Can Someone Please Tell Me How Nishioka Doesn't Make the 25-Man Roster?

[John Bonnes]

I'm trying like hell to figure out how Nishioka cannot make the 25-man roster. The problem isn't that he shouldn't be on it - he CLEARLY shouldn't be on it. The problem is that I'm not sure who else they have to take a spot that is going to belong to a middle infielder. Here's what I've come up with....

 

1) Give it to Brian Dozier - First, I don't think the Twins will want to call up Dozier unless he's going to play every day. Second, Dozier needs to convince Gardy that he can play shortstop.

 

2) Give it to Pedro Florimon - I just haven't heard anything about the guy really playing. Is he even in the plans?

 

3) Don't take a middle infielder - With Plouffe and Casilla on the roster, the Twins really already have two guys who can play shortstop on the roster. Maybe they use the spot on a sub hitter? I know they say Plouffe is an OFer this year, but for an emergency, can't he be the 3rd shortstop? Or even with Hughes on the roster, wouldn't that allow Casilla to move to SS so they don't need the pure MI backup?

 

I just don't see any of these three things happening. Can anyone please reassure me? Please?

[Nicholas Mueller]

Plus there's this nugget from Phil- “@PMac21: This is very much accurate. Looks totally out of his element on defense RT @JoeCStrib: Nishioka looks more frazzled, not less, this spring.” I don't know who said it, but I tend to agree, I think that Ray Chang would be better than Nishi.

[mikeee]

I see he got a hit and raised his average to .294..

I don't think that's what you are looking for...

[Thrylos]

If Hughes makes the team they have 3 infielders who can play 2B (Casilla, Carroll and Hughes) and 2 who can play SS (Carroll and Casilla.) So when Carroll rests, Hughes can play second and Casilla SS. When Casilla rests, Hughes replaces him at 2B.

[Grady Kruse]

s going to get really interesting. Nishioka belongs in AAA. He is not a major league shortstop. I bet they will play Casilla at short to rest Carroll. Hughes or possibly Burroughs would play 2nd on those days. Is there a chance the Twins release Nishioka if he doesn't turn things around? I'm starting to think he might never come around.

[gunnarthor]

If Hughes makes the team they have 3 infielders who can play 2B (Casilla, Carroll and Hughes) and 2 who can play SS (Carroll and Casilla.) So when Carroll rests, Hughes can play second and Casilla SS. When Casilla rests, Hughes replaces him at 2B.

Yeah, this. That makes the bench Hughes, Plouffe, third catcher and Burroughs who can push Valencia a bit.

[Clare Chen]

Hughes should probably make it. Both Nishioka and Hughes are on Seth's projected 25-man roster, though. http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?298-Projected-Twins-Roster

 

If Burroughs makes it, then Nishioka likely goes to AAA.

[Thrylos]

Hughes or possibly Burroughs would play 2nd on those days. .

 

and Burroughs who can push Valencia a bit.

 

Dirty little secret: Burroughs has been sucking on the field and with the bat worse that Nishioka this Spring so far. Good story and everything but he got to win a spot

[puck34]

Nishioka is clearly not major league talent in the field or at the plate. He shouldn't make it regardless of any other situations. The Twins brass needs to admit this was a mistake, eat the contract and move on.

[TwinsMusings]

I'm also concluding that puck34 is right. Ray Chang may have to be the middle infield utility guy until Dozier is ready.

[John Bonnes]

But Chang could never play shortstop, right? So the Twins would essentially be banking on Casilla to switch positions if Carrol can't play? I have trouble imagining Gardenhire doing that to a starter voluntarily.

[Thrylos]

But Chang could never play shortstop, right? .

Ray Chang played in 420 MiLB games, 212 of them (highest) was at SS. Second highest was at 3B with 128 games. Last season in Rochester (not in NB, Dozier was there) in the 40 games he played, 38 were at SS. But I have this gut feeling that if it comes to getting down to that level to bring a SS up, it would be Florimon and not Chang. But that is a really remote possibility in my mind...

[Thrylos]

Here is another interesting thing... I looked at PAs as of today's game and Nishioka got the most by far so far in non B games. I suspect that the most PAs a player gets it is because they want to look at him more. Here is a list of Twins' players this Spring with 11 or more PAs this far and their OPS.

 

Nishioka 18 PA .667 OPS

Dinkelman 14 PA .607 OPS

Burroughs 16 PA .468 OPS

Span 12 PA 1.083 OPS

Casilla 12 PA .995 OPS

Doumit 12 PA .944 OPS

Parmelee 11 PA 1.017 OPS

Revere 11 PA .788 OPS

Valencia 11 PA .636 OPS

Pearce 11 PA .282 OPS

 

Draw your own conclusions

[Seth Stohs]

But Chang could never play shortstop, right? So the Twins would essentially be banking on Casilla to switch positions if Carrol can't play? I have trouble imagining Gardenhire doing that to a starter voluntarily.

Chang is a very good shortstop. Decent bat too.

[spideyo]

My conclusion is, that is a ridiculously tiny sample size and means nothing. We need at least a week or two more before you can really start drawing clear conclusions.

[Nick Nelson]

3) Don't take a middle infielder - With Plouffe and Casilla on the roster, the Twins really already have two guys who can play shortstop on the roster. Maybe they use the spot on a sub hitter? I know they say Plouffe is an OFer this year, but for an emergency, can't he be the 3rd shortstop? Or even with Hughes on the roster, wouldn't that allow Casilla to move to SS so they don't need the pure MI backup?

I think this is the likely scenario if Nishioka doesn't show vast improvement over the next couple weeks. Carroll and Casilla can both handle SS, and I'd think Plouffe or Hughes could play there in a pinch.

[Neinstein]

agree completely ^

[Mike Sixel]

I think they'll send him down for sure, and hope he offers to get out of his contract....or maybe I hope that. I loved this as a gamble last year, so I'm no one to rip the decision (well, I loved it when I thought he was coming in to play 2B, and they were keeping Hardy).

[Teflon]

Casilla can slide to SS when Carroll doesn't play and Hughes then subs for Casilla at 2B. Hughes also spells Casilla at 2B when Alexi doesn't play. If Plouffe makes the team as an outfielder, the fact that he can play SS in a pinch gives more options. Carroll can also back up 2B if needed. No need for a pure 2B/SS backup like Nishioka. 6 possible combinations: SS-Carroll, 2b-Casilla; SS-Casilla, 2B-Hughes; SS-Carroll, 2B-Hughes; SS-Plouffe, 2B-Carroll; SS-Plouffe, 2B-Casilla; SS-Plouffe, 2b-Hughes.

[Nick Nelson]

No need for a pure 2B/SS backup like Nishioka.

Especially considering that he's not particularly good at either position.

[Fanatic Jack]

Any plan that has Tsuyoshi Nishioka in Rochester is the plan to go with. I really like Pedro Florimon at shortstop he looks so smooth and effortless defensively. He could be a nice stopgap until Dozier is ready. I think the front office has to accept that Nishioka is not a major leaguer player and the sooner the better. Wow, 2011 was a nightmare!!

[StormJH1]

I don't know anything about the defense of the options at Triple-A, but how can a big league club be in this bad of a situation in the middle infield?! Nishioka was NEVER a sure thing, and even had he worked out, you need to journeyman depth at SS at the AAA level in case of injury, etc. I would much rather have seen a "Butera"-type player at SS last year than catcher...someone who can at least field the position, even if their bat offers nothing. It's not like the combination of Nishioka and Casilla were driving balls off the wall last year exactly...

 

I know Plouffe was bad, but there HAVE to be better options somewhere in the organization at SS, defensively speaking. And yes, I would absolutely want a utility backup that can play SS, given that option #1 is 38-year old Jamey Carroll, who isn't even really a shortstop.

[dave_dw]

This is the start of.....THE NICK PUNTO CURSE

[Jim Crikket]

We may still not know what Plan B is, but apparently Terry Ryan had very little problem finding a way for Nishioka not to make the 25-man roster. I didn't think the cut would happen this quickly.

 

I know everyone still talks about him being a long-shot, but given how Hollimon has been hitting, I'm not sure how you can completely ignore him. Yes, given his mediocre history, you can't put too much emphasis on a couple of hot weeks. But he certainly would have been expected to be among the first couple of rounds of cuts heading in to camp and the fact that he's still there and Nishioka isn't could be telling. At the very least, it seems they may want to give him the PAs against Major League pitching that Nishioka had been getting.