Twins Bullpen Boost: Let Jhoan Duran Eat

I've long stumped for allowing young, promising arms to get their first taste as part of a bullpen.  Seems like most organizations are worried about innings loads with young guys, so this is an ideal balance.  The Twins can get help from a young, electric arm.  They can manage innings as well as what type of leverage situations they are used in.  Seems like a win-win.

Only thing I didn't like Nash, was reminding all of us that the White Sox will once again have Kopech in their rotation.

I'd prefer to keep Duran in the rotation and have him working in AAA as a start to get ready for a first call-up as a MLB starter. We're going to need additional starters during the season even if we sign/trade for another guy in the rotation; you just don't get through a season without needing starts from 8-12 pitchers. Duran seems perfectly situated to be a reinforcement this year. Let him work that way and see if he can stay healthy for a season and let him seize the opportunity when it comes.

Yes, you can move someone back into a rotation after testing them in the bullpen (Thank you, Johan) but it's really hard to do successfully in the same season I think and the Twins are going to need players like Duran, Winder, etc to come up and start IMHO.

If we're going to send someone to the 'pen, I'd vote Strotman, who also has a plus fastball and might be better suited to the bullpen anyways.

After only 16 innings in two seasons, easing him sounds like a good plan. 

Yes, Duran would look good in the bullpen. Strotman may be another guy to stick in relief. However, I'm good to use both of those guys in a trade. The Graterol trade was fair for both teams and an example for a similar move this March.

Let's assume (I know, it's a weak assumption) that they start the year with a rotation of Gray, Bundy, Ryan, Ober, and an acquisition, and that Rogers, Duffy, Alcala, Thielbar, Cotton, and Smith are 6 of perhaps 8 BP guys. On paper, we all know that this group isn't going to inspire a lot of confidence among us rubes.

I think we tend to remember the guys who disappoint (Thorpe, Smeltzer types) and we tend to forget the guys who surprise us (the Duffy, Ober, Rogers, and Ryan types).

I'm not going to guess which prospects will be viewed as better-equipped to build up innings as starters and which prospects might benefit the team and themselves by getting mostly low-leverage experience as #7-8 guys in the pen. The idea of inserting Duran into the mix like Alcala was has appeal. It'll be fun to see what the field people do, given the reality that almost all of the starting prospects are likely to be subjected to innings limits.

What gives me the most hope are the sheer numbers of both injury-replacement starting options and bullpen candidates. I think of Chi Chi, Winder, Balazovic, Duran,Strotman, Sands, and possibly before season end, SWR and Vallimont as possibilities. And if middling prospects like Ober and Ryan are successful, we should have hope that a couple more from this group could come in and have similar immediate success.

The number of BP candidates, guys who are likely ready to roll if they're good enough, is impressive. Moran, Cano, Jax, Thorpe, Dobnak, Henriquez, and even Stashak and Smeltzer. We really only need a couple-three of these guys to step up.

So personally, I'm not in agreement with the argument that we absolutely HAVE to add from the outside to have a very good year, but yes, I see the point that better, proven options is desirable. I'm just not going to panic if it doesn't happen. I believe this FO and its baseball people know what they're doing.

35 minutes ago, ashbury said:

That's a baseball idiom I don't know that I've heard before.  "Eat."  What does it mean?  Get a major league salary?

No, it's an arrogant statement about how Duran is going to chew up MLB caliber hitters after being unable to get AAA hitters out last year.

18 minutes ago, ashbury said:

It's Spring.  Every player has arrived in the best shape of his life, and every pitcher has a little extra hop on their fastball.

This is their year!!!!

12 minutes ago, Nash Walker said:

Wrong. That's not what it means, and Duran struck out 14 of the first 28 hitters he faced last year before an elbow injury. "Let him eat" means let it rip out of the bullpen with no restraint. Next time go ahead and ask without assuming. 

Or, maybe next time use an idiom people are familiar with.

33 minutes ago, Nash Walker said:

Wrong. That's not what it means, and Duran struck out 14 of the first 28 hitters he faced last year before an elbow injury. "Let him eat" means let it rip out of the bullpen with no restraint. Next time go ahead and ask without assuming. 

I don't think you understand the phrase you're using... "Let him eat" comes from the same line as "Let him feed" or "Feed him" which means to give him something to eat on or an opportunity to excel. Like "feed him the ball" in football would mean give him the ball because he's going to excel with it. Throwing pitches isn't feeding Duran... Perhaps if you re-phrased your statement as "give him space to throw the baseball and let it eat!" the subject and verb would properly align with your apparent usage of the phrase. The reality is the all bold furious response means I was probably all too close to the truth to begin with.

 

As I said in another area... if we don't find another quality starter (might cost Duran) I really think we should use him as an "opener" type guy. Once through the order and done. At least for a while. If he shows he is healthy and able to handle it go to 3-4 innings.. then 4-5... Get him experience in small doses. Is really a smart way to break in a guy... don't over expose.. 

If there is a role where he can regularly get major league hitters out we need him in that role.

Holy crap, we are dissecting grammar and idioms now...

I agree with starting him in the bullpen if it can help the Twins.

Johann did it, I think he turned out OK.

Not sure if its Duran or someone else, but lets do what it takes to win and still build a strong foundation for winning. 

One way to entice Carlos to stay beyond one year is to show the commitment, in actions not words, to building a World Series Champion.

I think the Twins have some excellent components in place.

I like Duran in the pen. More flames, and he gets time to settle in, renounce all butterflies, and let his carnivorous fastball feed off the life force of a hundred terrified hitters. Their energy will become his, because that is the nature of the hunter / prey relationship. 

In the end, baseball is frustrating for instinctual reasons. The ball looks so much like an egg, yet even a hard, wooden bat cannot crack it open for its nutritious contents. That is why MLB throws away so many balls. They continue to hope, against all evidence, that one of those balls will contain a creamy, nutritious middle. 

Foolish baseball players! 

Hate to throw cold water on the parade.  The players Duran faced yesterday were minor league depth pieces.  After a couple of these sessions, let us see him in the middle innings or as a starter for 3 innings and see how he fares against major league hitters.  Just slow things down.  I really hope he works out, but this is a very compressed spring training. 

Duran's got immense promise, but he won't be a starter long-term. Instead of running him in the bullpen this year though, the Twins should dangle him as one of the main pieces in a Montas/Manaea trade.

Let's get him up here, let him throw his heater, see how MLB hitter react and plan from there. 

Like Duran a lot but if it takes him to go to Oakland for Montas .. I am good with that .. would take extra pieces of course. For those not wanting to deal our arms.. 

Remember Grateral? Me neither... 

If not moving him get his arm up here.... 

Great article Nash!  I agree, people have too much time on their hands if they are dissecting what it means to let him eat.  100MPH and 3 consecutive seasons >10 K/9 seems like a talent that is ready for extended MLB bullpen duty.  In a season that if the chips fall right we get into the playoffs, feels like we don’t have a lot to lose by putting him in situations to succeed early in the year.  Let’s see what he has and maybe he builds himself into a reliable arm WHEN we are playing in October!

I’m fine letting Duran eat whatever he wants to, so long as he doesn’t Bartolo on us.

Also think he has a realistic shot at starting the season in the bullpen.  I’d think that Winder and Balazovic might be ahead of Duran in terms of chances to get a start.  But who knows, let’s just let it play out and see what happens.

Letting him throw as hard as he can for one inning.....2-3 times a week......is a recipe for disaster both short term and long term.

I'm all for this, whether Duran is an opener or is used as a RP.  Young arms can and will flame out.  Get his arm up to the Big Leagues and see what he can do.  I would hate to see him included in a trade, but if it's part of a package that brings Montas or better yet Montas AND Manaea I'd do it.  Canterino is another possible Starter or dominant closer candidate.  Trading one of those two still leaves us the other possibility.  

I've expected that Duran will step up and be part of pitching staff one way or another, so far this spring training he hasn't disappointed me. Duran is under rated so I wouldn't trade him but maybe if he continues to show how good he is this ST, that would raise his stock. Still I'd like to keep him.

Could that outing have been exposure for the A’s to see the heat and know that he has recovered?

If not, then I’d like to see him in the BP.

I love this idea. Duran is likely to throw less than 100 innings this year anyway as the Twins want him to have a healthy season. At AAA this would include 3-4 inning starts with skipped starts throughout to limit the innings and give his arm rest time. Why not use those innings at the MLB level? 2 inning stints every 3 days or so would be at 100 innings but he would be getting his feet wet at the MLB level and if this works prior to the All Star Break and the Twins are in contention then change the plan and pitch him like a traditional reliever. Best case scenario he throws 100 MLB innings this year with moderate success and goes into next offseason healthy and building up for a rotation spot.