Minnesota Twins Talk

For the love of all gods. Platoons are proven to be good options when you have the kinds of players that the Twins do (though they do need a another LH infielder . . . ). Plouffe and Valencia may not be anything beyond platoon players. And that's ok if they have platoon partners. I don't mind a Mastroianni/Komatsu platoon in RF for awhile (not what Gardenhire has done, of course).

He is rather embarrassing in non-save situations. A true closer indeed--actually not very good in tight, high-leverage situations, but ideal for 2 or 3 run leads.

So this is it. This is what the bottom of the barrel feels like. The Twins' pitching has been so atrocious this year that I actually found myself excited when the news came that Brad Penny was released by a Japanese baseball team and the Twins might be able to pick him up. Even assuming Penny repeats his aweful performance of last year, his ERA of 5.30 and WHIP of 1.56 is still better than 4 of the 8 pitchers that have made a start for the Twins this year. And what's worse is that even without pitching in MLB yet this year, he has just as many wins as four of our starters. It is probably only going to take a minor league contract to get him, so why not take a flyer on him…

Parmelee is totally stinking at the plate, and his fielding is pathetic. Bring up Mastroianni to play first base. Even if his defense stinks there (because he in not used to playing first base), it seems unlikely that he could do worse than Parmalee. And Parmalee seems lost at the plate. I like Parmelee and hope that he can get it together. But at the moment he needs more time at AAA.

Did anybody else hear this? I was listening to the Twins pre-game on radio, and they were talking to a front office type (Ryan?) and he was asked when the Twins would go back to a more normal 12-pitcher roster. He said probably when Morneau was ready to come off the DL. Reprieve for Parmelee? Who then is on the block to get sent down - Blackburn? I saw they were thinking about using Swarzak & Duensing for spot starts - 5th rotation slot by committee?

I've been a Twins fan a long time. Never have I felt they were taking fans like me for granted...until now. They're not even trying. 13 pitchers. A lineup filled with AAA trash that wouldn't scare a high school pitcher. They expect fans to pay major league prices for a team that sends up Alexi Freaking Casilla as a pinch hitter in the 8th inning down one? That sends up Mastrionni and Jamie Carroll in the 9th because the only bench option is Drew Butera? When management/ownership starts treating me like a major league fan, I'll consider spending major league money again. They don't deserve to have a single fan show up at TF. This is ridiculous. Losing is one thi…

Orlando Hudson, though not hitting well (.208/,257/.330), has five triples. Oh yeah, and ZERO doubles.

Seems like a silly question (especially from someone who understands the complexities of arbitration and the baseball offseason), but what does Gardy actually do besides fill out the lineup sheets? What does he do outside of the game is a better way to put it. I think it's important to know, because many attribute the fall of the Twins to him; whereas, I don't think a manager change really does too much in terms of wins and losses.

Mastroianni and Walters up... Interesting

...cannot spell their own player's names even in official lineup cards. Proof

Dennis Brackin's article in today's StarTribune noted a number of interesting views about the widespread philosophy of pitch to contact. Commenters make frequent use of this phrase when describing the Twins approach, but this alone does not explain the results of the Twins pitching staff this season. The result in this case can best be described as "pitching to extraordinary contact". It is noticeable, even to the likes of me, that opposing teams are really teeing off at times. Pitcher by pitcher, is there really a root cause, a common thread of coaching or philosophy that is having this influence? Or is it just that we have a group of less than stellar pitchers,…

ESPN current park numbers cite as of today, Target field IS 6th in runs scored 19th in HRs 2nd in hits per 1st in doubles 2nd in triples

Looking for the name of Doziers walk up song? Thanks, Oh and by the way the Twins are Turrible. What position dont we need help at?

1500ESPN.com's Phil Mackey reported that Twins owner Jim Pohlad was on the field pre-game before the Twins/Angels contest. In response to the recent requests for the firings of many staffers, the owner said: You have to respect the owner's loyalty to his staff but you have to wonder, is it merited?

With all the demotions and callups going on lately, I've been seeing a lot of upset fans. I was surprised reading so many flaming gardy for demoting Valencia. Personally I like what's happening. This is not for the fact that well get to see some good prospects come up and play, but because for once management is growing a spine. For years I have been saying this team needs to keep their players more accountable for their performance. Gardy has been always soo touchy feely with guys, that I think it hurts struggling players by keeping them complacent. maybe gardy sees that his job is on the line and wants to go out guns ablazing and maybe he can actually change something. …

Anybody else read the hype that is being heaped on Darin Mastroianni? "Mastroianni’s been playing the living fire out of the game down there,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They told me he’s the most exciting player down there. Terry (Ryan) has been down there watching that team for a week or so. I talked to the manager down there, Gene Glynn. He told me this kid has been playing really well, swinging the bat really well. Probably the most exciting player they have on that baseball team right now, running bases, stealing bases. He can fly. We’ll see. We’ll see how he does.” "Most exciting player". Wow, sounds like Gardy is shilling for management trying …

Should be easy enough to get from the Nationals, I say bring him in, let him play some RF and 3B. Nothing to lose, and he could add some awesome veteran presence as a proven winner and someone who has all the intangibles as well. Plus he is better than these scrubs we have been getting off the waiver wire. Get it done Jerry Ryan!

Feelings about Gardenhire aside, that's been debated ad nauseum, assume for the sake of discussion that he will not be back next year - who would you like to see replace him? Any names come to mind? The ideas I have mos commonly seen throw out there are Francona and Brunansky/Carew/Gladden/various other distinguished former Twins. I'm not sure if Francona would be interested, but is he a good fit? Sure, he had success in Boston, but the 2013 Twins are not going to be anything like the 2004 Red Sox. As far as the 'heroes of yesteryear' crowd, I'd prefer someone with a coaching track record that would suggest they'd be successful as a major league manager. It …

It's May 9th, so I understand that all of this talk is probably premature, but given the Twins record through the first 30 games (8-22), it is looking more and more like the time to look ahead. A big part of "looking ahead" would be to see who would be leading this team as the manager. I'm not one to say fire Gardenhire or retain him, but when was the last manager to have BACK-TO-BACK worst records in the league and still hold their job. The organization can be loyal to a degree, but at some point they need to look to see if a change at the helm is worth considering. If a move is made mid-2012, it's likely Ullger would be interim coach, unless they can get someone like Mo…

It would appear the next Rochester starters in line to be called up to the Twins are PJ Walters and Cole DeVries.... Since Liriano shows no signs of turning things around, I think it's time to make a move with him (bullpen?) and give one of these guys a shot... Realistically, it would be tough for them to do any worse... Walters line so far this season is 3-1, 33IP, 25 SO, 7BB, 2.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP.... DeVries is 0-2, 28IP, 27 SO, 6BB, 2.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP.... Anyone know more about them?

I think it goes without showing the Twins are above (or should I say below?) and beyond the worst team in the MLB. Every day they find new ways to surprise us about how awful this team really is. Realistically speaking though, it CANNOT get any worse. It's an extremely "dark" time for Twins fans as Nick Nelson points out, but resist the temptation to avoid daylight for fear of humiliation. There are many bright spots about the position we are in. Here are a few reminders. #1 The AL Central is WEAK Remember all the hype surrounding this year's Tigers team? Yeah, me too. As of now, they're sitting at 14-14 and aren't even in the division lead. Things could definitely …

To explain how this game was a fluke, and we're still the worst team ever and we should fire everybody?

Happened to get 4 dugout box seats for the Twins game on Monday, 5/7. Sat down for about 5 minutes (Sec. 14 Row 8) and noticed Torri Hunter signing merchandise down by the third base line. I jumped over a few seats, rushed down a few stairs, and budged in front of some white bitches to get my Twins cap signed. All I said to him was, "nice home runs the other day." Torri just nodded his head and smiled. Pic of "signed" hat coming soon. Any offers?

Last night, there was a lot of discussion on the 2012 Draft on the SethSpeaks Weekly Twins Podcast. I was joined by Matt Garrioch of MLB Prospect Guide and who has teamed with John Sickels at Minor League Ball for some terrific draft coverage. We talked about the various college pitchers that will be available to the Twins (Appel, Zimmer, Gausman, Stromen) and how he ranks them. I asked if it was crazy for me to think that high school RHP would be a crazy pick for the Twins at #2. Will high school OF Byron Buxton be available and could the Twins take him, and what about college catcher Mike Zunino. The Twins will certainly have plenty of options and very good options when…

That means you are in trouble and getting the ax eventually. A vote of confidence when you suck is really a vote of no confidence. Just get Ryan out of here before the draft so he doesn't screw that up. Only problem who do you get to replace him this late into the season.

I see on MLB Trade Rumors that Brad Eldred was demoted by Detroit to Toledo. Did the Twins not have a chance to grab him on the waiver wire? Seems like an opportunity to snare another prospect from this divisional rival has been missed. Eldred can play first base and a little right field, and at only 31 he is just entering his prime. He hardly ever strikes out, whiffing in only 25% of his plate appearances, a mere half of Clete Thomas's rate. Terry Ryan's gotta pull the trigger when a chance like this arises.

Chris Jaffe from The Hardball Times wrote an article on the State of the AL Central. "One factoid from the article - the worst ever ERA by a starting rotation is 6.64 by the 1996 Tigers. So that's the mark for Minnesota to avoid."

What would it take to pry Mark Trumbo off the Angels? He would be a nice fit at 1B with all the questions with Morneau. Would they actually have any interest in any prospects the Twins have? I would include Valencia in the deal if they would take him. Maybe Glen Perkins could be a piece of the deal.

With the call-up of Dozier, what are the chances that the Twins start dividing Valencia's playing time with Carroll? And, if Valencia's playing time isn't affected, what does that do to Carroll's playing time?

Jeff Gray was the only pitcher tonight who didn't give up a run. He inherited two runners, neither of which scored. He looked a lot better out there than Liriano or Swarzak (I missed Perkins since I was at the game tonight and the little one hit her breaking point in the bottom of the 8th) Also, while Plouffe's two walks were nice, his avg is now .103. .103!!!!! Why the hell did we keep him over Hughes, Burroughs, Thomas, and Revere? And now somebody is yelling we should send Parmelee back to AAA? Right now, Butera is more valuable to have then Plouffe, because at least he has one thing he is good at.