What's Next For Alex Meyer?

Long time lurker....first post. Hey all!

How many times are we going to do this? Ive lost count of the starters we have or are trying to convert to relievers... Seems like we do this way more than other clubs. Not that im opposed to getting him to a level of production matching his talents if converting is the key to doing that but....come on already!

I'm assuming that means he is officially a relief pitcher.  Personally, I'd give him one more shot starting...

May or Meyer? I think May should get to start again, Meyer I'm not so sure about.

Start him. Start him. Start him.

Look, the Twins see and work with these guys daily. They see things and have knowledge way beyond us. But I am flabbergasted that a top SP talent like Meyer...right on the cusp in 2014, and arguably deserving of a September promotion...has a poor year/start to the year, and with a snap of the fingers is now a reliever.

Weren't we told last year that the bullpen move was temporary? A chance to work on repeating his delivery over fewer pitches and innings to get in a rhythm?

Kepler is a top 10/100 prospect coming off his breakout season and on the cusp of making it. If he has injuries or struggles this year at Rochester, does he suddenly become a 4th OF?

I have more regrets about May in the bullpen then Meyer. May actually has some success as a starter. Meyer has never dominated for a full season even in the MINOR leagues! His control problems have always been the big, obvious hurdle to success. And he has just not turned the corner.

He came into 2015 as a top prospect, based on the assumption that his control problems would improve -- and he had his worst control problems ever.  This is not to say he won't ever solve this.  But he has had years and years to do it and hasn't yet.  There is no reason to assume promoting him will make those problems go away (they tried that too).

I like Meyer in the bullpen because if he starts to fall apart, you can just yank him and throw him back out there the next day.  As a starter, you have to wait five days.  If it's a short start, he doesn't hardly get to pitch at all. The bullpen is better for him, because he can get back on that horse and get back to work.  And it's better for the team, because if he pitches great for a few innings, the team benefits from a great short outing, and if he flops, you nip it in the bud without creating a crisis for the bullpen to solve. 

I think there is a much stronger case for someone like Chapman to start. He is really good, and you could triple his innings. May, over the course of his career, tends to do much worse the third time through the lineup.  These problems seemed to be diminishing in his last stint as a starter, so he deserves another chance. With Meyer, though, using him in short doses is just the safer route at this point. It lets you maximize his good innings, while minimizing his bad ones. If he truly works out his mechanics, or whatever was preventing him from consistent command, sure, give him another chance. But in the meantime, if he has value in the pen, make the most of it. It's probably the best chance for him to improve anyway. Win-win.

It's also his best chance to reach the majors. Would you risk a two inning start and demand seven innings from the bullpen? I wouldn't. But I'd happily bring him in for as many strikes as he can muster before he starts missing the plate. That would be fun to watch, with much less downside.

At this point, I don't think his control issues will ever be "corrected" enough to be an effective starter. I'm just hoping to get strong value from him at this point, and I would rather have him focus on controlling two pitches out of the stretch, to become a dominant reliever.

Working on 3-4 pitches, from the stretch and the windup, makes for a lot of things the guy has to work on to repeat consistently.

Yes, he likely has the greatest potential as a starter. I would just like to simplify things for him and lower the potential slightly by making him a reliever but raise his floor substantially

To be fair, there are a lot of power pitchers who struggled with BB/control, at least early, in their ML career. This includes Randy Johnson, who Meyer has been compared to more than once. Some guys figure it out. Some never do completely. Pure stuff and SO ability tend to offset the walks and slips in control. I just think it's way, way too soon to say he can't do it or won't ever get it figured out.

Personally I'm not too concerned about him starting the year off in the bullpen, because you never know what is going to happen.  He could always start the year in the bullpen and make the jump to the Show and once he is more comfortable move into a long relief or spot start role.  I'd say get him up to the MLB anyway possible where he will succeed and gain confidence and then go from there.

I prefer to give up on starting and transition to a reliever full time. No more questions about his role will be and his stuff should play up in a limited role. No one is questioning if Trevor Rosenthal, Aroldis Chapman, or Wade Davis should have been given more opportunities to start....

Hindsight.

Given the amount of other hard-throwing relief prospects the Twins have, I really want to give Meyer another shot starting.

I know it isn't exactly apples to apples, but watching my 6 year old develop (in many different ways--reading, bike riding, this weekend downhill skiing--age/maturity does matter, and light-bulbs do go off.  A year ago my son wouldn't even try any of the above activities without major teeth pulling, but as he's matured, and he's been given ownership and choice over the decision to do those things, he's taken off.  Again, not a perfect comparison--a lot more relative difference between a 5 and 6 year old than a 25 and 26 year old, but you never know.

Maybe Alex saw a sports psychologist all winter, or took up Tai Chi, or something else that might help him break through.

Meyer is a failed starter.  The Randy Johnson straw man is obscuring reality.  Meyer is more like Jim Hoey.  Give him time in Rochester's pen and ascertain if he can command the strike zone.  If Meyer can't command, he is just a thrower and not a pitcher.  Beware, there are lots of prospects coming up the system and the Twins must not let pride and the shame of a failed trade block better talent from promotion.

I endorse moving Meyer to RP, but I'd also endorse giving him 2 more months to start. But, if they are moving him to RP full time, I hope they trust him to do it, and let him go and stop monkeying with 3rd and 4th pitches......

This is a good point if trying to perfect 3rd and 4th pitches have stopped him from perfecting any.   I am not sure this is the case but am not sure it is not the case.    In his 2015 season he would dominate for several starts in a row and then have a stinker or two.   I can live with that.  To me wildness and inconsistency plays worse out of the bullpen.    If you sparkle in the rotation 6 out of 10 starts you will be worthwhile because the average starter has a 50% quality start rate and if you stink you get a quick hook.  .    If you are a one inning guy and  you stink out of the pen 4 out of 10 outings you will not be worthwhile.   2014 makes me think he should be a starter but I don't know what to make of 2015.    I suspect that if he can command his fastball he can do anything he wants but if trying to perfect 4 pitches is messing with his head then he needs to simplify.   I would give him another shot in AAA as a starter.   

Meyer supposedly has a snappy slider.  It didn't look better than average when he was up last year.  He supposedly has a 98 mph fastball.  94 when he came up.  He used to be all K's and BB's.  Now they crush him all over the field.  I wonder if his stuff is the same after the shoulder problems.  With the stuff he has now, his best chance is to dial it down, refine the command, work on the change up, and stay in the rotation.  If he doesn't have it by the end of the season.  Start working on knuckleball.