Article: 5 Reasons To Be Excited About 2016

[laloesch]

 

Of course regression or failure is always a possibility but I never minded that he was promoted before Berrios much like I didn't mind that May was promoted after Pinto last year.    Both guys earned the promotion at least in terms of ERA over other guys.    I have no problem with promotions based on performance rather than potential.  In Duffey's case he has 265 innings in the high minors of being very good.    The SSS in the Bigs is just a punctuation mark.   No guarantee but a very good sign.   His minor league numbers say he was actually kind of wild in the majors.  His fastball looked average or better and his curveball was very Blylleven like.    He should be penciled in to the rotation with moist lead.  The kind that is hard to erase.

 

 

Agreed.  Duffey's curveball is straight up nasty and he can throw it for strikes if he wants to.  He's also capable of throwing a good to plus changeup.  And while his fastball only averages 91 it does top out at 94 with good movement. 

 

Tyler was known as a two pitch reliever at Rice University and with scouts, but in reality he's a four pitch pitcher (2seam FB, 4 seam FB, changeup & curveball).  Good find on the Twins part.  I think he'll get better and better with more experience.  Great command for a pitcher his age.

[laloesch]

 

Honestly, I think if Nolasco shows he can pitch at all in spring training he'll be traded. The Twins won't get much other than out from under some of his contract, but that is good enough. The rotation will probably be: Santana, Gibson, Hughes, Duffey and Milone - with Berrios being the first called up. Rotations never make it through an entire year healthy, so all it will take is one player missing a start and Berrios will get his opportunity. Besides you never know what you're going to get from Hughes or Duffey. Will Hughes be the guy from 2014 or 2015 - hopefully 2014. Duffey showed a lot of promise in the 10 starts he made last year, but that doesn't mean he's going to have the same success in 2016. Berrios will get his chance this season and if he takes that opportunity and runs with it I don't believe the Twins would send him back down. He threw 166 innings last season between AA and AAA, so he should be able to make it through the entire MLB season.

 

 

I agree that if Nolasco is healthy in spring training that Ryan WILL trade him to someone.  The question is how much salary will they have to cover.  Unfortunately, i have to agree on Milone over May.  As much as Trevor deserves a full season of starts it looks like Molitor has his heart set on May being a RP which is a bloody shame if you ask me.  I'm not so sure Berrios debuts before fall.  In my opinion there are too many guys in front of him for that to happen unless injuries decimate the rotation.  

 

 

Edited January 28, 2016 by laloesch

[laloesch]

 

The problem is that Nick thinks that it is starting slow in every level, thus business as usual, while I think that he has a fatal flaw (he cannot hit breaking stuff) which needs to be fixed to be a star.

 

Does this make more sense?

And, yes, I think that he had a single dominating season.  That's it.  Dominating is the difference between a Barry Bonds and a Bobby Bonilla.

 

No. That is not Buxton's issue and resolution.   Buxton cannot hit a good breaking ball.  Period.

And "dominating"?   One season with > .900 OPS .  .990 OPS in Cedar Rapids.  FWIW Vargas had 2 seasons with > .900 OPS (and another one with .895)   And Sano never had a season with OPS less than .870.  Maybe need to reconsider what "dominating" means, really...

 

Unless Buxton can hit the curve or let it go, he will be a Vince Coleman type of player with fewer steals (because these days people don't steal.)

 

Agreed Buxton is a TOTAL sucker for off-speed breaking ball pitches.  Unless he develops an eye for recognizing those offerings he's going to continue to flail at those pitches and will not develop into the five tool savior everyone thinks he will.  Sure he might steal some bases and make fantastic defensive plays in the outfield, but he will not be much more than a 4th outfielder at most.  

 

Sano on the other hand can knock the living snot out of the ball but has blown up to 270 lbs and is now expected to roam the outfield like a gazelle even though he's realistically 40-50 pounds overweight (which is a lot even for a man his size).

Rosario or Buxton are going to have to cover a TON of ground in CF.

 

 

Will be very interesting watching these two develop.

Edited January 28, 2016 by laloesch