Alex Meyer pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk, while striking out three, to lead Glendale to a 4-0 win over Peoria on Wednesday, in Arizona Fall League action. Meyer improved to 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA. Eddie Rosario collected two hits and scored a run. He's hitting .314/.324/.667.

His injury was frightening, as the Twins have nobody else who can project to being even a good #2 in the next 24 months.

 

Good to see him getting back to form in the AFL.

Hope his injury is good to go, I wont be totally convinced on it for a while. Shoulders tend to hang around and get worse when you are tired. Hopefully they can bring him along slowly in April and have a rotation spot for him by the end of May. Can't wait to see Sano, Meyer, Rosario next season!

Is something up with Buxton in the AFL? I haven't seen him in a box score lately.

He hurt his shoulder in batting practice.

Is it serious or just sometghing minor that will keep him out for a little?

Is it serious or just sometghing minor that will keep him out for a little?

 

Non-throwing shoulder, doesn't seem to be serious.

His injury was frightening, as

 

the Twins have nobody else who can project to being even a good #2 in the next 24 months.

 

Good to see him getting back to form in the AFL.

 

Yikes. In the back of my mind I was hoping that Stewart could make his debut mid-year, 2015. But reality bites, and being that he'd still only be 20 with a very valuable arm (and a justifiably cautious organization that would seek to avoid a Strasburg/Harvey/Bundy scenario) , the very best-case scenario likely plays out that they'll undoubtedly shut him down early in an innnings-limited 2015, after a cup of coffee in AA- so optimistically, mid-season, 2016, more realistically, 2017. That's 4 seasons away, folks.

 

Bottom line, the priority has to be to sign, draft and trade for more quality, upside, SP depth- you can't go into what has been dubbed by those with an optimistic bent, the "parade" year (2015), with only one guy in your depth chart who projects to a #1 or #2 potential. May doesn't look like he'll be anything but a back-end guy, at best. And the other short term options are worse, and the long-term options are likely farther away than Stewart.

 

Any Wacha-clones in next year's draft?

Hope his injury is good to go, I wont be totally convinced on it for a while. Shoulders tend to hang around and get worse when you are tired. Hopefully they can bring him along slowly in April and have a rotation spot for him by the end of May. Can't wait to see Sano, Meyer, Rosario next season!

 

I think the Twins were just being super cautious with him. He's too valuable of an asset to let him pitch with shoulder soreness at this stage.

Yikes. In the back of my mind I was hoping that Stewart could make his debut mid-year, 2015. But reality bites, and being that he'd still only be 20 with a very valuable arm (and a justifiably cautious organization that would seek to avoid a Strasburg/Harvey/Bundy scenario) , the very best-case scenario likely plays out that they'll undoubtedly shut him down early in an innnings-limited 2015, after a cup of coffee in AA- so optimistically, mid-season, 2016, more realistically, 2017. That's 4 seasons away, folks.

 

To clarify, Berrios could be in Minnesota in two years but calling him a #2 at this point is a stretch.

 

My point is more that anyone they have on the roster (outside of Meyers) probably won't be effective within two years.

I posted in this way on another thread so please forgive the repeat. Here is some extra info:

Meyer on 10.23-

Inning one- 16 pitches and 3 of 4 first-pitch balls

Inning two- 25 pitches and 2 of 5 first-pitch balls

Inning 3- 11 pitches and all first-pitch strikes

Inning 4- 8 pitches and 1 of 3 first-pitch balls. (one batter picked off 1st)

Inning 5 (1 out) - 10 pitches- 1 hbp on a 1-2 count and one SO with 1 of 2 first-pitch balls.

 

That is about 16.1 pitches/inning and that pace would have him to nearly 100 pitches by the end of the 6th. It is too much. I know this is only one game but from what I have read this seems to be his historical issue. We saw the same thing with Gibson last summer. Often he was done by the 5th or 6th with a pitch count at 90+. I hope they can fix this and show some better control. I don't mean to say they need to serve up the first one but they will not be successful if they are constantly behind in the count.

Edited October 25, 201313 yr by Steve Penz

I posted in this way on another thread so please forgive the repeat. Here is some extra info:

Meyer on 10.23-

Inning one- 16 pitches and 3 first-pitch balls

Inning two- 25 pitches and 2 first pitch balls

Inning 3- 11 pitches and all first pitch strikes

Inning 4- 8 pitches and one first pitch ball.

Inning 5 (1 out) - 10 pitches- 1 hbp on a 1-2 count and one SO with a first-pitch ball.

 

That is about 16.1 pitches/inning and that pace would have him to nearly 100 pitches by the end of the 6th. It is too much. I know this is only one game but from what I have read this seems to be his historical issue. We saw the same thing with Gibson last summer. Often he was done by the 5th or 6th with a pitch count at 90+. I hope they can fix this and show some better control. I don't mean to say they need to serve up the first one but they will not be successful if they are constantly behind in the count.

 

I think it should be pointed out that last June, most of us were clamoring for Gibson to be on the roster. Ryan said he wasn't going deep enough into games and toyed with the strike zone too often. Gibson was called up and...

 

We were wrong. Ryan was right.

 

If Meyer is showing the same problem, don't expect to see him up here early in 2014.

I think it should be pointed out that last June, most of us were clamoring for Gibson to be on the roster. Ryan said he wasn't going deep enough into games and toyed with the strike zone too often. Gibson was called up and...

 

We were wrong. Ryan was right.

 

If Meyer is showing the same problem, don't expect to see him up here early in 2014.

 

Do you have a link for that? I don't remember hearing Ryan saying that. I'm not saying it's not true, but all I remember Ryan saying was that Gibson wasn't consistant enough which really wasn't true.

 

Also looking at Gibson's numbers in AAA last year, he pitched 101 innings in 17 starts. At the MLB level, doubling those 17 starts to 34 would equal a full and healthy season for a starter which would mean his start/innings numbers would have extrapolated out to 34/200. Maybe he was only averaging 6 innings a start, but that 200 innings and 34 starts seem to be the benchmark this club looks for in their free agents.

Also, maybe gibson would have been better (though I doubt it) had he been called up earlier while his arm was more fresh. But ya, maybe Ryan was right, and Gibson wan't ready to be a good MLB pitcher this year.....leading one to wonder what the plan was for the rotation overall if he knew Gibson would not be ready.

I don't have a issue with the exposure Gibson got in the majors last year. My expectations were level so I see it positively. He was still recovering from TJ and control is always and issue. I expect 2014 will be much more solid for him. The toughest part about Meyer is that so much hope is pinned on him and control issues can ruin it so quickly. Example: May gets very little attention in comparison because he walks so many people.

Non-throwing shoulder, doesn't seem to be serious.

 

Just saw that he is in the lineup today as well.

Do you have a link for that? I don't remember hearing Ryan saying that. I'm not saying it's not true, but all I remember Ryan saying was that Gibson wasn't consistant enough which really wasn't true.

 

 

There were about 50,000 threads on this site that were either started or hijacked over the issue in the May/June timeframe.

Just saw that he is in the lineup today as well.

 

He hit a home run too.

I think it should be pointed out that last June, most of us were clamoring for Gibson to be on the roster. Ryan said he wasn't going deep enough into games and toyed with the strike zone too often. Gibson was called up and...

 

We were wrong. Ryan was right.

 

The suggestion being that Ryan called up Gibson mostly because the rubes were clamoring for him?

There were about 50,000 threads on this site that were either started or hijacked over the issue in the May/June timeframe.

 

I prefer the term taken hostage myself, bu other than that great post.

The suggestion being that Ryan called up Gibson mostly because the rubes were clamoring for him?

 

I didn't get that Brock was suggesting that, but I wondered about it at the time.

Albers' numbers were better than Gibson's when Gibson was called up.

I didn't get that Brock was suggesting that, but I wondered about it at the time.

Albers' numbers were better than Gibson's when Gibson was called up.

 

Ok then.. maybe I'm just being hyper sensitive to the "blame the players, blame the fans" narrative. Apologies Brock.

 

Side note being that IMO Terry Ryan needs to forget about calling up Alex Meyer until he can get either Gibson or Diamond straightened out and pitching well again.

Ryan said he wasn't going deep enough into games and toyed with the strike zone too often. Gibson was called up and...

 

 

Do you have a link for that? I don't remember hearing Ryan saying that. I'm not saying it's not true, but all I remember Ryan saying was that Gibson wasn't consistant enough which really wasn't true.

 

Also looking at Gibson's numbers in AAA last year, he pitched 101 innings in 17 starts. At the MLB level, doubling those 17 starts to 34 would equal a full and healthy season for a starter which would mean his start/innings numbers would have extrapolated out to 34/200. Maybe he was only averaging 6 innings a start, but that 200 innings and 34 starts seem to be the benchmark this club looks for in their free agents.

 

Ryan may have said those things, but Gibson's numbers from May 8 to June 20 belie and utterly refute that notion and those comments. Hence, there was very strong evidence for why all the clamor for calling him up to staunch the bleeding on the Twins woeful SP staff.

 

From May 3 to May 25, 3 of Gibson's 4 starts were shutouts, 2 of them complete games, the other, 8 innings. I didn't get the pitch counts during that stretch of 9 starts, but in only one of them, could he be termed "wild", with 5 BBs on June 9.

 

Gibson's numbers over that time frame:

 

9 Starts

2 complete games

61 innings pitched

6.8 innings/game

BB*9 2.6

H*9 6.8

K*9 7.7

WHIP 1.06

ERA 2.36

 

Only 1 start less than 6 innings, 5 of 9 starts, 7 innings or more.

Edited October 25, 201313 yr by jokin

Ok then.. maybe I'm just being hyper sensitive to the "blame the players, blame the fans" narrative. Apologies Brock.

 

Side note being that IMO Terry Ryan needs to forget about calling up Alex Meyer until he can get either Gibson or Diamond straightened out and pitching well again.

 

How about both of them?

 

Really, without both of them stepping up, AND a quality FA acquisition, 2014 is going to be a very long year reminiscent of the last 3.