April 11, 201214 yr According the presser, it sounds like the Twins will go forward with either Liam Hendriks or Anthony Swarzak as internal options. Likely no moves to be made from outside of the organization. Nevertheless, who would you replace Baker with going forward this season? Stay put or spend money or prospects on bringing someone in?
April 11, 201214 yr Hendriks is the right choice, as soon as he's able. Marquis will be up soon and Swarzak can go back to the 'pen.
April 11, 201214 yr Who do I want to replace Scott Baker: Kevin Slowey Who will replace Scott Baker: Liam Hendriks and/or Anthony Swarzak
April 11, 201214 yr I know Diamond in starting in AAA, but who else is in the rotation down there? I'm just wondering about additional depth.
April 11, 201214 yr Actually the right choice was never to sign Jason Marquis since Swarzak is essentially the cheaper equivalent. I understand TR's need for depth, but Marquis was a decent signing. I hate to see him starting over Swarzak though. I feel Anthony deserves a shot.
April 11, 201214 yr Marquis is a batting practice pitcher that should be released. Slowey is 100% better than Marquis but our clueless gm values nice guys because they get along with gardy. Bring up guys from our poor minor league system to get the innings since they will lose 110 games regardless.
April 11, 201214 yr Actually the right choice was never to sign Jason Marquis since Swarzak is essentially the cheaper equivalent. I understand TR's need for depth, but Marquis was a decent signing. I hate to see him starting over Swarzak though. I feel Anthony deserves a shot.I think the idea was Marquis is a relatively cheap starter that puts in a lot of innings and creates a ton of ground balls. I think TR was trying to save some bullpen arms that way. I think this is Hendricks' time to prove he's ready. Hopefully, he has a great year.
April 11, 201214 yr I know Diamond in starting in AAA, but who else is in the rotation down there? I'm just wondering about additional depth.PJ WaltersSam DedunoCole DeVriesDarryl Tompson Maybe PJ Walters but I do not see any of the others. I do like Deduno & DeVriesbut not as starters
April 11, 201214 yr Likely: Scott Diamond, Jeff Manship, Anthony Swarzak IT SUCKS because Swarzak could of been our BEST bullpen option outside of Perk. Unlikely: Alex Wimmers, Dave Bromberg, Bobby Lanigan Even more Unlikely: Roy Oswalt
April 11, 201214 yr I know Diamond in starting in AAA, but who else is in the rotation down there? I'm just wondering about additional depth.The rest of the AAA rotation is pretty weak. Diamond I imagine would be the next up. Though it will be Hendriks/Marquis for the time being I imagine. Diamond, Swarzak and Duesing in case things get even worse Edited April 11, 201214 yr by VodkaDave
April 11, 201214 yr Likely: Scott Diamond, Jeff Manship, Anthony Swarzak IT SUCKS because Swarzak could of been our BEST bullpen option outside of Perk. Unlikely: Alex Wimmers, Dave Bromberg, Bobby Lanigan Even more Unlikely: Roy OswaltSwarzak still will have the opp to be a bullpen guy. Current rotation within a week will be: Liriano, Pavano, Blackburn, Hendriks, MarquisOuch. If Liriano coming back to form wasn't important before, it certainly is now, he is now the only guy in the rotation who has even the slightest potential to be better then a #3.
April 11, 201214 yr Yes. Poor Slowey. He's just misunderstood. I want to like Swarzak, I really do. But the numbers just aren't there. Not in the majors as a starter (5.22 ERA) or even in the minors (5.5 K/9 in AAA). I'm not crazy about Hendriks, just because I really think they're rushing him. But he's my choice, outside of going and getting another starter. Any other free agents out there besides Oswalt? - Justin Duchsererer? His name would fit right in, spelling wise. - Jon Garland? - Scott Kazmir? - Carlos Silva?
April 11, 201214 yr Three lefties in the pen is one more than we need. How about asking the three of them who might like to start? What does a team planning to lose 100 games need three lefty relievers to do?
April 11, 201214 yr Yes. Poor Slowey. He's just misunderstood. I want to like Swarzak, I really do. But the numbers just aren't there. Not in the majors as a starter (5.22 ERA) or even in the minors (5.5 K/9 in AAA). I'm not crazy about Hendriks, just because I really think they're rushing him. But he's my choice, outside of going and getting another starter. Any other free agents out there besides Oswalt? - Justin Duchsererer? His name would fit right in, spelling wise. - Jon Garland? - Scott Kazmir?- Carlos Silva?Lannahan could prob be had somewhat cheaply in a trade, but he isn't anything special. I wouldn't mind them going after a guy like Cecil, Drabek or Cobb if the cost isn't a whole lot. Get a guy that actually has some potential upside who could stick in the rotation for more than a year. None of the free agents interest me besides Oswalt, and unless the Twins jet into first place he won't be coming here anytime soon. Also, I agree on Slowey, people need to stop acting like the Twins made some massive mistake by trading him. Colorado loved him so much that they traded him to Cleveland for next to nothing, and Cleveland loved him so much they immediately shipped him to AAA.
April 11, 201214 yr Three lefties in the pen is one more than we need. How about asking the three of them who might like to start?What does a team planning to lose 100 games need three lefty relievers to do?Perkins- No, he needs to continue to build off his success in the pen. He is the set up guy anyways and isn't used like a typical LOOGY.Duensing- Has already gotten plenty of starts, has pretty poor splits and has a lot more value in the pen.Maloney- Meh, pretty mediocre, I'd rather see about 10 Twins prospects ahead of him (Diamond, Hendriks, Swarzak, etc)
April 11, 201214 yr Swarzak doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he does have a great bulldog attitude. Key to his success will be developing precision, being able to pick corners, vary his speed, etc. In other words, he needs to become a clever bulldog with good aim. Hendriks takes Baker's spot, but Swarzak may contend for it if Hendriks falters. Of the two, Hendriks appears to have more talent, but Swarzak has the bulldog attitude. Reminds me a little of Blackburn that way. Who in the minors could step up? No idea, but I'd love to see David Bromberg succeed this year.
April 11, 201214 yr Duensing- Has already gotten plenty of starts, has pretty poor splits and has a lot more value in the pen.I think Brian Duensing is a better pitcher than people realize. A lot of young pitchers have up-and-down seasons when they first emerge from the minors, then later stabilize into consistent performers. I think Duensing is about ready to show that he can do the job consistently, as a reliever or a starter. At the moment, I'd still rather see him in the bull pen because he's very effective, but if needed he could step in and spot start as well as Swarzak, or better.
April 11, 201214 yr You throw Hendriks to the fire and cross your fingers that he can handle it. If he proves he's not ready, you give Swarzak then Diamond shots to prove themselves. Swarzak and Diamond are really at the sink or swim point in their careers as potential starters. They'll likely sink, but unlike almost anyone else in AAA or in the Twins' pen, they at least have a chance to swim. I'd let them ride out the rest of the season to see if at least one of the two can figure it out. It's not like we have a lot to lose. As VodkaDave pointed out above, Perkins and Duensing need to stay in the pen. They're very good options there. Their roles are set. Don't mess with them.
April 11, 201214 yr I think Brian Duensing is a better pitcher than people realize. A lot of young pitchers have up-and-down seasons when they first emerge from the minors, then later stabilize into consistent performers. I think Duensing is about ready to show that he can do the job consistently, as a reliever or a starter. At the moment, I'd still rather see him in the bull pen because he's very effective, but if needed he could step in and spot start as well as Swarzak, or better.I'm not down on him, and he is one of my more favorite pitchers, but the fact is he gets hit pretty hard by righties. Teams figured this out and eventually started stacking lineups against him which is why he ended up with a lackluster 5.23 ERA last year. He is a pretty effective LOOGY and a replacement level starter. Why not maximize his value and keep him in the pen? [TABLE=class: sortable stats_table][TR=class: hl][TD=align: right].300[/TD][TD=align: right]/.358[/TD][TD=align: right]/.476[/TD][TD=align: right]/.834[/TD][TD=align: right] are what righties hit off him in his career. I agree he is ok for a spot start here and there if needed, but his true value is in the pen against lefties who have a [TABLE=class: sortable stats_table][TR=class: hl][TD=align: right]203[/TD][TD=align: right].247[/TD][TD=align: right].263[/TD][TD=align: right].510[/TD][/TR][/TABLE] line off him.[/TD][/TR][/TABLE] side note to mods: this formatting issue above has now came up a couple times, maybe you can turn something off in the forum options?
April 11, 201214 yr Yes. Poor Slowey. He's just misunderstood. I want to like Swarzak, I really do. But the numbers just aren't there. Not in the majors as a starter (5.22 ERA) or even in the minors (5.5 K/9 in AAA). I'm not crazy about Hendriks, just because I really think they're rushing him. But he's my choice, outside of going and getting another starter. Any other free agents out there besides Oswalt? - Justin Duchsererer? His name would fit right in, spelling wise. - Jon Garland? - Scott Kazmir?- Carlos Silva?You forgot Livan Hernandez.
April 11, 201214 yr Who do I want to replace Scott Baker: Kevin SloweyWho will replace Scott Baker: Liam Hendriks and/or Anthony SwarzakI wish people would stop acting butthurt about Slowey. Why don't all the spurned Twins fans plan a trip to Buffalo or wherever the hell Cleveland's AAA team is so you all can have a big pity party and talk to Kevin about climbing Mt Kilamanjaro.
April 12, 201214 yr To replace Baker... The best choice is Matt Moore. Moore would probably be a tough get. Hendricks is the answer. The kid just got his chance to make a MLB statement. I hope he runs with it.
April 12, 201214 yr I think it'll be Hendriks, who actually could hold his own, albeit not at a Baker level. The problem is that the next guy in line is now Swarzak or Maloney or Diamond. This could get ugly in a hurry when another starter inevitably needs to miss time.
April 12, 201214 yr No need to consider Slowey any longer, but I do remember after Nathan went down in spring training 2010, the Twins were scrambling for closing options and a Slowey/CJ Wilson trade was rumored to be in discussion and the Rangers were actaully going to have to kick in another piece as Slowey's trade value was higher than the Rangers set up man. The Twins never trade players at their peak. Probably just as well though, it's doubtful the Twins would have had the foresight to transfer Wilson to the rotation.
April 12, 201214 yr Swarzak doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he does have a great bulldog attitude. Key to his success will be developing precision, being able to pick corners, vary his speed, etc. In other words, he needs to become a clever bulldog with good aim. Hendriks takes Baker's spot, but Swarzak may contend for it if Hendriks falters. Of the two, Hendriks appears to have more talent, but Swarzak has the bulldog attitude. Reminds me a little of Blackburn that way. Who in the minors could step up? No idea, but I'd love to see David Bromberg succeed this year.Is that you Gardy? If only we could quantify that "bulldog attitude" into results.
April 12, 201214 yr I wish people would stop acting butthurt about Slowey. Why don't all the spurned Twins fans plan a trip to Buffalo or wherever the hell Cleveland's AAA team is so you all can have a big pity party and talk to Kevin about climbing Mt Kilamanjaro.Exactly. Since 2008 (Slowey's best year) - Slowey - 90 ERA+, 466 ip, 3.4 WARLiriano - 90 ERA+, 542ip, 4.4 WARBlackburn - 93 ERA+, 713ip, 4.8 WARDuensing - 104 ERA+, 378ip, 4.6 WAR
April 12, 201214 yr French has pitched very well in New Britain. I remember him as being part of the Jarrod Washburn trade (going to the M's). He has some big league experience and is a lefty, I believe (also breathing). To me, French and Diamond are cut out of the same cloth. Maloney had a nice spring and struck out hitters, but he's 28 and hasn't established himself in the majors.
April 12, 201214 yr Exactly. Since 2008 (Slowey's best year) - Slowey - 90 ERA+, 466 ip, 3.4 WARLiriano - 90 ERA+, 542ip, 4.4 WARBlackburn - 93 ERA+, 713ip, 4.8 WARDuensing - 104 ERA+, 378ip, 4.6 WARThough I agree that Slowey is mediocre, I don't understand why you feel the need to include IP and WAR in this argument.
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