Haley Could Fill Essential Role In Twins' Bullpen

Good insight as to why we should never sweat the opening day roster.

Fact is, with all the inning limits and arm concerns, if you can use a rental for $150K and get "x" number of innings at close to a respectable ERA, why wouldn't you?

At the end of the day, it's the equivalent of benefitting -- avoiding costs -- by using some other corporation's asset.

AKA, the American way.

"Neither Gibson nor Santiago are known for pitching deep into games, and both Hughes (recovering from injuries) and May (transitioning from he bullpen) aren't exactly guys you want to count on to eat innings out of the gate."

4 - 5ths of the rotation.  Not really awe inspiring.  Aw something else is more like it  :-( 

If the Twins need to carry more in the bullpen again, why not put Berrios there and get him reps against MLB hitters?  Seems to make more sense to me than sending him down.

I agree on Haley and that his competition is someone like Vogelsong and not Tonkin or a similar shorter IP RP. Could he end up as a starter still? Yes, but this would be his best role for the time being, and the best fit for the team.

I appreciated the comments on Berrios. I want him in the rotation and believe he will be there sooner rather than later. There are always injuries, trade possibilities, etc. He is young and still working on tweaking a few things. And sometimes, whether we like it or not, there can be a numbers crunch coming out of the gate to begin the season. "Youngest pitcher to start a game in the AL last season" speaks volumes to me.

I think given how poorly this team pitched last season a 13 man pitching staff is a necessary evil.

I wish the Twins had better options instead of Gibson and Santiago.   Neither of them deserve to be considered a lock to be a major league starter.    

Wouldn't it be something if a guy like Gonsalves took advantage of the fact that guys are pitching in the WBC, and used his extra looks to force a spot onto the rotation?

The chances of that happening are very, very, very low but it would make the season so much more fun to not watch the same guys fail every five days.  

I wish the Twins had better options instead of Gibson and Santiago.   Neither of them deserve to be considered a lock to be a major league starter.    

 

Wouldn't it be something if a guy like Gonsalves took advantage of the fact that guys are pitching in the WBC, and used his extra looks to force a spot onto the rotation?

 

The chances of that happening are very, very, very low but it would make the season so much more fun to not watch the same guys fail every five days.  

I would like to think that is a possibility but given he's only pitched up to AA it's not at all likely to happen.

Why does every article on Twins pitching make this season seem so depressing - everytime I look at one of the rotations with so many replacement level and below starters, hangers on like Vogelsong and Tepesch, returning injured arms like Perkins and Hughes, head scratchers like Santiago, and statements about all that Berrios has to learn (who is teaching him) - I am looking for some light somewhere.

Then we justify Haley because we are admitting our rotation is so inept we need a mop up guy, maybe two to just soak up innings - would not matter if the era was in double digits.  

Where is the hope?  Wait until next year?  Its only been five years, what's one or two more?    Something has to change.

"Would you rather see a guy like Jake Reed, Mason Melotakis, Trevor Hildenberger, Nick Burdi or (insert your favorite of the Twins 46 relief prospects here) getting abused in a mop-up role in the majors or pitching in the back end of the bullpen in the minors?"

I'm not sure I understand where this argument is coming from. Is a a guarantee that any of the above options are destined to struggle through a sharp learning curve? I think not, but that is what seems to be implied and if that is the case, then wouldn't you rather have them take their lumps in a season like this? 

By getting abused, I mean in terms of their usage, not getting abused by major league hitters. If you're down more than five runs early, sometimes you need a guy you can toss out there and basically say "we gotta get 2-3 innings out of you no matter what happens." 

 

A lot of bullpen guys throw multiple innings in the minors, so maybe I'm more nervous about over usage than I should be, but I'd rather risk Haley than one of those arms.

Gotcha, the innings angle makes much more sense. 

Given Molitors bullpen usage I would say you have reason to worry. Honestly I would go with the "Pick em," group for reasons already stated; you have a revolving door available if usage or ineffective become issues. 

I had higher hopes for the top rule 5 pick than "potentially expendable mop up guy."

To be fair, though, we have to acknowledge that the talent level has been underwhelming since the pool was shrunk. We're not seeing the Darren O'Days and Hector Rodons with regularity, and this type would represent our highest hopes. The last two Rule 5 pitchers to stick for a season were named Joe Biagini and Matt Bowman. So maybe Justin Haley is as good as it gets these days?

Isn't this the perfect role for Nolasco? 

Oh wait, he's not here anymore. 

(Sorry, it's been a while since I've read any Nolasco comments -- it just doesn't seem like Twins Daily without one from time to time.)

Why does every article on Twins pitching make this season seem so depressing - everytime I look at one of the rotations with so many replacement level and below starters, hangers on like Vogelsong and Tepesch, returning injured arms like Perkins and Hughes, head scratchers like Santiago, and statements about all that Berrios has to learn (who is teaching him) - I am looking for some light somewhere.

Then we justify Haley because we are admitting our rotation is so inept we need a mop up guy, maybe two to just soak up innings - would not matter if the era was in double digits.  

 

Where is the hope?  Wait until next year?  Its only been five years, what's one or two more?    Something has to change.

You're absolutely spot on. I see little immediate hope myself. The hope will be for the most part in Chattanooga's rotation, in the quick insertion of Berrios into the rotation, in a fast and steady progression at the MLB level by May and Berrios, and in the readiness of Mejia, Duffey, and/or Gonsalves to step in and acceptably fill the role of back-end starter.

I think anyone investing a great deal of hope in the resurgence of Hughes or even positive regression (let alone improvement) from Gibson is risking disappointment. Santiago? Blah.

Agreed, I expect NOTHING from this group of players ever again. Anything you get is bonus.

 

I do agree, they need someone to fill this kind of role. I'd just prefer it be someone you can move to the minors if/when needed.

I'm not terribly concerned about that one instance of inflexibility. Frankly, I'm practically hoping for a 4-pitcher shuttle from Rochester to the rotation, and hope it would be a one-way ticket most of the time. This team is caught in a bad spot IMO. While they won't compete on a sustained basis until they upgrade the ceilings of their top three starters, they don't have prospects who appear ready to reach their better ceilings for a couple of years. In the meantime Falvey has a delicate dance ahead of him. I'm hoping he has the option to accept a big overpay for Santana at the deadline because it's offered and because Berrios, May, and one or two others now in the minors (Romero or Jay?) are shining.

If the relief staff isn't on a shuttle system, we're in trouble. We absolutely have to get at least two real gems out of that group that includes Shaggy, Burdi, Melo, Reed, etc. 

I see Mejia as a solid option for the relief corps myself. The scouts say he's maxed out his development and has little or no projection left. That puts him squarely in the 5th starter long relief category, and it'd be wonderful if we had five better options than him for the rotation all year long.