Twins' Major League Mirages?

[stringer bell]

We fans have been teased by players who have come to the Twins and performed. Most of the performances have exceeded projections followed by a big regression to the mean. That a player has done well tells me that there is hope that they can sustain performance. Hope doesn't get it done, obviously.

 

Scott Diamond was called up by the Twins in 2012 and was their best starter. He had an ERA+ of 116, won twelve games, pitched a shutout in 173 innings. He had the lowest BB rate among qualifiers in the American League.

 

Trevor Plouffe struggled mightily after going up and down several times during his previous season. Plouffe was given a chance to play third base as a last resort for the Twins and responded with a power surge. He had a torrid six weeks, got injured and so far hasn't come close to duplicating his power numbers.

 

Chris Parmelee had a good 2011 season at AA New Britain. He was a September call-up to the Twins and then went off in garbage time to the tune of a 183 OPS+ (1.013 OPS), displaying power and patience. Since, he hasn't come close to being that productive.

 

Josmil Pinto had two straight strong minor league seasons and was recalled in September of 2013. He had a fine month, with an OPS of .963 (165 OPS+). It remains to be seen whether he can back this up.

 

Are all four of these guys mirages? Can any of the guys who have floundered since their hot streaks salvageable? How long can a team wait on them?

[DaveW]

Methinks Pinto is the only one getting regular playing time come 2015. I hope I am wrong though, especially in the case of Plouffe being able to hit enough to contribute. Not a ton of faith in Diamond and Parmlee.

[Physics Guy]

I concur. I really would like Plouffe to contribute and not force our hand with Sano. Diamond is destined for the bullpen and DFA. I had high hopes for Parmelee, but at this point it's hard to believe he pans out. I really wish the Twins had just let him play last year to find out. I think I would have rather had him in RF and Willingham at DH instead of Doumit.

[Brock Beauchamp]

There is a small glimmer of hope left for Plouffe and Parmelee.

 

Pinto is a pretty solid prospect, though don't put much stock in his September numbers. His minor league numbers back up that he could be a solid player.

 

Diamond has a chance to bounce back and be a #4-5 guy but nothing more than that. His 2012 was absolutely a mirage.

[Original_JB]

Leeeeewwwwwww!

OK, maybe that was uncalled for, but I was startled by the ghost of Willie Banks.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I'm not sure Pinto should be in this conversation, given that he hasn't disappointed anyone yet. I still think there's hope for Plouffe and Parmelee, but I do agree that the hope is small. Either way, these guys need to play every day, and in Parm's case, that's the one thing that didn't happen. With Sano, Buxton, and Hicks all knocking on the door, these guys are going to be without a position unless they can start hitting.

 

I have little confidence in Diamond. Perhaps he can carve out a buhrleesque type career, but I have little confidence in that.

[nicksaviking]

I have little confidence in Diamond. Perhaps he can carve out a buhrleesque type career, but I have little confidence in that.

 

Like a Chippendale dancer? Diamond certainly does sound like a burlesque show stage name but he's probably got to change his first name to something more catchy. Ace Diamond. Maybe Jack.

[Lonestar]

More like Mark Redman ceiling.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Like a Chippendale dancer? Diamond certainly does sound like a burlesque show stage name but he's probably got to change his first name to something more catchy. Ace Diamond. Maybe Jack.

 

I'll leave it up to Chitown to comment on whether that could work, but I was more referring to Mark Buhrle...

 

Nice response though.