Article: 5th Starter Candidate: Alex Meyer

[Willihammer]

His, of course, being extra mixy thanks to our "how many DHs can we put in the field" strategy of defense.

Certainly didn't help. Gibson's a GB pitcher though. GBs have a higher BABIP than FB's, that might explain some of the FIP-ERA spread.

 

In any case, unless he figures out a way to strike out more batters I don't see why he deserves a leg up on any of the 5th starter candidates.

[Seth Stohs]

Seth,

 

I am likely more cynical than you. But you give Meyer a month or more in aaa and I think some in the twins brass get giddy about delaying him yet again. The temptation of him needing to work on something could arise.

 

Yup, that is pretty cynical. What is the value at this point in delaying anything with Meyer? And, then why isn't Arcia still in the minor leagues?

 

There are things that he needs to work on. There's no question about that. That has nothing to do with service time or costs or anything. 

[tobi0040]

Seth,

 

I think the Meyer/Arcia comp is misguided. Meyer is a potential ace and boras is his agent. Arcia does not have the upside or the same agent

 

Do you not think the twins factor in service time and control into these decisions?

[jimmer]

Seth,

 

I think the Meyer/Arcia comp is misguided. Meyer is a potential ace and boras is his agent. Arcia does not have the upside or the same agent

 

Do you not think the twins factor in service time and control into these decisions?

I think his point was at 25, we are already due to get his whole prime.  Some would argue the prime is even earlier and we wasted last year. 

 

I still think he doesn't make the team out of ST.  I think service time WILL factor into it, whether it should or not.  And I think they have excuses they can use to try and justify it.

Edited February 8, 2015 by jimmer

[Dantes929]

Seth,

 

I think the Meyer/Arcia comp is misguided. Meyer is a potential ace and boras is his agent. Arcia does not have the upside or the same agent

 

Do you not think the twins factor in service time and control into these decisions?

I think Arcia does have the upside.   My expectations for Arcia and Mauer in 2015 are quite high.  Arcia had a .999 OPS in AAA and .955 in AA.    Meyer had a .352 ERA in AAA.   Good and probably deserving of a call up late last year but hardly breaking down the door. .  

[Richie the Rally Goat]

As we saw in 2011-13, innings pitched per start matters. You need a consistent 5 plus, preferably 6 plus innings from all 5 starters in order to avoid a thin bench. Why did Gardy drive me crazy with three catchers and 13 pitchers on a 25 man roster? He didn't have the durability and command he needed from the two positions who touch the ball more than all of the other players on the diamond combined.

 

I agree with the sentiment that Meyer needs to be in the bigs in 2015. As a reliever.... Maybe he can learn enough to improve his command to become a starter, or maybe he unseats Perkins, or maybe he's a fine setup man, or maybe his arm falls off, but at least he'll provide some value in the trade.

[tobi0040]

I think the odds of Meyer becoming a top pitcher are higher than Arcia being a top hitter. Those big pitcher contracts are a lot riskier as well. The twins have been a lot more patient with pitchers than they have hitters, I believe cost control is one reason why.

[Halsey Hall]

I don't think Meyer should get anywhere near the pen.  He's a starter all the way, keep him that way.  I can see Nolasco getting 5 or 6 starts and the door hitting him in the ass as Meyer boards a plane.  I want to see at least 20 starts from Meyer this year and 30 next. 

[Kwak]

I don't think Meyer should get anywhere near the pen.  He's a starter all the way, keep him that way.  I can see Nolasco getting 5 or 6 starts and the door hitting him in the ass as Meyer boards a plane.  I want to see at least 20 starts from Meyer this year and 30 next. 

Change Nolasco to Milhone in your sentence.

[Dantes929]

 

 

I agree with the sentiment that Meyer needs to be in the bigs in 2015. As a reliever.... Maybe he can learn enough to improve his command to become a starter, or maybe he unseats Perkins, or maybe he's a fine setup man, or maybe his arm falls off, but at least he'll provide some value in the trade.

How does one learn command as a reliever?  Why would anyone want a reliever with command issues?  Why does anyone want a setup man with command issues and why would a reliever with command issues have value in a trade?   Maybe his future is in the pen but I would think command comes from more innings pitched rather than fewer.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I don't think Meyer should get anywhere near the pen.  He's a starter all the way, keep him that way.  I can see Nolasco getting 5 or 6 starts and the door hitting him in the ass as Meyer boards a plane.  I want to see at least 20 starts from Meyer this year and 30 next.

 

id love to see that too, but unfortunately I doubt it will happen. If Nolasco gets out pitched by Gibson, May and Meyer, Nolasco's trade value will be zero and his contract is still too large to eat. The only way Nolasco isn't a starter for the Twins in 2015 is if he's injured. If Nolasco has the season of his life in 2015, he might be tradeable in 2016.

[DocBauer]

I really don't understand the obsession over Meyer's age. He JUST turned 25, and because he wasn't throwing off a ML mound by age 19-22 he is old, he's wasted half his potential career, he's already fired too many bullets and is begging to run out of ammunition already, he only has four years before he's a soft tosser, etc, etc, etc.

 

Yes, most hall of fame SP were up early. But you don't draft and develop hall of fame players. You draft and develop players period. Once in a while you get a special guy who is HOF caliber. There are a slew of guys who tantalize and arrive at an early age only to prove average or blow out an arm, or just lose "whatever".

[Richie the Rally Goat]

How does one learn command as a reliever?  Why would anyone want a reliever with command issues?  Why does anyone want a setup man with command issues and why would a reliever with command issues have value in a trade?   Maybe his future is in the pen but I would think command comes from more innings pitched rather than fewer.

it appears he has a good slider, and a good fastball, but doesn't have command of a third pitch. Tough to pitch to hitters a second and third time without a third pitch to keep them honest.

 

I wasn't clear in my value comment, I mean, the Twins traded a good Centerfielder for a prospect who has yet to bear fruit. I think Meyer can contribute to the major league club immediately as a reliever, and still has potential to become a starter with the major league club

[DocBauer]

Meyer shows outstanding overall ability, top of the rotation potential, and an improving chaneup last season, his FIRST in AAA, along with a boatload of SO's. But there are inconsistencies still, as you might expect from a young pitcher. Inconsistencies aren't just about tons of walks or getting shelled. Correcting them is also about being consistent enough to economize enough to last more than 4-5 IP per start.

 

Meyer has THREE milb seasons. Three. And 2013 was partially interrupted. Have there been injury concerns? Yes. But unless there is something hiding, they have been nagging, not serious. And he DID show growth and development last season, despite an IP limit and a couple inconsistent stretches.

 

I believe he's a real candidate for the #5 spot. But I also believe the also very talented May, who finished pretty strong last season, leads over Meyer right NOW. Milone is LH, has a pretty solid but somewhat short history, but is not as talented as Meyer, nor figures to be a long term fixture in the way Meyer does. So right NOW, I'm thinking Meyer and Millone are kind of 50-50 as the second place favorite. I don't buy in to Pelfrey not just due to the past, but because I don't see him as part of the future.

 

I am torn as to Meyer, if not in the initial rotation, gaining experience on the ML level out of the pen and sliding in to a rotation spot at some point, or staying stretched out and working a consistent 5th day and consistent IP at Rochester. I can see advantages both ways.

[DocBauer]

On topic, but a little to the left, I'm less concerned at this point who is the 5th SP out of ST vs who is in the rotation for the second half of the season.

 

No disrespect to Nolasco, who I actually like as a nice mid-rotation starter, but the best thing that could happen would be for Nolasco to pitch well enough to have real trade value around mid-season. Forget the return on such a trade, (possible any return would be tied to how much, if any, of the contact the Twins picked up), the money savings assists in future investments as well as opening a rotation spot for May or Meyer, or possibly Berrios or Duffey or Lee, etc, as the overall rebuild of the rotation/team continues.

[tobi0040]

On topic, but a little to the left, I'm less concerned at this point who is the 5th SP out of ST vs who is in the rotation for the second half of the season.

No disrespect to Nolasco, who I actually like as a nice mid-rotation starter, but the best thing that could happen would be for Nolasco to pitch well enough to have real trade value around mid-season. Forget the return on such a trade, (possible any return would be tied to how much, if any, of the contact the Twins picked up), the money savings assists in future investments as well as opening a rotation spot for May or Meyer, or possibly Berrios or Duffey or Lee, etc, as the overall rebuild of the rotation/team continues.

Kind of on this topic, I would like us to give the job to the guy we think will be the best in june. I don't want a typical slow start because we made a decisions based on options or scholarship, then bring up the guy we know is better in a month. We have waited four years to watch good baseball.