Article: Twins Make Cuts, Name Starters

[Shane Wahl]

I have said this a bunch, but Shane Robinson does not belong on an MLB roster, *unless* that team is heading to the playoffs and they need a guy to do one thing very well, like defense. That's why it made sense for the Cardinals to have him, but it is absurd for the Twins to have him.

[laloesch]

 

I have said this a bunch, but Shane Robinson does not belong on an MLB roster, *unless* that team is heading to the playoffs and they need a guy to do one thing very well, like defense. That's why it made sense for the Cardinals to have him, but it is absurd for the Twins to have him.

 

Agreed.  Why the Twins would roll with Shane Robinson over Rosario in center is mind boggling. 

[stringer bell]

Agreed.  Why the Twins would roll with Shane Robinson over Rosario in center is mind boggling.

Because, on average, he will start between one and two games a week in center. Shane Robinson is a role player with the 2015 Twins. He'll start against most left handers in center, pinch run and be a late-inning defensive replacement. If you want Rosario or Hicks for that role, you are sacrificing their future development and adding service time while they mostly sit on the bench.

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

The future that never comes......nice trades of Span and Revere so far.....three years in, and nothing to show other than negative contributions.

 

While it is true that the third spring training has almost passed since those trades, they were effectively two seasons ago. Everyone at the time knew that Meyer and May were about two seasons away, one of them has already debuted, and they're both likely to be in the majors for good this year.

 

There are absolutely things to criticize about the player acquisition and management record of this team, but what is your point here?

[notoriousgod71]

 

Perhaps we should wait until the first pitch is thrown before we assess the ability of our new manager.

 

 

Why? If they can assess our roster in that time frame I can assess our manager in the exact same time frame.

 

I don't believe for a second that Ryan would ever go against his comfort zone and bring in a new voice. I think Molitor is a different voice, but not a new one.

 

I just want the "Twins way" mantra to disappear forever.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Perhaps we should wait until the first pitch is thrown before we assess the ability of our new manager.

To be fair, the post he was responding to seems to be assessing the nicknaming abilitied of our new manager, which is fair game.

[Shane Wahl]

 

Because, on average, he will start between one and two games a week in center. Shane Robinson is a role player with the 2015 Twins. He'll start against most left handers in center, pinch run and be a late-inning defensive replacement. If you want Rosario or Hicks for that role, you are sacrificing their future development and adding service time while they mostly sit on the bench.

 

Come on. First, Robinson has no success against lefties, so this "platoon" stuff is comedy. Second, Rosario or Hicks would push Schafer to the 4th OF and Robinson out of the organization.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Come on. First, Robinson has no success against lefties, so this "platoon" stuff is comedy. Second, Rosario or Hicks would push Schafer to the 4th OF and Robinson out of the organization.

 

I hope Rosario does do that - the sooner the better.  Hicks too, but Hicks has had 500 ABs to displace a guy like Robinson.  It's his total failure that's the problem, not the Twins decision on what to do with him.

[stringer bell]

 

Come on. First, Robinson has no success against lefties, so this "platoon" stuff is comedy. Second, Rosario or Hicks would push Schafer to the 4th OF and Robinson out of the organization.

Actually, if Hicks or Rosario push someone out, I'm guessing it will be Schafer.  I would expect Robinson to get most starts vs. lefties.  That would be a little more consistent than what he saw with the Cards.  I don't expect miracles, but I don't expect him to be an embarrassment either.

[Loosey]

The Twins rebuilding plan makes no sense to be.  Why not get some young guys out there to get them seasoned?  Milone gets 5th starter spot because he only sorta sucked, instead of really sucking.  That's setting the bar high.  Light hitting CF'ers that most likely are not in long term plans.  Every young arm goes to AAA.  At this point I would much rather watch our farm teams play.  Actually that's been the case the last few years.

 

I really thought with Molitor managing we would see the team do things differently, go young, take our lumps but be exciting.  Not sure what percent is Terry Ryan making the call and Molly going along with it, but this team is going to be very bad and not even be a useful bad.  At least be bad and get the young guys up.

[bird]

 

Why does anyone still believe the Twins when they say there is a competition for a starting job?

 

Not being snarky, but it's because some of us believe that Meyer, May, Buxton, Sano, Polanco, and Rosario are close but not ready, and that in any case a player on the final roster will likely perform better than they would have to start the year.

 

The use of the term "competition" is an oversimplification of the decision-making process. A lot of things go into it, dating back to well before spring training, and it's not all about a few spring training games either.

 

 

[jimmer]

 

Not being snarky, but it's because some of us believe that Meyer, May, Buxton, Sano, Polanco, and Rosario are close but not ready, and that in any case a player on the final roster will likely perform better than they would have to start the year.

 

The use of the term "competition" is an oversimplification of the decision-making process. A lot of things go into it, dating back to well before spring training, and it's not all about a few spring training games either.

A position battle.  A position competition.  Those phrases suggest that it's in the player's hands to perform and may the best players win. Problem is, and as you point out when you say a lot of things go into these decisions (as we all know, BTW), that's not the case. So maybe they should stop saying that, is my point (and that goes for most if not all teams).  They should stop trying to sell that to the fans and players.

 

The rest of what you're saying has nothing to do with my point.  I wasn't asking why those guys didn't make it?  I didn't think any of them would make it from the very beginning. I said so.  But I kept being told there was competition.  I guess because the FO said there was. Sano could make it, Meyer could make it. May could make it, look Rosario might too.  Then when they didn't it's 'well, clearly they weren't ready'. None of the moves back to the minors surprised me.

 

Span was doing the best in the three player battle for CF (Gomez, Pride, Span) when Gomez was named the winner and Pridie was gone quick in ST and never got a start in CF.

 

Slowey had the best numbers of all 6 pitchers in competition for the 5 spots, he went to the pen.

 

Who had the best ERA of all the guys up for the 5th spot this year?  

 

Were all these decisions wrong? Who knows.  Could they all have been right, could be.  But we're talking about the players and fans being told about a competition.

Edited March 31, 2015 by jimmer