When Is It Time To Take Action?

'NOBODY expected the Twins to shell out big bucks or top prospects for a bona fide stud CF this off season. Why would you when you had Buxton on the way'

If we had gotten one through trade, though, he wouldn't have to stay in CF whenever Buxton (The guaranteed stud that will lift us from the depths of despair and will be awesome right away) showed up, right?

Robinson is, quite frankly, a AAAA-ish player who is a 5th ML OFer with some usefulness. Not being mean...just accurate based on his career thus far.

Schafer is a quality athlete who plays a nice LF and can provide great base running and SB's, but has done nothing to indicate he could do anything at the ML level..ever...until the last 2 months of last season. Again, not a knock or being mean. I was impressed and was hoping for more this season. But that is not a resume for handing over a ML roster spot, period, much less a starting CF job!

With so much young bullpen talent available, I struggled all off season with the signing of a past proven veteran, a Hawkins-type let's say, who could provide experience and leadership and a challenge to Fien, and hopefully hold the 8th inning for a year while all those young arms transitioned to more important roles at the ML level. They had ability and experience, just needed a bit more.

And dare I say it again? This is what we get?

I didn't think Stauffer was a good signing. Wish he'd prove me wrong, don't believe he will.  Thought Boyer was signed as a dart in the dark and AAA help.Still think that's what he is.  Felt Pelfrey had a shot to re-invent himself as a reliever. A shot. Honestly, I sort of get the first signing. I can almost get the second signing if it was ONE year. But track history now shows Pelfrey with one good year, one decent year, and all other ML seasons...overall, forgetting moments or short periods...as poor or awful or injured. But he's in the rotation for what reason? Because the Twins are so desperate for someone to take the ball every 5th day on a rebuilding team that they turn to a failed starter rather than gamble on one of their prospects?

Blow up the bullpen. Make the moves NOW...another week at most. Awful and over matched isn't a bad day...it's bad days and bad weeks going all the way back to ST. A bad SP Pelfrey is still a bad SP Pelfrey.

OMG....I'm about ready to have an aneu....aneury.....stroke!

 

OMG....I'm about ready to have an aneu....aneury.....stroke!

Pull up!  Pull UP!

Breathe, Doc. Breathe. That's a whole lot of words for one day for a sub-par baseball team! :-)

Please, no strokes on the board. It's just not worth it, man!

It's only a week. Good pitching will cure a lot. Bullpen will need to be addressed, just give it a couple of weeks

It's only been 4 seasons plus a week. Good pitching will cure a lot. Bullpen will need to be addressed, just give it a couple of weeks

FTFY 

Put a short leash on bullpen depth. We have AAA relievers who are ready to go.

Hicks is no solution in CF, at least until he proves he can field the position. He's been as bad in the field as he's been at the plate the past two years. We probably have to let Shafer play until Rosario or Buxton is ready to take the spot.

Let the current rotation pitch for a while. Only Pelfrey should have a short leash. The problem here is long term. Two aging starters, mediocre at best, clogging the rotation for years to come. 

Otherwise, we're stuck until the AA prospects are ready. They should not be brought up before their time. Some may arrive in the next two months, some late in the season. Fan anguish on April 16th isn't a good reason to bring them up now.

I'm more interested in the next few months:

We have too many good hit / no field players in the pipeline (Sano, Walker, Harrison). Trade either Vargas or Pinto if the price is right.

Trade Suzuki as contending teams inevitably lose their starting catchers. Let Fryer, a good defensive catcher, have a chance to start.

Let's pray that Nolasco comes back and pitches well enough to be traded, even if the Twins have to eat a chunk of the contract and get nothing in return.

Put Hunter on the bench if and when Rosario and Buxton arrive. Or, move Danny Santana back to the outfield if Polanco keeps lighting up AA.

We have all been totally wrong. The third place Minnesota Twins are not a mess.. Sure, the starters can get into the fifth inning. A reliever throws a bad pitch now and then. They can play errorless ball. And they can also play little ball and do the walk off home run bit. Our whatever starter kept us in the game against another's team #1 starter. The other team was almost as dismal as hitting as we were, considering we took the first five innings off. Marney got drenched and shorted her microphone. Bloody Mary's were being served with two pieces of cold pizza at the sixth inning. We are on a roll. Third Place Minnesota Twins! Can wait until we dominate the .500 Westies!

To whoever said trade Vargas...Why would we ever do that. Yes he is struggling, but I have confidence sooner or later, that he will finally figure out how to hit a curve ball. 

so this makes Shane Robinson and Torii Hunter OK?

Oh goodness no, that's my point.

I was saying if we had gotten a quality CF (at any point in the last three years), we could move him to a corner whenever Buxton was ready. As far as Hunter goes, yeah I've been against that from the beginning.

At this point, players can not be evaluated based on stats. Whether some is tearing it up or struggling, the stats don't show it. Someone watching the Twins or Red Wing games can assess the approach at the plate and the quality of each at bat. They can assess the quality of contact. They can assess the defense in the outfield.

Around 120 plate appearances strike out rate, walk rate, groundball rate and fly ball rate become useful in assessing full time players. Until then the only way to assess the players is to see them in the ballpark every game. A skilled eye can see a change in ability or talent in a much smaller sample. It is those trained eyes in Rochester and Minnesota that the Twins must rely on to make the decision on Hicks, Rosario and Schafer.

Frankly, it is too soon to make wholesale changes. The desperate moves of Escobar and Nunez to the OF smack of front office interference. This is what we saw with Gardenhire as manager. I am now convinced that said changes were Front Office inspired.  Play who you have (except for injuries or suspension) and build continuity. After 8 weeks, then consider making changes.