Article: When Will Molitor Start Making Adjustments?

[Mike Sixel]

 

3rd on the team in runs. Also the guy hitting two behind him has been Suzuki most of the year...not exactly an RBI machine himsef.

Mauers numbers were fine until the last 8-10 games or so where he has been in a big time slump.

 

Last year happened. Mauer's numbers are not fine, you can't just cherry pick 10 games. Just go to your favorite site, and compare him to other 1B for the last year plus. Offensively, compare him.

[bluechipper]

Eduardo Escobar does not need to be in the lineup everyday, especially when they stick him out in LF, where his fielding is terrible.

[jharaldson]

 

Mauers numbers were fine until the last 8-10 games or so where he has been in a big time slump.

 

If you exclude the last 10 games Mauer has a .705 OPS, which I would still qualify as bad for a 1B.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/statsd.aspx?playerid=1857&position=C&type=2&gds=2015-04-06&gde=2015-05-24&season=

 

That would rank 24th our of 27 qualified 1B this year:

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=1b&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=1&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=10,d

[Dantes929]

 

How long does something last before it is a trend-----it's over a year now? Also, the hitters after him can't drive him in if he's not base. You need to look at both sides of that run producing equation, imo.

Is it over a year?   Mauer led the team in OBP last year like he does every year.    Would not surprise me in the least if he does again this year.     You can debate the value of OBP and whether or not he should be in the # 3 spot but if anyone gets leeway it is still Mauer.   His OBP the 2nd half of last year was .397 so if you were looking for an answer to the question mark the answer is no.    I will be happy when we have a lot of guys that should obviously be in the top 5 spots ahead of him.   That day just isn't here yet, IMO

[nicksaviking]

So we're:

 

1) concerned about how the Twins are comfortable to let a weak bat hit in the 5 hole.

2) concerned Mauer doesn't have the power or OBP to stay in the #3 spot

3) concerned that Mauer's recent proclivaty for (only) hitting with men on base may be squandered in the #2 hole which probably profiles as his best fit if not for his clutch stats.

 

Seems to me there's a pretty obvious solution and an answer as to where he could/should hit, even if unconventional.

 

Edited June 5, 2015 by nicksaviking

[d-mac]

 

At what point do the Twins take a page from Tampa Bay's former playbook and sell high?  A Plouffe trade would clear some cap space (this year and next with arbitration looming again) as well as provide great structure and a winning team to develop Sano with.  I think the same is true for Buxton and moving on from Hicks.  Hicks is not a major league hitter and no longer a premier prospect.  Time to be bold and take a risk even while winning.  Time to stop 'wasting bullets' in the minors in the name of development.  Premier prospects are meant to perform at the highest level under the brightest lights.  There has never been a more conducive environment to do that than right now for the Twins.

 

There is no salary cap in baseball. This isn't the NFL.

[Nick Nelson]

 

Eduardo Escobar is a quality hitter, he has proven himself that he deserves to be in the lineup everyday, plus he is better than any of Molitor's other options.

 

Vargas was not hitting for power, and Suzuki was once again Molitor's best option, unless you want to put Eduardo Escobar there, or you could call Eric Fryer, who is doing way better than Pinto, and make Fryer the everyday catcher, but I don't think you want that.

Vargas was slugging .561 in May before being sent down. That's 30 points lower than Escobar's OPS this year.

[Dantes929]

 

Last year happened. Mauer's numbers are not fine, you can't just cherry pick 10 games. Just go to your favorite site, and compare him to other 1B for the last year plus. Offensively, compare him.

What you say is pretty much true but you are really handcuffing a lot of people if you take away cherry picking.   Go to your favorite site and compare Mauer to the other players on the team.    I really don't know how they scored so many last year and just as mystified this year.    Really looking forward to Buxton, Sano and Polanco getting here with their talent so that numbers might start making sense again.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Is it over a year?   Mauer led the team in OBP last year like he does every year.    Would not surprise me in the least if he does again this year.     You can debate the value of OBP and whether or not he should be in the # 3 spot but if anyone gets leeway it is still Mauer.   His OBP the 2nd half of last year was .397 so if you were looking for an answer to the question mark the answer is no.    I will be happy when we have a lot of guys that should obviously be in the top 5 spots ahead of him.   That day just isn't here yet, IMO

 

Except I'm not talking only about 1 stat, all of the offensive work matters, not just OBP. Compared to other 1B, he's been bad. I really don't know how that is even up for debate right now, so I'll probably just make this my last post on this in this thread.

[Mike Sixel]

 

What you say is pretty much true but you are really handcuffing a lot of people if you take away cherry picking.   Go to your favorite site and compare Mauer to the other players on the team.    I really don't know how they scored so many last year and just as mystified this year.    Really looking forward to Buxton, Sano and Polanco getting here with their talent so that numbers might start making sense again.

 

This year it is partly about somehow clustering hits (and errors by opponent directly leading to runs, not just runners). I don't recall last year. Also, Plouffe, Dozier, and Hunter can hit. But the number of runs is partly driven by clustering.

[Shane Wahl]

 

I think that this article was a bit rediculous. Molitor is going with his best options, and it is working, so I don't see why you called the article "When Will Molitor Start Making Adjustments?" He has made his adjustments, moving Hunter out of the cleanup spot, moving Santana out of the leadoff spot etc.

 

Eduardo Escobar is a quality hitter, he has proven himself that he deserves to be in the lineup everyday, plus he is better than any of Molitor's other options.

 

Vargas was not hitting for power, and Suzuki was once again Molitor's best option, unless you want to put Eduardo Escobar there, or you could call Eric Fryer, who is doing way better than Pinto, and make Fryer the everyday catcher, but I don't think you want that.

 

Josmil Pinto is hitting .247 at AAA, and his power has not been above average, plus Hicks did not deserve to make the opening day roster, hence him staying in the minors for six weeks.

 

And Molitor is once again going with his best option in batting Mauer 3rd, and just to let you know, first base is just as valuable a position as shortstop, as the first baseman can save the other infielders of an average of 5 errors a year, and when you start stereotyping how someone should hit because what position they play is rediculous also, look at Joe Maddon, he was hitting his catcher leadoff for awhile, and it worked, when you start expecting someone to hit 30 home runs a year because of a position switch once again you are being rediculous.

 

I thought that you were giving Molitor criticism for things that are out of his control, and that you were being unfair to a lot of people.

 

How on earth is Eduardo Escobar a quality hitter? Pinto has been hitting well for most of the year at AAA and is currently in a slump. Still at a .730 OPS. Vargas had been smacking the ball around when they demoted him.

[Champuckett]

Agreed with the people saying Mauer should not be in the 3 spot anymore.  His numbers clearly don't support it and his power has never supported it, short of the 2009 season.  I have been lobbying for him to be in the 2nd spot or anywhere higher than 5 since 2010.  Molitor did do this a few games this season, placing him in the 2nd spot I believe, and Mauer was doing better at that point if I recall correctly.  

 

It's obvious Mauer's time as an elite 3 spot hitter is finished, has been for years, it's just a matter of the coaching staff accepting this and the front office allowing it based on the 23 million dollar paycheck that they have to keep issuing him.  They don't want their massive investment to be batting anywhere but the 3 spot, that's what they signed him for, but after 5 non-power, non-elite seasons since 2009, I hope the pressure is there enough to make this move.

 

Other than that, I don't have a problem with Escobar being in the lineup or with Vargas being sent down.  Both have their reasons and they make sense to an extent, but the op is absolutely dead on with the whole Mauer debacle.  Something needs to change here.

 

With that said, the team is winning, you can't debate this.  We may go on a 15 game losing streak starting tomorrow or next week, but thus far, we are playing good to great baseball despite all statistics and predictions stating otherwise.  Tinkering too much is like fixing something that isn't broken.  Why do it?  What benefit can we have, be even farther up in first place?  I'm happy we are where we are right now, exceeded all expectations 100x for the year so far.  

 

Put Hunter in the 3 spot and move Mauer somewhere else and call it a day.

 

 

[Cap'n Piranha]

Escobar deserves more of a shot than he is getting.  He hasn't been getting consistent playing time, and when he does, he's being bounced all across the diamond.  I'd like to see what he could do if he got to play shortstop every day for 4 weeks, since he's way better than Santana on both sides of the ball right now.  That would give the Twins their best defesnive alignment with Rosario, Hicks, and Hunter in the outfield.  You can then go with the below line-up, which would be pretty solid.

 

1. Dozier

2. Mauer

3. Hunter

4. Plouffe

5. Rosario

6. Random DH guy pending Vargas' call-up

7. Suzuki

8. Escobar

9. Hicks

 

[clank2000]

I think the bottom line is that they won't make any wholesale moves if they keep winning. I think they're afraid to upset the apple cart.

[clank2000]

Here's the lineup I'd like to see, predicated on a Vargas callup:

 

1 Dozier 2B

2 Rosario LF

3 Hunter RF

4 Plouffe 3B

5 Mauer 1B

6 Vargas DH

7 Hicks CF

8 Suzuki C

9 Escobar SS

 

Send Santana down, recall Vargas. I realistically can't see them moving Mauer much farther down than 5th, or else I'd swap him with Vargas in the lineup.

[gunnarthor]

I read an article a few years ago on fangraphs or baseball analysts or somewhere about line-up construction.  The first point is, it really doesn't matter much.  Fans always overrate it.

 

But the second point was you want your best hitters in the 1,2 and 4 spot.  They said the 3 spot was overrated and you just want a guy who can get some RBIs and your 5th spot should be all power.  Go for broke in the 5 spot, IIRC.  

 

So anyway, I think Molitor's line-up is about as good as it can be right now.  The 3 best guys are in the 3 most important spots.  

[Mike Sixel]

I don't understand what in Escobar's minor or major league performance suggests he "deserves" a chance. He hasn't earned any benefit of the doubt.

[clank2000]

 

I don't understand what in Escobar's minor or major league performance suggests he "deserves" a chance. He hasn't earned any benefit of the doubt.

I agree with this, and I think the same can be said about Santana. Let's get rid of both of them and get Polanco in there.

[Hrbowski]

 

How on earth is Eduardo Escobar a quality hitter? Pinto has been hitting well for most of the year at AAA and is currently in a slump. Still at a .730 OPS. Vargas had been smacking the ball around when they demoted him.

Escobar makes good contact, hasn't done anything to deserve being taken out of the lineup, therefor he is a quality hitter, I didn't say phenomenal hitter. I would rather have Pinto be playing everyday at AAA than being on the bench in the big leagues, as Pinto isn't as good as Suzuki. And one final note, Vargas is striking out a lot at AAA.

[Hrbowski]

 

 

I agree with this, and I think the same can be said about Santana. Let's get rid of both of them and get Polanco in there.

So we can get rid of him? Polanco is at AA, not even AAA, if you get rid of Santana and Escobar the best option would be Doug Bernier.

[Hrbowski]

 

Vargas was slugging .561 in May before being sent down. That's 30 points lower than Escobar's OPS this year.

I didn't say that Escobar was a power hitter, I said that he was a quality hitter, and that Vargas wasn't hitting for power.

[jimbo92107]

Time to send down Danny Santana for some AAA seasoning.

 

1. Polanco

2. Dozier

3. Hunter

4. Plouffe

5. Vargas

6. Mauer

7. Suzuki

8. Rosario

9. Hicks

[clank2000]

 

So we can get rid of him? Polanco is at AA, not even AAA, if you get rid of Santana and Escobar the best option would be Doug Bernier.

I don't know whether to consider this sarcastic or not. Since when does a player have to be in AAA to get called up?

[twinsnorth49]

 

I didn't say that Escobar was a power hitter, I said that he was a quality hitter, and that Vargas wasn't hitting for power.

 

 

How do you justify Escobar being a quality hitter, because he puts the ball in play a lot? When did that become the stat to measure things by?

He has a.228/.250/.345/.595 line, .283 BABIP, an almost 25% K rate, a paltry 2% BB rate and a 117 ISO.

Honest to god how does any of this describe a "quality hitter". That's rediculous.

 

 

 

  Ridiculous

[Blackjack]

When Buxton, Sano, and other better hitters show up, Mauer will get moved down in the lineup. Right now Molitor doesn't have any better options.

 

Leave Hicks down at the bottom of the order!!!!! The less pressure the better!

 

If Santana doesn't start hitting SOON he'll get sent to AAA, Escobar will be the regular shortstop, and the uprising here at TD will be over. 

[Hrbowski]

 

How do you justify Escobar being a quality hitter, because he puts the ball in play a lot? When did that become the stat to measure things by?

He has a.228/.250/.345/.595 line, .283 BABIP, an almost 25% K rate, a paltry 2% BB rate and a 117 ISO.

Honest to god how does any of this describe a "quality hitter". That's rediculous.

 

 

 

  Ridiculous

When Escobar is making contact he is consistenly making good contact, not just weak ground outs and pop ups like you might expect with a .228 average, plus he is using the whole field well. His .228 average has been a result of bad luck.

[Ultima Ratio]

If at all possible, you really want to break up an all RH or LH series in a lineup.  So, while I agree that Mauer should be batting about 7th, there is no better LH bat in the lineup, so he's got to be somewhere 1-4.  

 

Remember when we had an extreme LH lineup and getting Hardy as  RH bat was such a boon? (mauer, morneau, kubel, thome, span, and on down the line.  I think there were times when 1-9 batters were LH against RHP.

 

Without alternating L/R a bit, you make the opposing manager life so easy when it comes time for bullpen relief.  All we are going to see is RHP against our RHB.

 

 

Edited June 5, 2015 by Ultima Ratio

[clank2000]

 

When Escobar is making contact he is consistenly making good contact, not just weak ground outs and pop ups like you might expect with a .228 average, plus he is using the whole field well. His .228 average has been a result of bad luck.

His line drive percentage is consistent with his BA, so I don't think bad luck as anything to do with it.

[Hrbowski]

 

His line drive percentage is consistent with his BA, so I don't think bad luck as anything to do with it.

You can hit a fly ball or ground ball and get good speed of the bat, and he his getting weak contact less often than Trevor Plouffe, and his hard hit percentage is just .01% percent under Plouffe's.

Edited June 5, 2015 by Hrbowski

[twinsnorth49]

You can hit a fly ball or ground ball and get good speed of the bat, and he his getting weak contact less often than Trevor Plouffe, and his hard hit percentage is just .01% percent under Plouffe's.

Escobar> Plouffe.....lol.

 

What are you on about?

 

Quality hitter would be very few rational people's description of Escobar. Come on now.