Steve Penz

My in laws were in Mexico in February and they mentioned to me upon returning that they met a couple whose son was a catching prospect from Wisconsin and the Twins were scouting him hard. It turns out it was Rortvedt.

I have a couple things. Giving up on May as a starter: we can assume this season is shot but how hard is it to "stretch out" into a starter over the winter? Burdi, Melotakis, Chargois, etc: it would depend on a few things but has there ever been a hint from the FO or mgmt that they would release bullpen folks and promote younger guys? Fien is one year and 3 million and I think Jepsen is one year at about 5 million. The price of cutting those guys is money the Twins could easily spend in their sleep. Fast forward to just after the all-star break. If the kids are ready and the playoffs look like it is not going to be possible then why not do this?

Now that service time is not an issue I am really losing patience. Malone is a nice pitcher and will never be more than we have seen. We can move on from him. Also, will Santana miss a second start? Berrios couled not have been ready for today's game so they bring up Duffey. That's OK but if Santana can't start at the end of the week and the don't bring up Berrios for that start at least then there is a huge problem.

I would love to learn more about the development of the breaking pitches. What is the process? The article states that what he has does not project to be better. Do they work on it or scrap it and start over with new grips, etc? We all know the legend of Johan learning his change up and the rest is history. A solid breaking pitch to go with what Gonsalves already has sound like it would be amazing.

Also, how are people saying that Polanco can be a Utility guy? If his arm is questionable at SS right now then it can't work at 3rd.

It has been said that Polanco has been moved up quickly and is playing with older players. Maybe at AAA this year he starts to show more #s like those of 2013 because his body will start to catch up. At that point then maybe the "sell high" discussion is more valid especially if Dozier continues to slide defensively and if his OBP does not rise. To Brock's point, Polanco needs to produce more for this to make sense.

How possible is it that effort to improve his plate discipline detracts from his production? Don't make him passive at the plate.

It will be really nerve-racking to see how Rosario unfolds. OBP is low but BABIB is reasonable so it should be more sustainable. If they push him to have more control at the plate will that hurt numbers because it makes him less aggressive?

This is great. He was exciting and during his cup of coffee he had a game where he doubled and tripled. I had high hopes. Maybe he can put something together. He is certainly a great athlete. Good luck, Joe.

Agreed. Boo to the "cheap" comment. They signed him.

Echoing some others here, I say it is not giving up. He was traded for what the Twins needed. The twins have outfielders to spare. It is a good gamble. I like it.

Concur with Vanimal46. No to all. The X factor on Pierzynski is too concerning. Bonnes quoted Ozzie Guillen the other day on AJ- "You hate him when he is on the other team and when he is on your team you hate him a little less." I don't think he brings enough to the table to risk jacking up good team chemistry.

I hope you are right. Rosario is currently at 101 so / 12 bb and his OBP is .285. At approx the same age Torii Hunter had and OBP of 309 and so/bb was 72/26. It just seems that Rosario has a much longer way to go. He and Bruno need to move in together this winter.

I am really concerned about Rosario. Two words- Danny Santana. Two more words- Sophomore Slump. I think when Rosario was younger her was a better hitting prospect but he did not light up the last few years in the minors. He could grow and do well as he obviously an athlete but a sub .300 obp is horrible and it will get exploited more as time passes. He hits but that is the only way he gets on base. Alex Gordon has been mentioned in this thread and there is debate about the effect of solid corner defense. What about his .395 obp this year (when healthy)? For that reason I hope they can start the year with Buxton, Hicks, Kepler and Rosario in the OF and put the emphasis on Kepler over Rosario. If his plate approach carries over to the next levels he is already way ahead. He has only played in AA but it is a good risk. Also, folks need to let go of the put-out stats. Rosario's throws have been great but they are not necessary if runners are not going. A lot of people can make those throws. We should trade none of the above. That is an athletic and exciting crew with more than 2 people who can play some CF.

Cody- is there any concerns about his low BB #s? He is not striking out but his obp could be higher with more walks.

Mauers at bats concerned me. That's seems nuts being that he cleared the bases with a triple but he also weakly hit two balls to left. I love his new initiative to rip and try to pull balls that are middle or inside. The two weak balls to left seemed to be middle of the plate and down and in. It is like he reverts to last-year Mauer with those swings. Anybody have thoughts on this?

We need to get these call ups done so we can stop complaining about who is still at AAA and start to address who they should trade! That thread will be about 47 pages of comments.

Herman does not need to deserve a demotion. Who is the best option for the team? Pinto. He hits and it seems to be the concensus that his defense is on the level of our two current catchers. He can dh with vargas, pinch hit late in the game and take more time from Suzuki who I feel is playing too much. Even if Suzuki were hitting better history has shown what happens to a catcher's numbers when they play too much. Bring up Pinto.

Nunez is dh while pinto is in Rochester. No me gusta. Go Twins!

I think this states things pretty well. We know what Pelfrey is and will be. A little success should not change anything. Guys who are early to mid twenties can "turn a corner", guys Pelfrey's age don't and nobody should be fooled. There were a lot of cases against KC where Suzuki had his glove low and on the corner and the ball drifted to the middle. He was lucky and more time will quickly expose that. Nolasco is no savior but we are married to him for now. When he is ready, Boyer should go, Pelfrey goes to the pen and May should stay.

The quick Rasing Arizona reference by Bonnes was classic.."not unless you think round is funny."

My hope is that he has some positive effect on our younger guys and how they approach being a baseball player. Arcia, Santana, Vargas, Pinto and May are up now and hopefully Hicks, Meyer, Buxton, Sano, Rosario, and Polanco will be up and some point. They will be playing with a guy who is in great shape, will still be productive and just signed a 10.5 million-dollar contract at age 39. They should be very interested to learn everything they can from somebody who has had a career like Hunters.

Back in the day I would tail gait with my parents in the Met Parking lot. Dave Engle and Mickie Hatcher would walk around as "the Twins" and say hello. I just wanted you know. If you are looking for the real guys portrayed in Center Field, they may work for you.

Ozzie is so smart that he made positive comments about Fidel Castro and that is bad enough. He did this.....wait for it....while working in Miami. I will be really sad if they were to entertain Ozzie as a real candidate. Mientkiewicz please or a non-Ozzie, external candidate.

I like that he was a Twin, he was popular, he played in a World Series Championship organization, he has done well in the minors as a manager and has a mean streak. I would prefer that he does not get in fights on the field but this team needs intensity. Also, if you are considering Molitor and Mientkiewicz, I think Molitor is the safe choice. Go a new route. It irks Twins fans to think about the players that got away and performed well. Put Mientkiewicz in place before that happens.