRRuff!” The first time I heard that line I thought “Geez you two - get a room!” 
I vote with Seth & friends re: Hunter’s leadership, especially where 2007 was concerned.
The press loved him because he made their job easier; for some reason, he always came off good when he told a story. Even in 2007 when he was so transparently using the pressies for his contract drive.
BD,
With all due respect, if I started listing the people who make the “press’s” job difficult, I’d probably run out of cyberspace. You can begrudge the message, but not the accessibility.
If the price for accessibility is the press writing a bunch of BS stories about “leadership”, then I vote for less accessibility.
If the price for production and fearless effort is a minor inclination to like seeing oneself quoted in the morning papers, then I vote for more stories in the paper.
I never had a problem with Hunter’s attitude. I had a problem with his swing. Until 2006 I think he was overmatched 75% of the time at the plate… not just getting outs, but overmatched. Then at 30 it clicked. That’s an inspiration for those of us who weren’t fast starters in other aspects of our lives… I have no problem with how he left, or his comments or anything like that.
I do see how the attitude can wear thin though. I see that from people with my own self from time to time. Confidence can be taken as arrogance quite easily, and in Hunter’s case… he started believing his hype more than he should have, but he was my mother’s and my grandfather’s favorite Twins player ever, and they both saw Killer, Oliva, Carew, and Kirby. Until the last 18-24 months of his tenure as a Twin I thought he was overrated big time. I am happy for his cash flow, and for his chance to play for a REAL CONTENDER in the Angels.
I also think that replacing him won’t be nearly as difficult as we have made it. Young will replace his offensive numbers, and Gomez will replace his defense… and then Gomez just has to out-perform the numbers we got out of our left fielders last year, and I think our OF could be overall better this year than last year… even with Gomez instead of Ellsbury, lol.
Oops, looks like I shouldn’t be blogging here…….which is fine. I’ll go back to my day job.
1) Why not start with 11 and see how Oof etc. do? They can always call someone up for long relief.
2) As of today, Perkins and Slowey don’t look the part. Pray for Blackburn.
3) Hunter had presence, but I don’t know how wise his leadership was. He should have accepted something like a 3-year $50M contract from the Twins. I’ll always blame him.
4) No comment. Don’t want to get censored.
5) No comment. Don’w want to get censored.
:)>
