Mr. Brooks

Good article, but a step back from what? Take out an incredibly fluky May last year and it didn't really look any different than the 4 years before it. Last May was the worst thing that could have possibly happened to the Twins. First, because it caused the FO to think we were closer than we actually are. Ryan did nothing to improve this roster over the off-season. Secondly, it guaranteed Ryan and Mollie several more years of job security. After they lose 90 games this year they can claim it's just one step back after fixing the roster, instead of having to explain why they have lost 90 games for a 6th straight year.

Except last year he threw a fit when Jepsen kept the closers gig after he came back.

Sorry Seth, the speculation is completely fair in this situation. Here is what we know: 1 Perkins has a reputation as a player who doesn't spend much time on conditioning. That is not speculation, Perkins himself said that he needed to focus more on it in the offseason. 2 Perkins has a history of hiding injuries. Last year he pitched in the all star game, then was terrible in the second half. We would have made the playoffs if Perkins pitched even just ok in the second half. Then we find out he was hurt BRFORE the all-star game. He pitched in an exhibition game at the cost of the real games his team is paying him big money for. Selfish and unacceptable, IMO. 3 His velocity was way down in camp. 4 He spoke to the media after Sundays blown save and said nothing of an injury, had no ice on his shoulder, and seemed fine (LenIII's words). Based on all this information, it seems perfectly reasonable to consider that one of the following happened: He has been hurt for some time now, and hid it. Or, he got lazy on the offseason, neglected to strengthen his shoulder, and is not "technically " injured, but rather needs a few weeks to strengthen the shoulder, something that he should have done over the offseason. There may be a perfectly innocuous explanation, and the team could do him a favor by explaining it, but until they do its legitimate to speculate.

Why was Nunez pitch hitting not Arcia or Kepler???

Do the rules allow a team to substitute a player from the bench to replace the batter? A "pinch hitter", if you will.

What's up with Meyer? I thought the Twins said he'd be starting? Is this a reaction to what's going on with the big league bullpen?

Fair enough, I'll stick to baseball. Why bother bringing in your best pitcher with the game on the line? After all Mariano Rivera is the best closer of all time but he gave up a run one time so it really doesn't matter if you bring in him or Casey Fien, since they will both sometimes give up a run, and will both sometimes not give up a run. I disagree that it's not significant. I think it's many times more likely a guy his size gets hurt playing a position where: A) He's never played in his life. He has to run at full speed many times per game. Something rarely if ever done at 3B. C) There is a chance of him colliding at full speed with another player also running at full speed. Another thing unlikely to ever happen at 3B.

Come on Seth. You can't honestly believe the statement "all things have risk, therefore all things are equally risky", can you? I mean, why do we even bother with seat belts, air bags, speed limits, child car seats, etc.? After all, some people manage to die in spite of all these things.

Yeah this old fashioned belief that corner outfield defense doesn't matter. I guess it's because "range" is something that is hard to quantify with the eye test. Old school guys see a fly ball drop in for a hit and think, "everyone hustled, nobody dropped the ball or took a bad route, nothing to see here. " When, in fact, a faster outfield catches MANY of those so called routine hits. How many more teams around the league need to field defenses that make their mediocre starters look like aces and make their poor starters look mediocre before we take note? There is more to defense than simply catching the ones that are hit right at you.

It's not just Molitor, it's most managers so I won't single him out, but it boggles my mind that so many smart, experienced baseball people can find a way to justify saving your (theoretically) best reliever for a situation that may never, and often doesn't, occur.

Terry Ryan takes offense at that statement.

This could have also been said at this time last year, how did that work out? I'm not a fan of counting chickens before they hatch. There is nothing wrong with always trying to upgrade what you actually have right now. The real good teams don't sit back and count on minor league guys to some day come and fill spots. If they are as good as advertised, they will find a place for them, WHEN THEY GET HERE.

I meant no other tools that are elite, which is what his power is. Yes, he has the arm tool, but I was talking more about his offensive profile. Do you have a link to the extremely high success probability statement?

He needs to show the consistency of a Ricky Nolasco or a Tommy Milone first.

I also agree with Oxtung, and couldn't really say it better myself...but I guess I'll try anyways. I think people are somewhat blinded by the comparisons to previous rotations. Yes, compared to those, this rotation looks great. But, they are still possibly the worst rotation in all of baseball. Hughes has been a bargain at this point. I hope he keeps it up, but even so he's not a difference maker. He wouldn't be a 1 or a 2 in any legit WS contending rotation, and he'd likely be a 4 in many of them. Gibson has looked pretty good at times, but I think we can all agree that he is not as good as Hughes. If Hughes is a #3 on a playoff contender, but likely a number 4 on a WS contender, then what does that make Gibson? Probably a #4 at best. Nolasco might have the numbers of a solid #3, but those are NL numbers. In the AL it is looking like he's probably a guy you run out as your 5th starter, a guy who (when healthy) should be able to eat innings, but isn't going to be a difference maker- a la Kevin Correia. I was on board the May Day Express as much as anyone, and it's an extremely small sample size thus far, but obviously he hasn't looked good thus far. Meyer will help, if the Twins ever decide to give him a chance. (The opinion that he may not even make the rotation to start 2015 is hard to wrap my head around.) This is not a rotation that is just a couple tweaks away from being good. It's more like a rotation that is at least not an embarrassment to Abner Doubleday. It is a rotation that needs not just a little, but a LOT of improvements to ever be a playoff or WS contending rotation.

I couldn't disagree more. Prospects with Sano's skillset (80 power, but a lot of K's, and no other tools), are about the riskiest prospects their are. Sano is the definition of high risk/high reward.

Wait, didn't he just have a bunch of solid starts in a row prior to these last 2 duds?

Sure, but a Win is a team stat, not an individual stat. The starting pitching has only so much control over getting the win. When evaluating individual players, its better to focus on things that they have more control over.

Wow, there is some major overreaction to 1 start against a great lineup in this thread.

Small sample size, I know (2 games), but it appears Schaefer is our starting LF'er, not the guy described above.

Why would he be on a short pitch count? If he went 77 in his last start, he should be ready to go 100 in his next start, that is not a short pitch count.

Wow, a 6 man rotation that STILL doesn't include Meyer? We must have one of the best rotations in baseball if we don't have room for Meyer on a 6 man pitching staff. Serious question Seth, how many SP's deep would our rotation have to go to have room for Meyer in it? Whatever that answer is, I vote for that. Meyer is a very tall pitcher, even once he's "ready" he will always have a high'ish walk rate. I don't understand using this as an argument why he's not ready. He is dominating AAA, I don't get it.

Okay, you are scaring me to death with the Walker report. Outside of the "smooth in the outfield" comment, it sounds like you are describing Delmon Young!!