Article: What To Do With Chris Parmelee?

[Brandon]

I would absolutely bring up Guerrier to keep him from leaving. Here's a thought. The A's have a SS prospect so they could be open to trading their current SS who is about to be a FA. Corriea and Guerrier or Burton for Lowrie in June when the Twins are ready to bring up Meyer and the A's are ready to bring up their SS prospect.

 

All 3 players are set to be FA at the end of the season. so the long term isn't that big of a deal. it would be considered a tryout for Lowrie and see if he likes it here to resign too.

[Siehbiscuit]

25 MAN ROSTER:

 

(13 position players)

C- Suzuki, Pinto (Escobar is the emergency catcher) - Split games evenly. Pinto's bat is good, but are we sure it is better than Colabello, Parmalee or Arcia's to have him be the DH and not one of them?

1B- Mauer & Colabello

2B-Dozier

3B-Plouffe

SS-Escobar, Florimon (send Santana back to AAA) - The everyday job needs to go to Escobar.

LF - Kubel & Arcia

CF - Hicks & Fuld - Hicks needs to play everyday and Fuld is not a part of the future. Hicks still can be (although its painful to watch).

RF - Parmalee & Colabello - this could be a straight platoon or just riding the "hot hand." Hitters go on streaks. Ride 'em while their hot, sit 'em when they're not.

DH - Revolving door of matchups and who is hitting well. Pinto has got to be a better hitter to get the AB's here. If its a RH on the mound, there's no reason that Kubel, Arcia and Parmalee can't/should't all be in the lineup.

 

SP- Nolasco, Hughes, Correia, Deduno & Gibson (5)

RP - Theibar, Duensing, Swarzak, Fien, Tonkin, Burton (6)

CP - Perkins

(12 pitchers)

[MileHighTwinsFan]

We have not seen the last of Parmalee with the big club. I fear that Colabello will fade, leaving a spot available for Parmalee. I do think he can hit at the major league level, with time. Like Dozier and Plouffe before him - he needs to continue to mature. The main difference between Dozier/Plouffe and Parmalee is that the former filled holes that had few other options. The Twins had little choice but to play Plouffe and Dozier everyday. It appears that the exposure they have gotten has paid off. The latter, Parmalee, has had to compete for playing time since day one. As a result, he has only had sporadic stretches in the line up.

 

If Colabello can not keep pace and Willingham is a long term DL case, Parmalee is the most obvious person to bring up to the big club.

[Mike Sixel]

Willingham is done after this year, nothing about him * should matter to any discussion of others getting playing time, imo. If you aren't going all in to compete, you should get your young guys on the field and playing.

 

*unless they are in a pennant race after July, and Willingham is healthy

[Richie the Rally Goat]

It has to happen by tomorrow's opt-out date, so this move is something that must have been anticipated since MG was signed. It only makes sense if they are planning on doing something with Burton. They really wouldn't swap him into a spot for either Darnell or Tonkin, would they.....?

This is the second opt out date. He went to free agency in March/early April, and was resigned by the Twins, not certain there is a master scheme here...

[DAM DC Twins Fans]

Yes, bring Parms back up and play him and lets see if he is part of the future. He is younger than Willingham and Colabello. Who to send down?? Pick one--Santana who needs to learn SS at Rochester or Hermann or DL Mauer or better yet one of the bullpen guys.

[ScottyB]

Parmalee has had his shot at the 25 man roster and didn't make the cut. His positions are being capably handled by Colabello and Kubel with Arcia coming back when he is ready.

 

You would actually lose value for Parmalee by adding him to the 25 man roster now. He has no options left. If he needs to be sent back down, you not only expose him by DFA'ing him but if I'm not mistaken, he can also become a free agent by being DFA'd twice. As he currently is not on the 40 man roster, he can be traded to any team without having to be waived or needing to stick on another team's 25/40 man rosters. He has more value as a trade chip by not needing a roster spot.

Where would Parmalee play if he was called up? He can play 1st, DH or one of the corner outfield positions. The last I heard we had Mauer, Colabello, Kubel and Pinto filling those positions with Arcia and Willingham eventually coming back from the DL. And if you remember the previous years, Parmalee was not particularly strong as a pinch hitter. Parmalee has had his chance to make this team. Let him play his way onto another team via a trade.

 

^ This.

 

Parmelee is a AAAA player. His ceiling is Randy Bush - except he isn't great off the bench as a pinch hitter. His potential is a 12 homer, 40 RBI guy who can play corner outfield and 1B. Those types of players are a dime a dozen. He's having a great stretch at Rochester, but we've seen this before.

[Nick Nelson]

I don't agree with this all that much. While he's never going to post a good UZR or any other defensive metric statistic because of his limited speed, he would be the 2nd best outfielder on our team right now.

 

I didn't mean to imply that he's terrible at the positions he plays, I actually agree that he's a little underrated, but at the end of the day he's a slow-footed corner OF and first baseman. That's pretty much all the way at the left end of the defensive spectrum.

[slash129]

You guys are downplaying the likelihood of our catcher getting hurt and the horrors of not having a DH for a few innings in that scenario.

 

I know it is not going to happen, but could you imagine if it did?

 

This!!

 

Seriously, though ..

 

CP should be brought up and played every day against RHP for 2-3 straight months regardless of slumps, etc. .... If he can't show that he's an MLB level talent in that time frame, then I guess he got his fair shake.

 

Still feel like CP will end up being Garret Jones II.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm confused how he has trade value, if he's a AAAA player. I'm confused that we should worry about losing him to options, but keep him in AAA. He has zero value in AAA. None.

[twinsnorth49]

Colabello, Kubel and Willingham have no long term future, bring Parms up in June and lose a couple of these guys. If it turns out he never learns to hit major league pitching are they really any further behind?

[ScottyB]

I'm confused how he has trade value, if he's a AAAA player. I'm confused that we should worry about losing him to options, but keep him in AAA. He has zero value in AAA. None.

 

His value is to a team that needs a corner/DH type. It's just that the Twins this year already have Willingham/Arcia/Colabello/Kubel/Fuld/Pinto etc. and in the not too distant future you can add Rosario/Hicks (when Buxton moves to CF)/Kepler/Vargas/Harrison/Walker to the logjam. At this point, Parmelee isn't part of our future, but he could have value as a bench piece on a contender that doesn't have the surplus that the Twins do.

[DJL44]

You guys are downplaying the likelihood of our catcher getting hurt and the horrors of not having a DH for a few innings in that scenario.

 

That would be awful. A pitcher (who hits about as well as Chris Herrmann) would have to bat! They'd better call up a couple more pitchers just in case.

[Mike Sixel]

I find that hard to believe, scotty, but possible.

 

Also, imo there is no logjam....Hicks is not a MLB corner OF (and maybe not a CF), Willingham is gone after this year, Cola is a nice story but is probably your 24th or 25th man, Fuld may not be that good, Pinto? I don't think so, Kubel is on a 1 year deal, but knowing the Twins they'll Pelfrey him, I am told Rosario is not a corner OF. So, I count 2 OF even on the roster for next year.....that's if Buxton comes up out of ST. Arcia is it right now. 1 OF. 1.

[DJL44]

The problem is having Arcia, Kubel and Parmelee is having 3 of the same baseball player. Kubel is a better hitter right now and Arcia probably is as well. Fuld is supposed to be the LH hitting 4th OF which means they aren't bringing Parmelee up to play defense. The only way to make room for Parmelee is to trade Kubel.

[diehardtwinsfan]

This team needs to do something about the offense quickly. The smoke and mirrors are going to end soon. Personally, I'd like to see Parms get a few more games in AAA, but I do think he should be back here in MLB, and I'd give him an entire season to prove it... Since we are on roster construction, my suggestion would be as follows:

 

1) Call up Arcia, send Pinto down to AAA to regain his stroke. He's been lost lately.

2) Swap Hermann for Fryer.

3) When Pinto regains his form, swap him and Fryer.

4) Install Escobar as the every day SS. DFA Florimon, and bring up Nunez to be the utility guy. Call up Parmelee. Find room for him in RF, 1B, and DH if needed. Right now, that would be easy to do.

 

4b) If Mauer is headed to the 15 day, I'd think long and hard about giving Vargas a cup of coffee.

5) I'd probably send Hicks down along with at least one reliever. Call up Kenny Wilson (not b/c I think he's good but b/c I want Hicks playing every day in AAA). Burton I think is the guy to go, so he's traded (not likely) or DFAd in favor of someone who can swing a bat.

 

Injuries are kind of forcing Ryan's hand here. We need bats sooner than later.

[DJL44]

This team needs to do something about the offense quickly. The smoke and mirrors are going to end soon. Personally, I'd like to see Parms get a few more games in AAA, but I do think he should be back here in MLB, and I'd give him an entire season to prove it... Since we are on roster construction, my suggestion would be as follows:

 

1) Call up Arcia, send Pinto down to AAA to regain his stroke. He's been lost lately.

2) Swap Hermann for Fryer.

3) When Pinto regains his form, swap him and Fryer.

4) Install Escobar as the every day SS. DFA Florimon, and bring up Nunez to be the utility guy. Call up Parmelee. Find room for him in RF, 1B, and DH if needed. Right now, that would be easy to do.

 

4b) If Mauer is headed to the 15 day, I'd think long and hard about giving Vargas a cup of coffee.

5) I'd probably send Hicks down along with at least one reliever. Call up Kenny Wilson (not b/c I think he's good but b/c I want Hicks playing every day in AAA). Burton I think is the guy to go, so he's traded (not likely) or DFAd in favor of someone who can swing a bat.

 

That is a terrible plan. Kenny Wilson would make Florimon's bat look good. Pinto is a much better player than Fryer. Calling up Vargas AND Parmelee is adding two players with the same skill set.

[Otto von Ballpark]

This is essentially the same "slump" that Pinto is in right now!?

 

There's a big difference between a regular slump (Pinto so far), and a slump as a culmination of 500 poor PA (Parmelee in July 2013). If Parm had just wrapped up a .900 OPS month when he had that slump, I am pretty sure he wouldn't have been sent down. Heck, I don't think he's approached that kind of a stretch in MLB since September 2011.

[Willihammer]

There's a saying that you don't know what you have in a player until he's reached the 1,000-AB threshold in the majors.

 

How many times do we have to read this?

 

For the umpteenth time. Its a TK saying. He said it about guys who came up and raked early. He wanted to see them continue that pace for 1000 PAs before he believed they were real. He never, to my knowledge, said it about guys who came up and laid eggs like Parmelee has (thank god).

[troyhobbs]

I think Parmelee can hit and that's why he was a 1st rd pick. There probably isn't a pitcher that he's seen more than a handful of times so he needs more experience for sure before being written off. Maybe the Twins have too many corner OF/1B/DH type guys but I think he's an MLB player and it's time to make a trade, either to make room for Parms or get something valuable for him (not sure he's accumulated much value though).

 

Also it's way too early for the Twins to put Mauer on the DL, they like to let guys ride the pine for a couple weeks while still occupying a roster spot and then put them on the DL.

[Linus]

How many times do we have to read this?

 

For the umpteenth time. Its a TK saying. He said it about guys who came up and raked early. He wanted to see them continue that pace for 1000 PAs before he believed they were real. He never, to my knowledge, said it about guys who came up and laid eggs like Parmelee has (thank god).

 

I believe he was referring to all hitters, whether they start off hot or cold.

 

This is my concern with bringing up Parms: we can find a roster spot for him but will he get consistent playing time? Our manager is trying to grind out wins, not develop players so that is a problem. Unless and until they clear up the roster of the half dozen corner OF / DH types, you might as well leave him in Rochester so he can play everyday and call him up after they finally run through all the others.

 

Developing players need to play, alot. At what level is less important than having the experience of getting out there. That's why I think they are doing Pinto a disservice by not being behind the plate much. Pretty hard to become a better catcher when you don't catch much.

[stringer bell]

25 MAN ROSTER:

 

(13 position players)

C- Suzuki, Pinto (Escobar is the emergency catcher) - Split games evenly. Pinto's bat is good, but are we sure it is better than Colabello, Parmalee or Arcia's to have him be the DH and not one of them?

1B- Mauer & Colabello

2B-Dozier

3B-Plouffe

SS-Escobar, Florimon (send Santana back to AAA) - The everyday job needs to go to Escobar.

LF - Kubel & Arcia

CF - Hicks & Fuld - Hicks needs to play everyday and Fuld is not a part of the future. Hicks still can be (although its painful to watch).

RF - Parmalee & Colabello - this could be a straight platoon or just riding the "hot hand." Hitters go on streaks. Ride 'em while their hot, sit 'em when they're not.

DH - Revolving door of matchups and who is hitting well. Pinto has got to be a better hitter to get the AB's here. If its a RH on the mound, there's no reason that Kubel, Arcia and Parmalee can't/should't all be in the lineup.

 

SP- Nolasco, Hughes, Correia, Deduno & Gibson (5)

RP - Theibar, Duensing, Swarzak, Fien, Tonkin, Burton (6)

CP - Perkins

(12 pitchers)

One other note would be to switch out Nunez for Florimon. Nunez could fill in at second, short, third, left and right and could both pinch run and pinch hit. Florimon would be a defensive replacement at short and a pinch runner.

[Nick Nelson]

How many times do we have to read this?

 

For the umpteenth time. Its a TK saying. He said it about guys who came up and raked early. He wanted to see them continue that pace for 1000 PAs before he believed they were real. He never, to my knowledge, said it about guys who came up and laid eggs like Parmelee has (thank god).

 

What's the difference? Why can't that mantra apply to both scenarios? A hot start to a career can be a mirage but not a cold start?

 

Also, let's be clear: it's a stretch to say Parmelee has "laid eggs." It's not like he has been Hicks-like over 600 PA. He has a .717 career OPS in the majors, which isn't very good but also isn't exactly embarrassing.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

There are some eye opening similarities between Torii Hunter and Chris Parmelee in their minor league and early pro development.

 

One big difference being that Torii was playing full time by now, same position, day in day out.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Also, let's be clear: it's a stretch to say Parmelee has "laid eggs." It's not like he has been Hicks-like over 600 PA. He has a .717 career OPS in the majors, which isn't very good but also isn't exactly embarrassing.

 

"Hicksian" is an almost historic low bar, though. I think for a 1B (stretched to corner OF), ~.670 OPS over his last ~550 MLB PA is pretty darn near an egg.

[Otto von Ballpark]

There are some eye opening similarities between Torii Hunter and Chris Parmelee in their minor league and early pro development.

 

One big difference being that Torii was playing full time by now, same position, day in day out.

 

Hunter was a very good defensive CF -- he didn't need to hit to advance.

 

Also, once Hunter destroyed AAA pitching at age 24, he came back and OPS'd .856 the last two months of the MLB season, then hit 27 HR at age 25. Parm hasn't done much since his banner AAA campaign in 2012 (age 24), and I don't think it's all opportunity.

[Mike Sixel]

If only they had been bad last year, and had openings in the OF/DH spots so they could have seen more of him......

[Richie the Rally Goat]

His value is to a team that needs a corner/DH type. It's just that the Twins this year already have Willingham/Arcia/Colabello/Kubel/Fuld/Pinto etc. and in the not too distant future you can add Rosario/Hicks (when Buxton moves to CF)/Kepler/Vargas/Harrison/Walker to the logjam. At this point, Parmelee isn't part of our future, but he could have value as a bench piece on a contender that doesn't have the surplus that the Twins do.

He has far more upside than Willingham, Kubel, or Fuld and unlike those three, he's still under contract next year. To say he has no future so get rid of him, means to release Willingham, Fuld, and Kubel. Where does the 2014 logjam go? Oh wait, there's currently two active OFs. It doesn't exist.

 

Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Vargas, Harrison, and Walker are all prospects and maybe Vargas you call up this year in a pinch or September, but the rest are a ways off. Parmelee stops none of them. What do you lose?

 

And Hicks? He's still young, but he has by no means shown anything more than 4th outfielder to me. He loses balls against blue skies and hasn't hit a darn thing. There's still time for him, but again I ask.

 

What logjam? What future?

 

if all CP can be is a nice bench piece for a contender, let's see what he can do now for this team, and if he'll be a nice bench piece for the Twins in 2016. If he doesn't work out, cut bait, no loss.

[Winston Smith]

This is what happens in Gardy's mind if he has his catcher dh and the other catcher gets hurt. Thus a 3rd catcher who appears completely useless at the "major league level" is needed.

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

That is a terrible plan. Kenny Wilson would make Florimon's bat look good. Pinto is a much better player than Fryer. Calling up Vargas AND Parmelee is adding two players with the same skill set.

 

It's not a win now plan. I think Pinto is going to need some time in Rochester to rediscover things. Hicks most certainly does and is going to do this team no good year in and out flirting with the Mendoza line. Vargas is on the 40 man. If Mauer goes on the 15 day DL, that's move I'd make... and as I said about Parm, I'd prefer he get some more time in AAA. Right now though, the team has no bats, when one of Hermann or Florimon needs to be in the lineup. You can safely call them both up and play them every day.