Article: Surprises Mark Twins Opening Day Roster

[Mike Sixel]

 

His career .632 OPS is slightly below corner infield expectations.

 

But, like DanSan, he can play multiple positions. So, um, yay.

[Jham]

So does this mean we are expecting Glen back this spring? Santana seemed a given when Adrianza went down. Duffy and Mejia is ridiculous and Tonkin and Rule 5 is ridiculous. We tried this with May a couple years ago, and found that he didn't get enough work to be stretched out. If we're not committing to Duffy being a reliever he should have been optioned and stretched. If he is going to be a reliever he should have been optioned and shortened up. The fewer pitchers molitor has to manage the better. I get delaying decisions. But these guys are paid to make tough decisions.

[twinssporto]

I thought the new FO was all about building a better culture in the organization and creating a good chemistry in the club house.  Going north with a roster like this doesn't seem to do either of those things.

 

Molitor says this is "short term"...great. Does that mean you're telling the fans and the guys on the team you know this isn't the best team you could field right now?  Statements like that really motivate me to run right out there and buy a 20 game ticket package!  What do the players think about that?  Taking 13 pitchers..great.  What does that tell your starters/relievers?  All of these players with the exception of a few know they need to produce or get sent down or released. Why add the extra drama? Doesn't sound like its gonna be very fun in the club house the next month or so.

 

Sending Park down boggles my mind.  

 

Oh well, I guess I'll just wait awhile longer to buy tickets to see this team play.  It looks to me like they aren't ready to put the best product on the field yet.      

 

 

[rghrbek]

 

The Gimenez move is baffling. Not sure why they don't trust JRM in a backup role.

Carrying 13 pitchers IMO is because there is minimal trust that Santiago, Hughes, or Mejia can make it 5 innings in a regular season start.

 

Based on the off season we have seen so far, none of this is surprising.  However, that does not make it less disturbing.

 

If the FO had trust issues with our starting pitching (duh), why was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing done about it in the off season?   Hughes being mostly terrible this spring and worried about innings, or how he is recovering from injury, should have made them get a legitimate starter.  Why sign Santiago to the deal and  have Huges in the rotation, if that means you are going to carry 13 pitchers?  With two days off in 7 games to start?  When you have 2 days off in that time how hard is it to manage innings?  Otherwise, you should have put Hughes in bullpen and had Duffy or Berrios in the rotation with Alberto...

 

Everything seems reactionary and predictable here, not proactive.  

 

It appears to be lip service about giving Mauer lots of rest, or our FO using analytics.  If that was the case, Mauer would be close to a full platoon, and Grossman would only bat right handed.

 

This is basically the same team as last year, except at catcher right?

[David HK]

I gotta echo a lot of these comments on the not-impressed side. I am scratching my head right now, the same way I did the last couple of years looking at Molly's quasi-lineups.

I especially gotta echo Dave's sentiment about this team doing all they can to make the fans as disinterested as possible. Empty seats on opening day? Wouldn't surprise me atall. 5000 or less showing up on day 2? It's what they deserve.

I gotta echo Mike, too--103 losses, and the same old cast of usual suspects...

Come on, for Pete's sake. 'Gee, we sucked more than any team in mlb last year, let's try the same thing again!'

And don't EVEN get me started on that Park debacle...

[mikelink45]

Well they did give us a fun conversation list and it is still two days until April 1!!!

 

Danny Santana and Molitor obviously have a good relationship and it clouds the overall decisions.  I really thought Park had earned his place.  If we are waiting for something I do not know what it is.  He is not a young player and this should be his peak age.  I would have preferred to keep him and then if he fails send him out, but we invested, believed and waited.  We should give him his trial in the spring MLB.  All we stood to lose was Santana.  The question I have with Grossman is whether last year was a career year or has he really turned the corner?  His .280 batting average was far over his career figures and continued exposure could have him reverting to norm.

 

We really have a 12 pitcher staff if I am reading this right.  It appears that we are burying Haley and will let him pitch some non-stress innings so we can keep him.  Not sure why.  When I look at the MiLB rosters we have plenty of pitchers with the same or better potential.

 

I guess I am going to assume that we will play Mauer for a week or two and then call up someone who is more agile at first than Robbie Grossman.  

 

I do fear that Hughes is going to be a big let down and maybe we will have Duffey moving into that rotation spot as we find various injuries to justify setting the vet. 

[Vanimal46]

 

Based on the off season we have seen so far, none of this is surprising.  However, that does not make it less disturbing.

 

If the FO had trust issues with our starting pitching (duh), why was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing done about it in the off season?   Hughes being mostly terrible this spring and worried about innings, or how he is recovering from injury, should have made them get a legitimate starter.  Why sign Santiago to the deal and  have Huges in the rotation, if that means you are going to carry 13 pitchers?  With two days off in 7 games to start?  When you have 2 days off in that time how hard is it to manage innings?  Otherwise, you should have put Hughes in bullpen and had Duffy or Berrios in the rotation with Alberto...

 

Everything seems reactionary and predictable here, not proactive.  

 

It appears to be lip service about giving Mauer lots of rest, or our FO using analytics.  If that was the case, Mauer would be close to a full platoon, and Grossman would only bat right handed.

 

This is basically the same team as last year, except at catcher right?

 

Couldn't agree more about the starting pitching mess... Many of us were clamoring for help in the rotation and bullpen. Instead they went with the same route that TR took. Signing mediocre placeholders and crossing fingers that one of these days the RP prospects make their way to Minnesota. 

[Rosterman]

What a mess.

 

Kepler would have to be the backup at first base, so you can DH Mauer, at times. But when was the last time Kepler had a first baseman's glove.

 

Danny Santana and Eduardo Escobar are then the 4th outfielder of Grossman is the DH. And pencilling in Grossman as DH is NOT what you need to do for a strong lineup. He's that 4th outfieler...and he'll play out there when Mauer DH's...but, again, who plays first.

 

What happens with Vargas (who will probably go on the DL) comes off.

 

The Twins DON'T need that extra arm in the bullpen. All their starters should easily go five innings now and be pushing six, at the least, after the first week. If you wear out a bullpen arm, there is always the Rochester shuffle as there are many guys waiting there.

 

Of course, it all boils down to 40-man roster decisions. We haven't heard yet if the Twins are 60-dayin Perkins. You need to find someone for Gimenez to replace. Of course, you want to keep the door open to easily bring up Boshers.

 

At this pont, I would've rather seen any of the cut guys (including Drew Stubbs) on the bench. But, again, that would involve 40-man roster decisions. 

 

Considering you still have a team in which you can easily jettison 4-5 players off the 40-man roster and stash them (if you really need to) in the minors...well, I hope the front office knows what they are doing. 

 

I know a rebuilding team full of prospects is hard to market, but so is a roster of no names who won't sell a jersey and doesn't excite people when their stats -- today and yesterday -- are flashed on the jumbotron.

 

[Physics Guy]

 

Hmmm, hope Molitor doesn't need a pinch hitter anytime soon.

He won't.  Only two teams (KC and ChW) had fewer PH appearance than the Twins last year.

[KirbyDome89]

 

 

"it's not a big deal, they can just cut him in a few weeks"

"no big deal, they'll make adjustments in a few weeks"

"they won't carry 13 pitchers for long"

If we're hoping for a start like last season then it isn't a big deal. But, at least they have "depth," now....

[Physics Guy]

By the way, for those who are wondering about Alex Meyer.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/angels-alex-meyer-sent-down-to-triple-a/

[MN_ExPat]

 

His career .632 OPS is slightly below corner infield expectations.

True, but I never said he was good at it.   Just that he has played there

[Seth Stohs]

 

Incidentally Seth, he's still Adalberto Mejia right? Or did he switch to Aderlin?

 

Ha! My bad. I've been typing "Aderlin Mejia" for 4-5 years, and "Adalberto Mejia" only going back to last August.  Bear with me!

 

[gunnarthor]

Let's keep in mind that this is NOT the same starting staff as last year.  They've removed 73 starts from last years' group.  I'm not sure how this group will do but it's not the same starters.  

[DaveW]

By the way, for those who are wondering about Alex Meyer.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/angels-alex-meyer-sent-down-to-triple-a/

Angels think he can be a starter. I really don't get why we gave him up for no reason.

[Vanimal46]

 

By the way, for those who are wondering about Alex Meyer.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/angels-alex-meyer-sent-down-to-triple-a/

 

Doesn't surprise me at all he was sent down because he is inconsistent. We saw that for 4 years before finally cutting bait. 

[DaveW]

Doesn't surprise me at all he was sent down because he is inconsistent. We saw that for 4 years before finally cutting bait.

True the Twins prefer their starters to be consistent.................ly terrible (see: Pelfrey)

Edited March 30, 2017 by DaveW

[GP830]

 

By the way, for those who are wondering about Alex Meyer.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/angels-alex-meyer-sent-down-to-triple-a/

It does feel good to know that sometimes the futility isn't our problem.*warmfuzzies* 

[gunnarthor]

The Meyer thing is done.  He lost his control.  It happens.  He's, what? 27?  10 walks in 10 innings?  I'd rather have Hector.

[Vanimal46]

 

The Meyer thing is done.  He lost his control.  It happens.  He's, what? 27?  10 walks in 10 innings?  I'd rather have Hector.

 

 

No doubt. No regrets from the moment he was traded to the Angels from me. I'll bet the under that Meyer has 50.5 career MLB starts. 

[GP830]

 

The Meyer thing is done.  He lost his control.  It happens.  He's, what? 27?  10 walks in 10 innings?  I'd rather have Hector.

The question is how much of his inconsistency stemmed from poor coaching he received from the Twins organzation?

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

I like the team, and I'm excited about the season. We're 0-0 right now. Undefeated, baby! 

 

Buxton, Sano, Rosario, Kepler, and Polanco are that Puckett/Hrbek/Gaetti/Brunansky/Gagne core that's going eventually bring home a championship. They're all going to exceed expectations in 2017. 

 

E. Santana is going to be that solid sub-3.50 ERA guy we need to lead the rotation. Gibson is going to finally have his breakout year. Mejia has played his last game in AAA, and Berrios isn't far behind.

 

Duffey, Pressly, and Rogers are all going to be beasts in the bullpen.

 

Dozier will be an All-Star, and we're all going to complain that he wasn't voted in as a starter. 

 

Mauer and Grossman will both be on-base machines.

 

Park is going to play like a man who has something to prove. After he has his cup o' coffee in Rochester, he's going to be a middle-of-the-order monster for us.

 

Optimism, guys. Optimism!

 

Get ready, Royals. In four days, your savage beatdown is coming.    

 

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Dozier's Glorious Hair

[gunnarthor]

 

The question is how much of his inconsistency stemmed from poor coaching he received from the Twins organzation?

I think it was the shoulder injury at the end of the 2013 season.  His mechanics were never the same.  Big pitchers have lots of moving parts so you muck up one and it all just falls apart.  

 

That's not to say it couldn't be both.  The way I see it, since 2012, the Twins have only had about 6 pitchers with the stuff to be legit #1/2 type pitchers - Meyer, Stewart, Jay and maybe Berrios, Thorpe and Romero.  Jay and Meyer are pen arms now.  Stewart's mechanics are inconsistent.  Berrios dominated the minors and Romero and Thorpe are bouncing back from injuries.  

[gunnarthor]

 

I like the team, and I'm excited about the season. We're 0-0 right now. Undefeated, baby! 

 

Buxton, Sano, Rosario, Kepler, and Polanco are that Puckett/Hrbek/Gaetti/Brunansky/Gagne core that's going eventually bring home a championship. They're all going to exceed expectations in 2017. 

 

E. Santana is going to be that solid sub-3.50 ERA guy we need to lead the rotation. Gibson is going to finally have his breakout year. Mejia has played his last game in AAA, and Berrios isn't far behind.

 

Duffey, Pressly, and Rogers are all going to be beasts in the bullpen.

 

Dozier will be an All-Star, and we're all going to complain that he wasn't voted in as a starter. 

 

Mauer and Grossman will both be on-base machines.

 

Park is going to play like a man who has something to prove. After he has his cup o' coffee in Rochester, he's going to be a middle-of-the-order monster for us.

 

Optimism, guys. Optimism!

 

Get ready, Royals. In four days, your savage beatdown is coming.    

  Sadly, "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community."

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fm.memegen.com%2F6cmdii.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.memegen.com%2Fmeme%2F6cmdii&docid=JzhF89AI909EjM&tbnid=rBT4YQIAV8IAtM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjHyo3Y0_7SAhWo6IMKHbZMCzcQMwg6KAkwCQ..i&w=512&h=340&bih=662&biw=1366&q=****%20yeah%20meme&ved=0ahUKEwjHyo3Y0_7SAhWo6IMKHbZMCzcQMwg6KAkwCQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

[Jerr]

All I know is that this news, has just dumped 6 inches of snow on my Twins Spring Fever,  along with a cold North wind blowing...... 

[dbminn]

Remarkable spring, almost like Greek tragedy.

 

Falvey tries to exile two soldiers from the old regime. Surprisingly, Park and Wimmers not only clear waivers but each has an excellent spring. Falvey's hubris blinds him to their success and they are sent to the bush.

 

Adrianze gets hurt, allowing his new favorite son DanSan to remain on the roster. Adrianze will be exiled for 30 days, after which Falvey may have him reinjured so that he remains in the bush. 

 

Falvey's lust requires a large harem of pitchers. Early on, Haley caught his eye. He paid a small price for him, though his previous owner required Falvey keep him nearby lest he be taken back. Usually, this means sending a different pitcher away. But Falvey loved pitchers, so he kept every one (except Berrios, the darling of the old regime and all the land).

 

Field General Molitor is unhappy with the new regime. Falvey is aware of Molitor's anger but cannot remove him for one year. Instead, he hires his old friend, Lieutenant Gimenez, to guard the harem.

 

But what will happen when the war begins?

 

End of Act I

 

Meanwhile at TD, the Greek chorus sings...

[spinowner]

 

Falvey and Levine are probably laughing at all of these comments because their true plan is probably to lose as many games as possible and build the farm some more. 

I doubt that. The advantage of a higher draft position is much less in baseball than in other sports, especially basketball. Purposely losing confers hardly any benefit.

[Mike Sixel]

 

I doubt that. The advantage of a higher draft position is much less in baseball than in other sports, especially basketball. Purposely losing confers hardly any benefit.

 

actually, according to new research on ESPN (insider required, I think), tearing down to the studs and losing a lot does help. 

[gunnarthor]

$$$$ helps too

[nicksaviking]

 

Let's keep in mind that this is NOT the same starting staff as last year.  They've removed 73 starts from last years' group.

 

Phew, 90 games is about all I could probably handle this year anyway!