Couto: Albers will battle for 5th spot

[Seth Stohs]

http://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/articles/albers-will-battle-spot-twins-rotation/

 

Melissa Couto of Canadian Baseball Network penned an article on Twins lefty Andrew Albers.

 

Just a great article about Albers. He's a smart guy, and he's overcome some things to get the opportunity he got a year ago.

 

Suddenly things look a bit crowded in Minnesota’s corner, and Albers is well aware of the arms that may be nudging him out of a big-league job next season.“It’s going to be awfully tough,” the left-hander said at the annual Baseball Canada banquet in Toronto. “There’s going to be a lot of competition with guys fighting for that last spot in the rotation, but that’s the way it should be.

“It’s one of those things you can’t control so you can’t really worry about it. For me, I’m just worried about getting myself in as good a shape as possible before spring training and competing as well as I can for one of those spots.”

[Kwak]

Dead man walking.

[Danchat]

There are so many guys vying for this #5 slot that it's next to impossible for Albers to make the Opening Day roster, especially if Swarzak is going to become a starter. However, it'd be very wise for him to show his best and try to become the #6-8 starter, so that when the injuries come, he'll be getting called up quick.

[DocBauer]

Depends on Deduno's health and Gibson's readiness to claim the 5th spot right out of ST. If either of those things happen, no chance barring injury opportunity. He simply needs t be ready to do the best he can at AAA and be a ready call up for spot duty or the bullpen, which may be his best spot considering control and bulldog like competitiveness.

 

However, Deduno not ready, the Twins feeling they just want to give Gibson a little time to pitch consistently ever 5th day at Rochester, that would leave Albers battling Diamond and Worley for the 5th spot to begin the year. If that takes place, he may have as good a chance as either one of those two.

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

Here's a fun one for an office pool/near-future-projection quiz: in how many games will the Twins start a left-handed pitcher next season?

 

I'd guess very few, maybe two to four over the entire season. I'd guess that Albers and Diamond are about 8th and 9th on the starting depth chart now (at least if Deduno and everyone else is in full health.) Meyer or May might even push them farther down the totem pole by mid-season.

 

The point, for this thread, being that Albers is a player we should want to see succeed, but he doesn't appear to be high priority to receive many chances to prove himself this season.

[The Wise One]

It will become fairly obvious through the spring training what Albers is able to throw and any improvements made. That pretty nuch will determine initial pecking order for call up from Rochester. Some brilliant person can look at the Twins schedule to determinee if they really need a 5th starter early in the season. If in the first few weeks it is only once or twice, then it make sense why they told Swarzak and Duensing to be ready to start.

[Reider]

Albers already showed us what he can do last year, the question is if he can be consistent moving forward. I don't think there's a team on this planet that wouldn't be interested in a (left handed to boot) pitcher who could consistently throw 7 shut out innings game in and game out. Obviously that is not likely to happen, but he definitely got the Twins' attention last year. He'll get a fair shake, even though the numbers aren't in his favor this year with all of the SP signings.

 

I can see him starting the year off in AAA and if he is consistent down there, the Twins will call him up when they need him.

[Jdosen]

As much as I enjoyed Albers' story last year and as well as he pitched at times, he just doesn't have the stuff to be a league-average starter. I definitely don't mind having him stashed in AAA in event of injuries, but I don't see him being much of a factor--I hope I'm wrong.

 

Is it just me, or does the "overcrowding" in the rotation feel to anyone else like Correia may be shipped out at some point. He seems like the most logical one to go once Meyer is ready.

[Danchat]

As much as I enjoyed Albers' story last year and as well as he pitched at times, he just doesn't have the stuff to be a league-average starter. I definitely don't mind having him stashed in AAA in event of injuries, but I don't see him being much of a factor--I hope I'm wrong.

 

Is it just me, or does the "overcrowding" in the rotation feel to anyone else like Correia may be shipped out at some point. He seems like the most logical one to go once Meyer is ready.

Correia is a definite option to be traded. And I hope Albers isn't a factor because that means either injuries or dysfunction. I do like Albers, but he's sub-par.

I also think Albers is behind Diamond and Worley in the pecking order only if because they are both out of options.

[oldguy10]

Almost all members say Correia will be traded and that is entirely possible but I also hardly think he is a red hot commodity especially to a contender, there will be many more options out there some better than Correia, others not, so let's wait and see how this scenario plays out, shall we? The ball club has many other problems that take precedence I would think.

[Thrylos]

Agree that Albers will battle for the 5th rotation spot, but for the Rochester rotation. Even without Worley, Deduno and Diamond who will either make the Twins or go, I count:

Gibson

Meyer

May

Gilmartin

Kris Johnson

ahead of him. Then add Pat Dean, Logan Darnell and Virgil Vasquez and that is the group that Albers belongs with... I'd say Albers is a major outright/DFA candidate

[cmathewson]

I just hope they don't pay too much attention to spring training results. It seems like every time they have a competition in spring training, the winner is the guy who got hot in March and is due for a regression in April or May. Aaron Hicks is the most obvious example, but something like this happens every year, it seems.

[TheLeviathan]

I just hope they don't pay too much attention to spring training results. It seems like every time they have a competition in spring training, the winner is the guy who got hot in March and is due for a regression in April or May. Aaron Hicks is the most obvious example, but something like this happens every year, it seems.

 

Absolutely, it's why the idea of Correia being "beat out" for his spot by Worley or Diamond is just a false solution to the roster glut. This whole fifth starter competition thing bugs me for precisely this reason.

[Halsey Hall]

Well it's much more likely to happen with position players, not so much for pitchers. The pitchers are ahead of the hitters for most of spring training, so the results don't transfer that reliably. But it will be an interesting spring with all these arms.

 

One thing to remember, and I've seen it done by Radke and Baker, guys like that sometimes feel they need work on a certain pitch, and will throw it almost every pitch, even late in spring games. They'll get lit up but could care less, the games don't count anyway.

[oldguy10]

Great comment by Halsey Hall, the game do not count yet many people that look at spring box scores become unglued when certain pitchers get lit up in pre-season games. We should all understand that it is "training", nothing more than that.

[cmathewson]

Great comment by Halsey Hall, the game do not count yet many people that look at spring box scores become unglued when certain pitchers get lit up in pre-season games. We should all understand that it is "training", nothing more than that.

 

Yep. that's what it should be, but too often it's set up as a competition. I guess part of that is the perpetual roster turnover on this team.

[BigTrane]

Albers showed great potential in his first 2 starts, and in start #3, the league figured him out. What he needs to do is learn to make adjustments on the fly if he is to be successful.

If he really is that smart- and with the right coaching- then maybe he can learn to do that.

If so, he could be a potential "crafty lefty" in the making.

 

The feel-good story aside, it's worth noting that Fangraphs projects him as a 1 WAR and Deduno .4; basically the same ERA, but with the edge in K/9 and BB/9 for Albers. Sample size is a huge problem here, but with the wide-open competition for the 5-spot, it seems silly to write him off out of hand.

 

We don't know where Deduno stands right now injury/rehab-wise, but we'll find out soon. Maybe Albers' path to #5 starts in Rochester. We do know that there will be a scrum for the fifth spot, injuries will take place, and so will callups... all the usual unknowables.

 

Given all this, I see the Albers question as being one of quickly he can adjust/mature/take instruction. Maybe all he needs is a mentor to make the jump.

[Mike Sixel]

In yet another lost season, how is Albers even an option with Worley, Gibson, and Deduno on the roster? Mind boggling.

[Craig Arko]

Since the season is over already, who won the Series?

[Mike Sixel]

Since the season is over already, who won the Series?

 

Well, most posters here are saying not to sign Drew or trade for veterans, because they are at least a year away........do you really think this is WS team, as constructed?

[Craig Arko]

Well, most posters here are saying not to sign Drew or trade for veterans, because they are at least a year away........do you really think this is WS team, as constructed?

 

No, but as the NFL has conclusively shown, you can't play in the championship until your state legalizes pot. I fully expect a Mariners-Rockies series.

[The Wise One]

Well, most posters here are saying not to sign Drew or trade for veterans, because they are at least a year away........do you really think this is WS team, as constructed?

 

There are good trades for veterans and there are bad trades. Most say don't make the bad one. Lower level prospects for decent players would fly for most people. Top prospects for 2 years of a player, not so much. I don't think you could trade just Arcia for a player who could OPS .825 for 2 years.

What people say is really limited by slants taken by the reader. Nobody is against trades other than the bad ones. There is a difference of opinions on what would be a bad trade or a realistic trade.

[Mike Sixel]

Wise One, that's fair. I agree, there is definitely space for both sides to be "right" on that trade part, imo.

[ericchri]

If Bruce Chen has enough stuff to hold down a rotation spot then Albers certainly can. That being said, he's got next best thing to no chance to get the #5 spot in the rotation barring multiple injuries to other players. Still having options automatically drops him in the pecking order once you get to the guys without obvious roster spots (huge contracts). It won't bother me to see him get a few starts on the year, though, if injuries/trades cause him to get a chance.

[jokin]

Dead man walking.

 

Both you and I questioined the validity of this article early on in this thread, my comment was cut. With all the upgrades made to the major league rotation plus the addition of 2 more potential LHSP, it was pretty obvious that the gist and premise of this article needed questioning as to its validity. Albers, barring an unprecedented string of injuries and/or trades was never going to be the Twins 5th starter coming out of ST.

 

But....give credit where credit's due to Albers, for making the most of his opportunities with the Twins, hope he tears it up in Korea.

[The Wise One]

The article is clear on Alber's slim chance to make the rotation. There is really no need to question the validity of the article. It is a Canadian site hyping Canadian players and baseball in Canada. Not much different than any of a number of sites that hype the potential of players.

[ashbury]

Both you and I questioined the validity of this article early on in this thread, my comment was cut.

 

Moderator's note: rather than also delete this comment, I will say that the comment that was cut was a juvenile, one-hyphenated-word, play on the article author's name, basically asking "who?", and in no sense a questioning of the validity of the article or even a mention of its content. Please review the Comment Policy, in particular where it says

Respect for others is expected in everything we write, and personal attacks are not allowed.

 

This means respect for fellow TD members. It means also showing respect for players, team staff and ownership, journalists, the other teams and their players, player agents, players’ wives… everybody!

(Emphasis modified.)

 

And you now compound the mistake by questioning moderator policy in a baseball thread, also contrary to the above-linked TD policy. Follow the process outlined there, if you feel the need.

 

Please keep the discussion here about baseball.

[johnnydakota]

Well with the Team trying to sell Albers this thread is soon moot