stringer bell

FWIW, when Pinto was playing a lot early in the season, he had reverse platoon splits (better against right handers) and Suzuki was very good against LH pitching. Drawing up a 100 to 60 split for next year would seem like a good plan if Pinto's defense qualifies as sufficient.

Trevor Plouffe has been the Twins third baseman since the middle of 2012. He is the Twins' longest-serving starter at his current position on the team. That is a bit hard to believe, but every position has turned over since the Twins handed Plouffe third base out of desperation. Plouffe responded to his assignment by having a once-in-a-lifetime power surge. Most other parts of his game as a third baseman were substandard. Now, late in the 2014 season, we see a different player. Plouffe has improved his overall hitting and his defense. He has made far more good plays and botched far fewer routine ones. He has hit better with runners on base, he has hit better against right handers and seems fundamentally sound finally. For all the years that Plouffe has played third, he has been in the shadow of mega-prospect Miguel Sano. The question has always been "what do you do with Plouffe when Sano is ready". Of course, that is still a question. But I think there is a question be asked before that--is Plouffe a third baseman or is he a stopgap? Plouffe ranks behind three outstanding third basemen in the American League, but after those guys Plouffe rates with anyone else. He now looks comfortable at the position, he now seems to show proper instincts and is in the right place. The throws from third were a crapshoot are now expected to be chest-high and on line and most of all he takes his time when a catcher is running and makes the quick transfer and throw when a speedster hits a slow roller. I'm saying he no longer looks like a displaced hitter, he looks like a third baseman. Plouffe learned the position on the job. He hardly played there in the minors or until he was given the position. As a hitter, Plouffe still has some bad at-bats, but grinds through many more than he used to. He seems to have a better plan and the results have been better. He's not a high-percentage hitter, but he's had a bunch of extra base hits and in terms of production, he is one of the better Twins' hitters. I don't know if he'll ever get any better, but at 27 he's a pretty good player. For those who use WAR, he is at 3.2 with 20% of the season remaining. I have long thought that Trevor Plouffe could be a regular at another position and still believe he could be the Twins' next left fielder. However, I am not so sure any more that what I've speculated will turn out. Plouffe may have enough trade value to be shopped as an established third baseman. The Twins might be more prudent to hold on to Plouffe until Sano forces his way to the majors. At that point, they might be able to flip him for much more than I've ever thought possible. Congratulations to Trevor Plouffe for taking advantage of opportunities and establishing himself as a big league third baseman.

I think that Pinto should catch a lot between his (expected) call-up and the end of the season. Then the Twins will need to decide whether his catching skills are salvageable. If they are convinced he's not a major league receiver, deal him for what you can. Otherwise, he needs to be the backup catcher all of next year. Unless there are injuries, I don't see Josmil as a DH very often and no, just no, to trying to put an outfielder's glove in his hands.

I don't know about any more of Esco in the outfield, especially if Nunez and Santana are on the roster as infielders. Perhaps a position sharing could be worked out, but good continuity is important between the middle infielders. Changing almost daily from Santana to Escobar and back again doesn't help. Who are the "2 super prospects" the Twins have to play short. I think that Gordon might be considered a great prospect, although he has only played a couple months. I'm not ready to label Polanco in such a manner. He was good, but I wouldn't say dominant at Fort Myers. He hasn't been even good at New Britain, and for the record he already has eight errors. IMHO, Polanco is on track to get back to the majors, but I wouldn't project him to be a regular player, much less a star or superstar.

I think the SS job should be Escobar's until either Santana takes it or EE gives it away. As far as third base, in the last two games I was amazed because when a ball was hit to Plouffe, I immediately thought "that's an out" instead of "what will Plouffe do with that hand grenade". He is really much, much better in the field. Some of Plouffe's AB are pretty bad, but he does deliver a number of big hits.

Achter has slowed down the last part of the year. I don't think he's got major league stuff. Ibarra was demoted, if the Twins keep other lefties ahead of him, I think he is cut loose. I don't see Gilmartin as an add, but he is going to pitch in the majors sometime. On the big league side, I think Parmelee and Nunez are good versatile bench guys who can step in and play more than that. I do believe Schafer gets cut loose unless he keeps hitting far above his lifetime mark.

Rosario is finishing pretty strong in New Britain, he is still young and can play all three outfield spots, as well as second base. I think he is a near-lock to be protected, as long as he doesn't have any off-field or attitude problems.

I forgot Pryor was on the 40-man. My mistake. To addrest beckmt's comments, I don't think it is a certainty that Nunez is gone and I think Pino will have a chance to pitch himself onto the roster. I doubt any team will take Wimmers if he's available, so I can't see him being added and despite their lack of players like him, I suspect Ortiz is left unprotected as well.

I think that is too many LHPs to let go. I think one of the current two in the pen will stay for sure and probably both. You didn't list lefty starters Darnell or Johnson. I would think one of them won't stay on the 40 and I suspect that they won't add Gilmartin. I also think that Pressly could be off the roster, depending on how he performs for the balance of the season. I think the most worthy reliever to add who has been in the organization all year is Oliveros, but I'm pretty sure they will add both of the two pitchers they acquired for Morales and Hammer.

I'm neither a backer nor a basher of Joe Mauer. He has undoubtedly been the best player and face of the franchise since 2009. It is probably equally undeniable that Mauer's recovery time for injuries has always seemed to lag behind optimistic predictions for his recovery. This is complicated by his big contract and the position he played until this year. The front office and the field staff (and Mauer) wanted him in the lineup as often as possible. That meant DH time that most other catchers would never see. Mauer, or his agent, have always made his health and future more important than whether he was in the lineup today or tomorrow. I guess that is what agents are for, especially when they represent a guy making $23M a year. The conflict is that Mauer isn't viewed as banging on the manager's door if he is the DH three straight days with Drew Butera as the alternate or if he's out of the lineup for a "nick" for three days. That passiveness carries over even to his batting style--he routinely takes at least one strike and routinely "lets the ball get deep" and slaps it to left field. Finally, there is the attitude that what he does works and there is no need to change it. Adjustments to shifts and slumps have been slow in coming. Perhaps he is right to continue to do what he does, but there is a perception that he could be so much more--if he swung earlier in the count, if he tried to drive more balls to his pull field and if he demanded to play even if he wasn't 100%. Analysis of Joe Mauer is complicated. Even if he is in decline phase, he has been a great hitter and might be a Hall of Famer. He has been the best catcher the Twins ever had, but the question remains that if he had gone about things differently, perhaps he could have been much better.

Dick Bremer broached the subject of outfield defense in tonight's broadcast. He spoke of the Twins' wishes to have more athletic, speedier defenders in the outfield, particularly the corners. As with most things Bremer says, I am sure he is clear that the Twins want the topic out there or he wouldn't bring it up. In my mind, this brings up the acquisition of Jordan Schafer, who is 27 and has shown superior speed (and base stealing skill), while being deficient in most other areas. The Twins are getting a good look at Schafer (33 PAs so far this month) and he has utilized his base stealing skill. Actually, Schafer has been rather impressive in an extremely small sample size. He is 9 for 28, six for six stealing bases, and has made no glaring misplays in the field. Once thought to be a top prospect, maybe just maybe, could Schafer become more than a pinch runner? There's always a chance. The Twins are due to strike gold on a player given up on by other organizations. They have had their share of times where a player develops/evolves into a good player after the Twins have given him away for little or nothing. It is time for some payback. In light of the merry-go-round that has happened in center field the last two years, it would be heartening for Schafer to be part of the solution to the problem. More likely, however, the best the Twins can hope for with a career .223 hitter (1280 PAs) is someone who hits enough to be a fourth outfielder. Having a fourth OF, who could player center along with the corners and who could be decent defensively and provide value as a pinch runner would be pretty good for claiming a guy off the scrap heap. Another fast guy is Danny Santana. He has been given over 250 plate appearances since being recalled in May, mostly because the Twins didn't have anyone else available to call up from their 40-man roster. Santana has spent most of his time in center, and although he had hardly played there, he has been an adequate defender and has hit surprisingly well. Could Danny Santana be the solution to the center field problem? Two months ago, I would have said "no way, no how", a month ago, "barely a chance" and now I'm thinking "if no one else is ready, why not?" Santana is still regarded as a shortstop by the Twins organization, but if 1) Eduardo Escobar continues to be an above-average shortstop and 2) no one steps forward in center, then Santana should start 2015 as the Twins regular center fielder. What about the prospects? The Twins have three guys who have been or still are regarded as top prospects for center field in the upper minors--Aaron Hicks, Eddie Rosario, and #1 prospect Byron Buxton--and if any of those guys seizes center field it will be good for the organization. Each has their question marks--Hicks has failed twice to hold on to center for the Twins, Rosario has flirted with becoming a second baseman, been suspended for street drugs, and is currently hitting <.250 at AA, and Buxton has had an injury riddled season and only played one game above Class A. There is a lot of talent there, but also a lot of question marks and no guarantees. The prudent thing to do IMHO is to open center field up for a wide-open competition in the spring. Unless he tanks dramatically in the last six weeks, Santana will be starting somewhere. It probably would increase his value even more if Santana would be an option in left field as well as center. Hicks and Rosario have gotten reps in the corners as well as center and if one of them step forward, perhaps they could be playing a corner OF spot. Left field could be a consolation prize for one of the guys trying to become the Twins' regular center fielder. Finally, if the hype is to be believed, when Buxton arrives, he will take over center field for as long as he is a Twin. Having an outfield with two fast guys being out there between Buxton, Rosario, Hicks, Santana and Schafer would probably go a long way towards improving a leaky outfield. It also could provide excitement on the base paths and give the Twins balance between power and speed. If Santana claims shortstop, there is one less contestant in the competition, but regardless, it would be nice to see range out of at least two of the three outfield positions.

I have no doubt that Jokin is correct on his numbers of games caught by Mauer. I do want to say that circumstances have a lot to do with those numbers. In order to get the unquestioned best hitter on the team more plate appearances, the Twins used Mauer more as a DH and some as a first baseman. They also signed a bat-first free agent to back Mauer up. This created two spots for Mauer and Doumit and they switched on day games after night games etc. Mauer has had injury issues as well, but Gardenhire and the front office used these means to get more plate appearances for the three-time batting champion.

Oops. Pretty sure Milone made his Twins debut against the Astros.

Agree with Lazarus about 2011. The people here figured it would be more of a good thing and everyone got hurt. The supposed speed upgrades in the middle infield were terrible disappointments and "pitch to contact" became a snarky joke. I believe there is great progress, but until the results show at Target Field, we have to be a bit skeptical. The team has earned that skepticism with some high-handedness and smugness going into this down cycle. Seeing spring training for the last three years has opened my eyes to the talent that is there, but talent doesn't equal success and the players have to prove themselves.

Nice take, Nick. I have hopes for much better times starting next year. In addition, I think the club will be more competitive for the balance of this season.

It may be that Parm only gets at-bats for three weeks. It is possible that someone now in the minor leagues will get outfield at-bats. The team will need to determine whether they have to go outside the organization for next year.

Here is a list of 2014 Twins no longer in the organization and their ages: Kendrys Morales (31) Sam Fuld (32) Jason Kubel (32) Darrin Mastroianni (28) Jason Bartlett (34) Kevin Correia (33) Josh Willingham (35) This is the right direction to go. It might be bumpy for a while, but the kids need to play. I would have appreciated such moves a year ago.

Plouffe: He is an adequate third baseman. Better than about half of the guys sent out there and worse than about half. The Twins can contend or maybe even win with a 3B of that quality. He joins Escobar and Parmelee as position players who have marginally (at least) improved their standing with the Twins. Add to that the emergence of Suzuki and Dozier backing up his breakout season, there is improvement in the 2014 Twins. I still believe that Trevor will be the Twins' near-regular LF at some point next season.

Sounds like Gardy is putting the botched bunt mostly on Nuñez: “It wasn’t a squeeze,” Gardenhire said. “There was no sign. He tried to drag bunt with Nunez at third. Nunez has to see the ball (go) down there.” That said, the same article also mentions Schafer's near helplessness vs. LH pitching (1-18 w/ 8Ks). A fourth outfielder, who can't hit and isn't that great in the field isn't worth it. However, since coming to the Twins, Schafer is 5-16 and hasn't made any glaring misplays in the field. I'm not ready to give him a starting spot next year or even guarantee him a spot on the active roster, but maybe the change of scenery is exactly what he needed. If he isn't keeping Arcia or Santana on the bench, I am fine with him playing. I also don't expect him to continue hitting, but hey, these things happen.

"Kevin Correia is a durable, reliable starting pitcher. He takes the ball every fifth day and gives his club lots of innings."

I think Parm stays in the majors for a while now. Unless they sign a couple free agents, the Twins will probably need him next year. If they were to DFA him, I'm pretty confident a team or two would claim him.

Kevin Correia was what the Twins paid for. What sticks in my mind is that Ryan said he was "a pretty darn good starting pitcher" or something to that effect. That quote and the one making reference to Willingham's contract as huge when in total dollars and annual salary, it barely registered in the top 30, always bothered me.

Milone is already on the active roster (for Correia) amiright? Mauer for ? With the one-man bench game just completed, I hope the Twins trade, DFA, disable or option a pitcher. Sneaky pick--Samuel Deduno.

I see that Schafer has succeeded Drew Butera, then Kevin Correia for the position of "TD Fan Favorite". I guess that means we trade him to the Dodgers for more than we could ever hope for.

"Joe Mauer went 2-4, though his manager and brother, Jake, didn’t see either of the hits as he was ejected before Mauer got his first hit." Jake Mauer got thrown out two days in a row? I know he was tossed on Friday, but I didn't hear that it happened again the next night.