Article: Three-Bagger: Collabello Crushing, Comeback Kubel & Ice-Cold Nolasco

[Nick Nelson]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2823-Three-Bagger-Collabello-Crushing-Comeback-Kubel-Ice-Cold-Nolasco

[Brandon]

Corriea seems to be a cold weather pitcher in that since I have been following him he has pitched better in April and I thnk he pitched well last September. I haven't checked the stats. Is there a correlation to pitching styles and weather?

[GSM]

No word on the utter disaster that was/is Bartlett?

 

Good move keeping him w/ the team.

[tjsyam921]

I wonder how much the competition for playing time between Kubel and Colabello has pushed their focus? Its good to see not only them but some others starting off hot. I surely hope the cold weather is the issue with the pitching because last year's strength, the bullpen, hasn't been very good so far along with the starters.

[clutterheart]

I hope Gardy keeps on platooning. Its really the only hope this offense has at being effective

[twinsfan34]

I hope Gardy keeps on platooning. Its really the only hope this offense has at being effective

 

Interesting thing...runs per game, Twins have the best offense in MLB.

 

It´s only 6 games...but hey. NEVER thought we could say that, even for 1 game in.

[Ncgo4]

I don't know that I have ever rooted for a player as hard as I am rooting for Colabello this year. This could just be the Cinderella story of the year. I find myself turning on MLB on my iPhone when I can best guess that Chris is due to bat. Kinda crazy.

[Dantes929]

No word on the utter disaster that was/is Bartlett?

 

Good move keeping him w/ the team.

No doubt you were saying the same about Colabello and Kubel. Small sample size so of course the jury is out on both of those guys but same applies to Bartlett. For the record I thought they should send him down in order to earn his way to the Bigs, but I thought the same of Kubel. If they end up being right about Kubel and Colabello I can certainly give them a pass on Bartlett.

[MileHighTwinsFan]

Yes, small sample size for Bartlett, but he nearly cost us the game yesterday with the misplay of Kipnis' double. Likewise he couldn't put the ball in play with a runner at third. These are the reasons you have a veteran on the roster - to make the fundamental plays. I expect he has through April to establish himself.

[Craig Arko]

Yes, small sample size for Bartlett, but he nearly cost us the game yesterday with the misplay of Kipnis' double. Likewise he couldn't put the ball in play with a runner at third. These are the reasons you have a veteran on the roster - to make the fundamental plays. I expect he has through April to establish himself.

 

I agree. At least Kubel looks to be recovered from his injury woes last year.

 

The thing I appreciate most about Colabello is his willingness to make adjustments, and that he seems to recognize it on his own. That will serve him well as pitchers start making adjustments for him.

[SweetOne69]

Yes, small sample size for Bartlett, but he nearly cost us the game yesterday with the misplay of Kipnis' double. Likewise he couldn't put the ball in play with a runner at third. These are the reasons you have a veteran on the roster - to make the fundamental plays. I expect he has through April to establish himself.

 

While I agree that it is a small sample size, he has looked lost at the plate. He hasn't even be close to making contact with a pitch let alone get a hit.

 

Also his defense in LF made Delmon Young look like an All-Star/Gold Glover in comparison.

[gocgo]

I've been pretty vocal about the Bartlett thing as soon as it was clear he would make the team. You really can't keep a guy on the team for being a "clubhouse guy". Hire him as a bench coach then. Hindsight is 20/20, but it sure would be nice to have an outfielder instead right now. Alex Pressley? He had the speed, his batting average couldn't be any worse, oh wait...he's on another team. They could have sent Bartlett to the minors with no risk of losing him. OK, down from the soapbox...go Twins!

[JB_Iowa]

It's a small sample size for EVERYTHING.

 

While there have been some pleasant surprises and some disappointments, all of it may look very different in a month or two.

 

Enjoy the ride.

[gocgo]

Bartlett to the DL and Hermann up. Makes sense. I like. Guessing there will be a rehab assignment that follows.

[troyhobbs]

I've been down on the Twins all off season but have to say that they've actually been enjoyable to watch so far. Apparently ignoring your glaring lack of offensive talent isn't such a bad strategy after all. Maybe they should have tried that with the starting rotation too. Expectations remain low but intrigue is up slightly.

[TKGuy]

It was just shocking to me the fall off in Kubel's numbers last year. If he was injured, that would certainly explain some things. So far, it doesn't look like he has lost it. As for Colabello, it is nice to see the guy rewarded for his hard work and refusing the Korea assignment, and the money that comes with it. He seems to be cutting down on his K rate and will certainly get at bats this year to see if he can be a long time bench/DH guy when the youngsters start appearing.

 

As we all figured in ST, the pitching is alarmingly bad and the hitting has been just great, go figure....

[Craig Arko]

As we all figured in ST, the pitching is alarmingly bad and the hitting has been just great, go figure....

 

Of course, in two months when the pitching has normalized to league average, and they can't buy a hit, we'll all be geniuses like Sid.

[COtwin]

"Nolasco throws a lot of breaking stuff, and in his first two starts we've seen too many flat pitches and floaters. But at the same time, this is a guy who's pitched in southern Florida for the last eight years, and is now trying to spin all kinds of pitches in the chill of the springtime Midwest."

 

I hope this is not the case. It scares me to think that we signed a pitcher who will not be affective early and late in the season because of weather. It would be a shame especially if we start making the playoffs again. If it is the case it is an indictment on our scouting department.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I hope this is not the case. It scares me to think that we signed a pitcher who will not be affective early and late in the season because of weather. It would be a shame especially if we start making the playoffs again. If it is the case it is an indictment on our scouting department.

 

That simply isn't the type of thing you can scout. A player doesn't get enough cold weather starts playing in Miami to make a definitive statement one way or the other.

 

Plus, it's two starts playing for a new team. No need to get worried... yet.

[jokin]

That simply isn't the type of thing you can scout. A player doesn't get enough cold weather starts playing in Miami to make a definitive statement one way or the other.

 

Plus, it's two starts playing for a new team. No need to get worried... yet.

 

"Yet" is the operative word here. And you can "scout" his historical month by month stats. Happily, Nolasco is historically a very slow starter, with bad April's and May's, but he gets progressively better, peripherally, all the way through September- his lowest wOBA, FIP and xFIP and 2nd highest K% are in September, so it's probably more a refine and adjust thing over a weather thing. Let's give this until June before we jump off the ledge.