Article: Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month - June

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2042-Twins-Minor-League-Hitter-of-the-Month-June

[tjsyam921]

Do the Twins not think Colobello can handle major league pitching or what? I understand there really isn't a place for him to play but parmelle isn't exactly raking and they didn't really give him a chance when he was called up. Does a Morneau trade have to happen for him to get a shot?

[Seth Stohs]

A Morneau trade, or an injury. He is a good fit since he would be a right-handed hitter off of the bench, something they really don't have. I believe that the Twins could let Morneau go an have a solid Parmelee/Colabello platoon, with their other getting occasional time in RF and DH.

[jay]

I believe that the Twins could let Morneau go an have a solid Parmelee/Colabello platoon, with their other getting occasional time in RF and DH.

 

I couldn't possibly agree more. I'd hope he gets on the roster as a RH option if basically anyone gets traded, but I'd also hope they find a way to get him on there either way. We are extremely lefty heavy.

[beckmt]

I can not agree with this. Parmelee has yet to prove he can hit consistently at the major league level. Also Morneau will not bring a high return. Colabello should be considered next spring when Morneau probably will not be back, but as a starting full time first baseman, not as a platoon player.

[jay]

I can not agree with this. Parmelee has yet to prove he can hit consistently at the major league level. Also Morneau will not bring a high return. Colabello should be considered next spring when Morneau probably will not be back, but as a starting full time first baseman, not as a platoon player.

 

So, you'd be willing to give the completely unproven 29-year-old a starting job and discard the 25-year-old who has a 99 wRC+ (league average) this year with similar domination at AAA?

 

I'm a Colabello guy, but I'm not sure I get the line of reasoning there.

[Legend of the Arctic]

Aside from the glut of 1B/corner OFers on the Twins roster, I think the reason Colabello hasn't gotten more of a chance is his age. If he were putting up these numbers at age 23, he be the top prospect in baseball, but at 29, it's easy to understand why the Twins don't consider him a long term solution. They probably feel that at his age, there isn't mch time for the MLB learning curve before his skills start to decline.

[PopRiveter]

Thanks for the great post, Seth. I look forward to these updates.

When it comes to Colabello, I think you have to make room for him in the majors. You would have to take some outfield starts from Parmelee/Hicks/Thomas, some DH time from Doumit, and the occasional start from Morneau.

I don't think it should require a trade. Either demote Hicks and play Clete in center everyday (Escobar would be emergency backup CF-ugly, but we're on pace for 90+ losses) or demote Parmelee.

None of the group of Parmelee/Doumit/Hicks have produced to a level that really demands the playing time they're getting this season. I'm all for Colabello stealing some at-bats from all three.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Do the Twins not think Colobello can handle major league pitching or what? I understand there really isn't a place for him to play but parmelle isn't exactly raking and they didn't really give him a chance when he was called up. Does a Morneau trade have to happen for him to get a shot?

 

Perhaps it's because Parmelee put up better numbers last year in AAA as a 24 year old... Just a guess, and in sporadic playing time, he has basically put up league average numbers here in the ML. I don't get the lack of patience that people seem to have. Colabello is a "flavor of the month" kind of guy. He might be useful as a pinch hitter off the bench/occasional starter, but the Twins should not under any circumstances be dumping guys who may have a decent future for a guy like Colabello.

[Seth Stohs]

Aside from the glut of 1B/corner OFers on the Twins roster, I think the reason Colabello hasn't gotten more of a chance is his age. If he were putting up these numbers at age 23, he be the top prospect in baseball, but at 29, it's easy to understand why the Twins don't consider him a long term solution. They probably feel that at his age, there isn't mch time for the MLB learning curve before his skills start to decline.

 

The funny thing about that line of thinking is that, even if his skills start eroding some at age 32, that's still two or three years. Teams sign free agents for 1-3 years and hope. Why not take a chance on a guy like Colabello?

 

That said, I wouldn't do so at the expense of Parmelee.

[Steve Penz]

The funny thing about that line of thinking is that, even if his skills start eroding some at age 32, that's still two or three years. Teams sign free agents for 1-3 years and hope. Why not take a chance on a guy like Colabello?

 

That said, I wouldn't do so at the expense of Parmelee.

 

 

This makes a lot of sense to me. Parmalee is not doing well but there is some hope of a future at his age and he has played a nice RF. He should not be moved or let go. If they can make room for Colabellosie then I hope they do. 2 years may be all the Twins need before a younger player can move into the spot. He is not just doing well at AAA he is killing it and his stats were the same in the 5 WBC games in which he played. It would be nice if he could get a legit shot.

[Dman]

I really think Chris deserves a shot and i hope the Twins give it to him after the trade deadline. He has earned his shot at the MLB level. I also agree with several posters here though that he get that time not at the expense of Parmalee. I really feel like Parmalee is going to come around. Maybe he will never be a star but I think he will become a very solid major league player. We need to find out about both of those guys before we give another team a very good player for nothing.

[RodneyKline]

I can't believe how many people want to dump the second best hitter on the team and the top RBI guy. Morneau needs to be re-signed no matter what. He wants to stay so Terry Ryan needs to sign him at the best deal possible. You can't build a winner with a whole team of unproven prospects. You need to have veteran leadership. Mauer does not want to be a leader but Morneau does. There are two Twins on the All Star team and seven former Twins. That is 9 All stars that we could have on the team but we want to dump another one so all we have is Mauer and a bunch of prospects???

 

Eventually Terry Ryan needs to be held accountable for this along with the $40 million in potential payroll he is banking this year. The Twins could have been competitive this year had he not been so cheap year after year. He is a good GM except for this one major flaw. He is so cheap he squeaks! The fans need to demand more or he needs to be fired.

 

Billy Smith with no credibility got the Twins to approach $120 million in 2010. It would be nice if we had an aggressive GM like that who was not a moron who would trade a top SS and a #1 starter for a corner outfielder and a utility fielder! Just trading a shortstop for a corner outfielder was stupid enough. I don't care if it was Manny Ramirez or Barry Bonds you just don't do that and Delmon was no Manny or Barry! The Twins have been trying to find a SS (and a 1 or 2 starter also when they had Garza) ever since then but they have had plenty of outfielders. Sorry I am digressing into my Billy Smith rant...

 

...back to Morneau. Sign him for two years at $10m per year or sign him longer term at a discount. Maybe 5 years $40 million, so you get the last three years for only $7m or so. He may or may not find his HR swing for all 5 years but he has proven that he can hit and he can also step up his game when runners are in scoring position. He will still have over 100 RBIs this year without many HRs. That is enough value to risk that his concussions do not come back.

 

They could also write that into the contract. He loses the money if he can't play due to concussions. They also could buy an insurance policy...or they could cut payroll more and convince all of us that the prospects we have are all going to be as good as Morneau has been. Let's demand better!

[Brock Beauchamp]

Parmelee OPS+: 96

Morneau OPS+: 103

 

I'm having a hard time figuring out why the Twins should pay Morneau $20m over two years when they can get similar production for $1m. I don't care if they have 20 bazillion dollars in the bank, that's just... dumb.

[diehardtwinsfan]

5 years 40M? Morneau is my favorite player, so bringing him back is something I'm quite fine with... but no team in their right mind will give him a 5 year deal... much less 8 per year. If this power surge continues, someone might give him 2/20, but I think he's likely in the market for a 1 year deal.

[Rick Niedermann]

I know Colabello is tearing up AAA. But he looked a little overwhelmed in his time in the Bigs. His swing looked long and loopy. But granted, it was a small sample size. One of the best Managers the Twins ever had, Gene Mauch, platooned a lot with great results. Cubbage/Castino 3B, Randall/Wilfong 2B, Rivera/Chiles LF and Morales/Adams DH, etc. I like the idea of a Colabello/Parmelee platoon if Morneau is gone. And Colabello's numbers certainly show he is deserving of Seth's Monthly Award and another shot with the Twins.