Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/2): Goodrum Suffers Concussion

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1822-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(6-2)-Goodrum-Suffers-Concussion

[Ozziedavisfan]

feel better soon niko

[Old Twins Cap]

What's up with Buck? Two games now. And Sano? Are they on airplanes headed to new teams or what is going on?

[Seth Stohs]

Buxton has a sore thumb. He'll be out a few days.

 

Sano just got a regular day off. He and Morales both.

[jimbo92107]

Niko, don't you even think hard for at least a week. Take your time coming back from a serious concussion, your brain's wiring needs time to repair itself. A concussion is not a bruise, it's more like damaged wiring between neurons. Any activity that puts stress on your system can make the damage worse, and slow down recovery.

 

Get well Niko, but don't rush it. Save your brain, you may need it in your old age!

[jokin]

Buxton has a sore thumb. He'll be out a few days.

 

Sano just got a regular day off. He and Morales both.

 

Hey Seth! If it doesn end up being Clete going up to the Twins, doesn't it open up an OF spot that must be filled by New Britain...and then the domino effect kicks in...Morales to NB, Buck to Ft Myers, Kepler to Cedar Rapids...?

[clutterheart]

Question about Darnell

 

According to someone's "MN 2013 Prospect Handbook" Darnell has as "a plus changeup and a slider" to go with a fastball. Now I am not sure if the author can be trusted or not but am I right thinking he is pitching junk?

 

What is his Fastball is clocked at? He looks to destroy LH batters.

12 games started with 2.76 ERA but opponents are hitting .275 off him. So he looks a little hittable, and Im am interested in understanding if he is "smoke & mirrors" or if he is one to watch.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Scouting reports after last season were that his changeup was a plus pitch. I think his fastball is high 80s. You don't have to trust the author (me), but things that aren't true never make it by the editor (Seth).

[Seth Stohs]

Hey Seth! If it doesn end up being Clete going up to the Twins, doesn't it open up an OF spot that must be filled by New Britain...and then the domino effect kicks in...Morales to NB, Buck to Ft Myers, Kepler to Cedar Rapids...?

 

It could. Chris Pettit has been playing CF for New Britain with Jordan Parraz generally in RF and Danny Ortiz in LF. They could send Parraz up and slide Pettit over. Or, they could just release Pettit. But then certainly, Morales to NB, Buxton to FM, and Kepler to CR.

[Seth Stohs]

Question about Darnell

 

According to someone's "MN 2013 Prospect Handbook" Darnell has as "a plus changeup and a slider" to go with a fastball. Now I am not sure if the author can be trusted or not but am I right thinking he is pitching junk?

 

What is his Fastball is clocked at? He looks to destroy LH batters.

12 games started with 2.76 ERA but opponents are hitting .275 off him. So he looks a little hittable, and Im am interested in understanding if he is "smoke & mirrors" or if he is one to watch.

 

He's certainly not a flame-thrower, by any means. He'll hit 90-91 though. And, having three pitches is why he can be successful... My comments are intended to mean that he should move up to Rochester. In his first season in the organization, he pitched in Beloit, Ft. Myers and New Britain. He spent all last year in New Britain, and now half of this season in New Britain. He's pitching well and eating innings. I think it's time to move up... but that's just me.

[Pitz]

I was at the Kernels game yesterday. It was a scary time seeing Niko laying on the ground pretty much motionless while they were attending to him. Hopefully he has a speedy and full recovery.

A couple of things about the play:

1) Jake had no business sending him home on the play. The left fielder already had the ball (in shallow left) as Niko was getting into third base. I like to see third base coaches be aggressive but that was a little much. The ball arrived well before Niko at the plate and he decided to try to dislodge the ball from the catcher's mitt.

2) Hopefully the team and the entire organization learns from this and instructs the players to avoid collisions at the plate, especially in the minor leagues. The outcomes of the games are not that important to risk one's health for one run. I understand that it is hard as a competitive athlete in the moment to refrain from doing anything you can, but it should be a point of emphasis for all the coaching staffs to all the players - don't try to run over the catcher.

[Mike Sixel]

Collisions should be against the rules. It is not good for anyone at all. I think I've typed that on the interwebs for abot 4 years now......not that anyone is listening/reading.

[Steven Buhr]

First, I wasn't at the game in Kane County, so I didn't see the play Goodrum got injured on.

 

Deciding when to send the runner and when not to is the toughest part of coaching 3B. Any coach who's never sent a runner he shouldn't have is probably too conservative. It happens. I'm sure nobody outside of Goodrum's family was more relieved to see Niko back in the clubhouse from the hospital than Jake Mauer was.

 

Until the rulemakers agree with mike, above, collisions at the plate will be part of the professional game. I'm not sure you can tell players to avoid them in the minor leagues and then change their mentality when they reach the Bigs. A player who always avoids them in the minor leagues risks getting a reputation with scouts as being "soft."

 

Until the rules are changed, perhaps the best that can be done is to at least make sure players know how NOT to collide with catchers... like in football, don't lead with your head/helmet.

[lightfoot789]

Collisions should be against the rules. It is not good for anyone at all. I think I've typed that on the interwebs for abot 4 years now......not that anyone is listening/reading.

 

I agree that it should be banned as well. I also think it should be considered interference if at 1B - 2B or 3B the defender uses his leg to make it impossible to slide into the base. I've seen so many MLB player called out this year because the leg of the defender prevents them from reaching the base as they slide back in. That's going to make the issue of spiking a defender more real in games to come. IMO

[Pitz]

First, I wasn't at the game in Kane County, so I didn't see the play Goodrum got injured on.

 

Deciding when to send the runner and when not to is the toughest part of coaching 3B. Any coach who's never sent a runner he shouldn't have is probably too conservative. It happens. I'm sure nobody outside of Goodrum's family was more relieved to see Niko back in the clubhouse from the hospital than Jake Mauer was.

 

Until the rulemakers agree with mike, above, collisions at the plate will be part of the professional game. I'm not sure you can tell players to avoid them in the minor leagues and then change their mentality when they reach the Bigs. A player who always avoids them in the minor leagues risks getting a reputation with scouts as being "soft."

 

Until the rules are changed, perhaps the best that can be done is to at least make sure players know how NOT to collide with catchers... like in football, don't lead with your head/helmet.

 

I wasn't trying to be super critical of Jake. I know it's a tough decision whether to send someone, and I know from his reactions that he felt terrible about what happened to Niko. Sorry that my post sounded like I was trying to bring down Mauer. I think he's a great coach/manager for the minor league squad, I was just pointing out that he made a poor decision on this particular play. As you said, it happens. I was just surprised to see him send Niko on the play.

 

As far as coaching players to avoid collisions, I disagree with your arguments. While collisions aren't against the rules, that doesn't mean you can't instruct players to avoid them. They really shouldn't change the mentality when they get to the bigs. They should still be trying to avoid collisions even at the major league level. One run is not worth risking serious injury. I understand that collisions may still happen, but players should be coached on how to best avoid those collisions until hopefully the rules are changed.

 

I don't think any player should worry about getting a reputation as being 'soft' and any scout who would label a player as soft for that reason should be asked to run full speed into a brick wall a couple times. A guy can play the game hard without needlessly risking injury to try to score one run in one game.

 

I mean absolutely no disrespect to you SD Buhr and I hope that my post did not come off as disrespectful. I appreciate your contributions and enjoy reading your posts.

[Steven Buhr]

Pitz, I didn't think your post was disrespectful of me or of Jake. Goodness, if I couldn't take some disagreement of that nature, I'd have no friggin business being on a message board!

 

You're probably right about there being ways to coach avoiding contact. I just know that when it's you heading home, the only thing you're thinking about is scoring any way you can and sometimes sliding, either head/hands first or feet first, in to an armored set of catcher's shin guards, can be hazzardous to the runner, as well.

 

I do suspect, however, that in this era of greater awareness of head injuries, we're more likely than ever before to see some kind of rule change designed to attempt to reduce this kind of collision.

[Pitz]

...I just know that when it's you heading home, the only thing you're thinking about is scoring any way you can and sometimes sliding, either head/hands first or feet first, in to an armored set of catcher's shin guards, can be hazzardous to the runner, as well.

 

I do suspect, however, that in this era of greater awareness of head injuries, we're more likely than ever before to see some kind of rule change designed to attempt to reduce this kind of collision.

 

I think and hope you are right about a rule change, and one would think that serious injuries to Buster Posey and Carlos Santana over the last several years would push the issue a little harder.

 

I also recognize the desire to score and that baseball plays happen at high speeds where decisions (or instincts) are made in split seconds. I think that is part of the reason why I think that coaching for those types of plays is so important. (Honestly, I don't know how much coaching is already done. Maybe organizations already put an emphasis on this.)

 

Like you said there are dangers in sliding as well, but I guess my feelings have a lot to do with what I saw Goodrum try to do yesterday, then watching him laying motionless on the ground, then watching him being taken away in an ambulance.

The throw beat Niko by several steps and he clearly went in with the intent to try to bowl over the catcher. The catcher reacted and Niko took a blow to the head and I can't help but feel like the whole thing could and should have been avoided. While some collisions (and unfortunately injuries) are probably unavoidable, this one clearly could have been avoided.

Here's to hoping that baseball does something to help eliminate needless and dangerous collisions such as this one and that Niko gets well soon.