Article: A Spantastic start to his season

[Parker Hageman]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?480-A-Spantastic-start-to-his-season

[Paul]

Sending me to the Strib to see your video clips feels like cruel and unusual punishment.

[Parker Hageman]

I know, I completely agree. How dare I send you over there to use up one of your precious few "free clicks", right? In all honesty, we need to remedy that so I can post the video clips here.

[Steve Lein]

Love this stuff Parker. I guess when I watch Span hit, I don't see him using his legs at all to generate any of the force behind his swing, or at least, not nearly in the way most players do. I see a swing that's all arms and wrists (but very quick ones). To me, this is why he goes the other way so much and often times inside-outs pitches on the inner half. His front foot always stays planted perpendicular with the batter's box through his swing (stays closed), instead of opening up to get hip rotation, which will also tends to help you go the other way more often and get better outer-half plate coverage. Not worried at all about Span at this point.

[Thrylos]

Good to see Span healthy and productive again. Nice thing is that he is actually hitting lefties this season in an ok clip (like he has always done before last season.) Could be a good building block, could be a better trading block; we'll see how it ends up.

[Mike Sixel]

Great article, and I feel Span is one of the most under-apprecited MN sports figures ever. The guy is a legit top 10 CF, and I don't get the concept of trading him for relief pitching, or anything else than an elite starting prospect...I don't get it.

[Paul]

...one of your precious few "free clicks...

That and I don't own a super computer or have unlimited amounts of free time. I don't know much about computers but I do know this, back in the early 80's I designed on a computer with 4 megs ram. On large drawings it would sometimes take a full minute or more to change views. Now I draw with 2000 megs and get real time response for all but my very largest drawings. But I go on the strib's site now and it takes way way too long to flip pages. That may have to do with my security software...I don't know. And I really don't care. Because between that and my opinion of the general tone of their blogs and reader comments, that site has become insufferable to me.

 

I think I may be in a bitchy mood this morning.

[Parker Hageman]

@Paul - I did link to it to save you time but here it is again if you wish to peruse it: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/149188805.html

[ashbury]

Good to see Span healthy and productive again. Nice thing is that he is actually hitting lefties this season in an ok clip (like he has always done before last season.) Could be a good building block, could be a better trading block; we'll see how it ends up.

Span is one of the last guys I'd like to see traded. Most teams, except the wealthiest who can try to assemble an all-star team, need to try to acquire above-average talent at some of their positions, and aim for average for the rest, to try to compete for a World Series. Span is one of those above-average players at his position, along with Mauer and (hopefully) Morneau and Willingham. (Signing Jamey Carroll would be an example of "just try not to hurt us" averageness.)

 

Span also has the good contract that leaves you leeway for the rest of the roster - whatever griping we may have about the $100M budget, Span is part of the solution and not part of the problem there.

 

Sure, if some team knocks you over with an offer, you have to listen - that's true of everyone on the roster. But to think replacing an above average CF is easy, is the path to long-term mediocrity, not improvement. I hope no one thinks Denard Span is to Ben Revere as Anthony John Pierzynski was to Joe Mauer.

[TwinsFanLV]

What about the bottom of the ninth, Wednesday night, down a runm when he struck out to end the game? Was that Spantastic?

 

All of these stats are pure b.s. Winners get the job done when it matters. If I managed the team, Span wouldn't be in tonight's lineup.

[TwinsFanLV]

Slight correction: Bottom of the ninth, two outs, BASES LOADED, Span strikes out. Twins are 5-14 (The only stat the really matters).

[Parker Hageman]

What about the bottom of the ninth, Wednesday night, down a runm when he struck out to end the game? Was that Spantastic?

 

All of these stats are pure b.s. Winners get the job done when it matters. If I managed the team, Span wouldn't be in tonight's lineup.

Yeah, because one at bat is a true representation of Span's actual skill set.

[ssp833]

No slight correction allowed - you messed up your chance to make your point by leaving out the details. You're out of the lineup tonight.

[CDog]

If I managed the team, Span wouldn't be in tonight's lineup.

I'm gonna jump out on a limb and say there's a pretty direct correlation and causation between that statement and the fact that you don't, in fact, manage the team.

[Thrylos]

Sure, if some team knocks you over with an offer, you have to listen - that's true of everyone on the roster. But to think replacing an above average CF is easy, is the path to long-term mediocrity, not improvement. I hope no one thinks Denard Span is to Ben Revere as Anthony John Pierzynski was to Joe Mauer.

No, I do not think that Revere is as good as Span is at this point... Span is a 2-3 win player, Revere is an 1.5-2.5 win player. So I think that the biggest drop is like 1-2 wins. Adding a 2-3 win pitcher and maybe another 2-3 win player, it will be an overall win for the Twins this season and beyond, if you factor Revere in this season or Benson/Hicks/Morales later...

 

They are 2 things that worry me about Span (and I do like him a lot, but you got to sell high) : a. his BB% has been dropping the last few years (he seems more aggressive and less patient - and the numbers confirm that. His PAs average 3.75 Ps vs close to 3.9 a couple years ago, and his out of zone swinging % has been increasing) and b. he seems to have mental lapses on the bases occasionally (and I looked it up to confirm it and has negative base running runs recently.) I know it is nit picking on a good player, but they got to sell high to fill other holes since they can quasi replace him (at least after this season for sure). This team has been selling low on everyone (Young, Slowey, Mijares, etc) and it is about time they stop doing that.

[ashbury]

Revere is an 1.5-2.5 win player.

This is the source of our disagreement and I doubt we'll get past it.

[Paul]

Parker, thanks for the link. I didn't see your original link in the article and appreciate you reposting it to help a guy with my vast powers of observation.

 

Very unusual swing that kid's got. I normally drag my rear foot forward a bit so I thought since my foot is mobile I'd try moving it like him. Boy did that feel weird. I wonder if that came naturally or if he developed it. Do you know?

[TwinsFanLV]

Yeah, because one at bat is a true representation of Span's actual skill set.

5-14 is reflective. Teams don't pay players for statistics. Fans don't buy tickets for statistics. Every single Twins fan at Target Field, Wednesday, was paying to see a win, not hear a bunch of excuses.

[nicksaviking]

They are 2 things that worry me about Span (and I do like him a lot, but you got to sell high) : a. his BB% has been dropping the last few years (he seems more aggressive and less patient - and the numbers confirm that.

That could be a red flag, but throw out the mess that was last year, (and I'm only playing devil's adovcate here) perhaps he has been told to be more agressive this year seeing as the team has a legit OBP guy batting behind him in Carroll this seaon.