Neal: Twins have new spin on starting rotation

[Seth Stohs]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/245705311.html

 

As pitchers and catchers report to Ft. Myers, LaVelle Neal writes about the Twins starting staff which the organization hopes can be more dependable than what we have seen in recent years.

 

The Twins offense might be under reconstruction well into the regular season, but teams can still contend with good pitching and a little run support. The Twins, after three consecutive seasons of between 96 and 99 losses, are willing to embrace that formula this season.

We believe we have done a good job of addressing that with Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes,” Twins assistant GM Rob Antony said, “and with Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Correia. We wanted to get back to having five starters who give us a chance to stay in the game, not give us situations when we are down 3-0, 4-0 sometimes in the first inning. That demoralizes a team.”

 

Check out the article and discuss.

[Craig Arko]

If these guys can throw enough innings to make the 13-man pitching staff a distant memory, life is good. If they can go deep enough to make a 12-man staff unnecessary, life is like free beer.

[h2oface]

Nolasco was 5-8 with the Marlins last year. That is the team that is comparable to the Twins, not the Dodgers. What pitcher wouldn't fair better on a good team rather than a bad team? (espeicially for W-L record)

 

("Nolasco, 31, was 13-11 with a 3.70 ERA last season with the Marlins and Dodgers but 8-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) with playoff-bound Los Angeles following a midseason trade. ")

[pierre75275]

I wonder if the plan from the front office of the Twins was always to get Pelfry for more than 1 year even though that's what they originally signed him for. I am not sold on the idea of the Twins being contenders with this rotation but they should at least be competitive. I am still hoping that Willingham gets traded mid-year as well as Corria and maybe Worley and/or Deduno.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

A nice story, very good signings. As a sometimes critic of this team the past several years, I'm much happier this year and willing to give the players, coaches, and FO much more leeway now.

 

But this stuck out:

 

Anderson did his homework as well, calling Marlins manager and former Twins catcher Mike Redmond. The two Washington state natives reveled in Seattle’s Super Bowl shellacking of Denver before Anderson asked what to expect from Nolasco.

“He said, ‘Andy, you are going to love him,’ ” Anderson said. “He works his tail off. He’s a gamer. And he battles.”

 

Over time, LENIII has really insulated himself imo and does no favors to his cause by running this quote. It's almost a parody to me, and I know many others, that all Gardenhire can say about a player anymore is that he "gets after it" and "battles" so I'd really have preferred LENIII was aware that this quote was almost a self caricature of how the coaching staff is performing right now. That's my perception anyway. Would be happy to be proved wrong this year. Out on the practice field the conversations are much different and much more technical than in a sound bite. I'm sure Anderson had much more intelligent stuff to say and that LENIII just wanted to work Redmond into the story somehow. But this quote just resurrects those old concerns that players struggling through slumps are mainly being told to "keep battling" and that long-tenured coaches like ours are no longer adapting, need a long break to clear their heads and come back to the game fresh.

 

Anyway, those are one person's thoughts. I'm excited about Nolasco and the new rotation, am optimistic this year, and ready to eat up news stories about the Twins again.

[Thrylos]

Old and tired cliche's aside, Nolasco is an excellent pitcher with flashes of Ace-type performance here and there and is very durable. The 2 younger guys (Hughes and Pelfrey) have much upside (rewind after the 2007 season: those are the guys the Twins wanted to get for Santana, did not get and now have them in their primes). Correia has been adequate and if he pitches 180+ innings again as the number four starter, it would be great. And the fifth starter could be Worley/Deduno/Gibson/Diamond/Meyer/May who all have had either success in various degrees in the majors or were top prospects, and this does not look like a bad rotation at all...

 

Beats the Sydney Ponson/Ramon Ortiz Ryan signings of the past...

[Linus]

Hoping to not be too frontal here but I do not find anything LEN3 writes to be informative. There is clearly more info and insight at Twins Daily than anything he writes - essentially the article is pablum that has been debated on this board for months. Berradino offers actual new information from time to time. However, if you want to know where to eat in Ft. Myers than LEN3 is your guy.

[chuchadoro]

Hoping to not be too frontal here but I do not find anything LEN3 writes to be informative. There is clearly more info and insight at Twins Daily than anything he writes - essentially the article is pablum that has been debated on this board for months. Berradino offers actual new information from time to time. However, if you want to know where to eat in Ft. Myers than LEN3 is your guy.

 

The only thing missing from the article is Nolasco's RBI total.

[AlwaysinModeration]

The article/Andy/Redmond failed to mention whether Nolasco gets after it.

[johnnydakota]

Nolasco was 5-8 with the Marlins last year. That is the team that is comparable to the Twins, not the Dodgers. What pitcher wouldn't fair better on a good team rather than a bad team? (espeicially for W-L record)

 

("Nolasco, 31, was 13-11 with a 3.70 ERA last season with the Marlins and Dodgers but 8-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) with playoff-bound Los Angeles following a midseason trade. ")

 

Dont forget the Dodgers had that once in a life time run in the 2nd half , where everyone seemed to play well above there heads....Me thinks Nolasco will be ok , but he will be what he is ....A #3/4 starter , not that guy with a 3.50 ERA, this isnt a playoff team and this isnt his contract season

[TheLeviathan]

I'd feel better about this spin if the following facts weren't relevant:

 

Pelfrey's ERA innings 1-3: 5.19 ERA

Hughes: 5.62

Correia: 5.06

Nolasco: 4.72

 

So, yeah, strong initial starts to their games aren't these pitchers strengths. That's not to bad-mouth the improvements, just sobering this spin a bit.

[notoriousgod71]

“He said, ‘Andy, you are going to love him,’ ” Anderson said. “He works his tail off. He’s a gamer. And he battles.”

 

I hate him already.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Whew ... glad I wasn't the only one who got a jolt reading that quote...

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I'd feel better about this spin if the following facts weren't relevant:

 

Pelfrey's ERA innings 1-3: 5.19 ERA

Hughes: 5.62

Correia: 5.06

Nolasco: 4.72

 

So, yeah, strong initial starts to their games aren't these pitchers strengths. That's not to bad-mouth the improvements, just sobering this spin a bit.

 

You are right. Antony did seem to imply that there were some unknown "other guys" who put us in those early 3-0 deficits. Everyone knows we have been bad. Our pitching is retooled, our offense will still struggle, try to play some good D, and we have some good prospects almost ready. No need for the FO to spin anything this spring.. Overall I thought it was a good article for people who don't inhabit TD.

[Badsmerf]

I'm sure Anderson had much more intelligent stuff to say and that LENIII just wanted to work Redmond into the story somehow.

 

Funniest thing I've heard all day.