Twodogs

Yeah he has tailed off dramatically towards the end of the last two years, but there really isn't any argument that he has been a pretty solid pitcher over the last few years. Don't know where all of the naysayers are getting at?

I just taking a guess here, but I am guessing that he means that pitch is flat, has no up and down movement to it.

Boy it would do the lineup a boatload of good if Buxton magically became a stud leadoff hitter. the whole lineup could slide down,

My guess would be Santana Gibson Hughes Milone Nolasco Perkins Jepson May Fien Abad Pressley O'Rourke or Tonkin Mauer Dozier Plouffe Escobar Nunez Park (dh) Buxton Rosario Sano Santana Arcia Suzuki Murphy Id actually like to see Centino or Hicks as that backup catcher for the first month of the season just to get Murphy regular PT. Then bring him up in May. Suzuki wont be all worn down the first month of the season, so he wont need as many days off until they get into the warmer months of the season. Also Centino looks pretty good stat wise, 4 extra base hits in 15 at bats. Not bad Also, there will be tons of turnover during the season, there always is. Heres to hoping that Buxton doesn't need to be sent down halfway through the season a la Aaron Hicks, etc....

Im a little worried about Santana making it a full season, I thought I saw somewhere where he at one point had a partial tear in his arm. I wonder if the PED's were masking that? last year he pitched about half a season, it will be interesting to see if he will make it through the whole season. If someone like that gets hurt the Twins will need all of their guys to perform at a decent clip.

This is kind of what I am worried about with Sano? Making him into something he is not?

You forgot Vargas

I don't think they are regarding it or disregarding it. I don't think they care one way or the other, they are just trying to put the best hitting lineup out there. What they are disregarding is the ability to put the best team that they can in the field and that in the end could cost them as typically defense, throwing and catching, doesn't slump where hitting does.

TK was the manager and he managed before the ideas of moneyball took hold. Doug could catch the ball over at first base and that was more important to TK than what Ortiz could bring to the table at that point in time. Plus, with those guys that TK assembled, Gardy went on a pretty good run with playoff teams year after year not to mention he avoided contraction.

Yes, exactly, I saw this after I read the other post. TK was the person who had a giant influence on Ortiz.

Those other guys you mention came in with Gardy as the Manager. Ortiz came in with TK. TK didn't like Ortiz's approach at the plate, he referred to it as a slow pitch softball swing, and TK was great but he was also very stubborn too.

I think some of the front offices out there play fantasy baseball with their real baseball teams to be honest with you. I mean some FO's do crazy things to get a certain player into the lineup. Lets be totally honest in the fact that the Twins did not have a real good hitting team last year, they were out scored all year and they had a negative WAR as a team all year. Their pitching was not great but was servicable and they were ok realistically because the team they fielded could catch the ball. You had Hicks, Rosario, and Buxton for part of the year running around in the OF catching the ball. Put a full season of Arcia and Sano out there and the pitching staff will look a lot worse. I mean when the Twins got good the last time they had Hunter, Jones and Lawton running around out in the outfield catching all of the pitch to contact balls that were flying out there. I mean even Ortiz was realistically cut by the Twins because he couldn't play the field back then. Yeah he could hit, but no catchy. Now only if the Twins would have just moved Ortiz to full time DH and didn't sit there and try to compare him to Dougie over at 1B they would have analyized his best attributes right from the get go. So to answer your question, I don't think FO's really give a crap about the players, they get what they can out of them to win, that is until they have them signed to a giant contract and at that point in time they become more valuable because they sell jerseys.

I think it is unlikely that Sano spends more than 2 seasons in the field at any position before he is relegated to full time DH. And in order to do that full time he will probably need to deal with the 35% K rate. He is still a very young player and the Twins need to be cautious with what they do with him if they want him to develop to the best of his abilities.

Hey it is very possible that after two partial seasons that Nolasco could have a really good season this year. His velocity seems to be up and his breaking ball is still really nasty. So with increased velocity, he really could be that type of pitcher that the Twins paid the money for?

I honestly think that everyone is going to groan, but I really feel that Nolasco is going to break out this year. I don't mean he is going to be an All-Star. But his arm has only been used for half a season for two years in a row and his legs are finally healthy. I realistically predict 12 - 14 wins with 9 - 11 losses around a 4 era with 170 - 190 innings pitched and 140 - 160 strikeouts. Everyone has always noted that a lot of his periphrials have always looked decent and that he has been somewhat of a victim of bad luck; I think that with a healthy arm and healthy legs that he breaks out, not like a super star but like a Ricky Nolasco of about 4 - 5 years ago. That puts the beginning of the year at Santana, Hughes, Gibson, Nolasco, Milone. My next prediction is that everyone is saying that Phil Hughes is toast and should go to the bull pen which I agree, but I think the Twins are going to need him in the rotation because this years injury will be Ervin Santana. His arm has been hanging on by threads for a couple of years now. I don't see him making it through a full season, or possibly spring training. Santana is in my opinion going to become the next big elephant in the room.

A professional hitter?? He is like 22 years old and he is going to have the whole game flipped upside down so that they can keep Plouffe, Park and Mauer all in the lineup all at the same time, none of which are gold glove fielders by any stretch. How many 22 year olds do you know and how secure with themselves are they. Now take that 22 year old and put him in a foreign country and make him take a job he has never done before or is not comfortable doing it and your telling me that nothing can go wrong?? I hope you are right. But needless to say, I am not stretching out too far by being very skeptical of this whole thing.

I just dont see Sano doing very well in the OF and as a result his struggles in the OF can and may affect his results at the plate. Arcia is not a very good outfielder but at least he is an outfielder?

I agree, baseball is a game of adjustments and the quality pitchers in the AL were able to adjust to Dozier most likely by throwing away from him. Unless he adjusts I think he may have some struggles.

I can't see Sano being an everyday player in the OF, I know on fantasy squads it would be a great thing. But right now by the looks of it Arcia or Kepler should be the best option behind Buxton and Rosario Just my opinion. Mauer, Sano, Park, and Vargas are all competing for two spots?

I dont think anyone is to blame. He's is really really tall, has had some difficulties with mechanics because of it, and when he figures it out, if he does, he will be extremely tough to hit. Randy Johnson took forever to figure out how to stay within the strike zone most likely because of his height and whatnot. But he became a hall of famer. Not saying that Meyer is the next hall of fame pitcher for the Twins, but that it can be just getting it all dialed in and then he could be really tough. I hope he does, whether its next year or the year after that or whenever, whether its as a starter or a dominant reliever he has great stuff. He just hasn't shown that he is there yet, hope he figures it out soon, if he does we will all be on his bandwagon.

77 wins

I like Meyer and I hope he becomes a stud, but the reason he has stunk it up as a reliever is because he doesn't consistently throw strikes. Yeah hes got tons of velocity, but MLB hitters aren't swinging at crap 3 feet out of the zone. I really don't think he'd do any better as a starter as wild as he is. Once he gets under control he will definitely become a major part of the conversation.

got it. I personally don't really think they can get much for any of their pitchers which is probably why they should just keep them. They will all perform adequately, not great, but good enough to throw 6 innings per start usually.

Replacement means average, so then don't all of them project to at least be average?? Unless you meant that Berrios projects to be above average and all of the rest are just average. Maybe I miss read. I think you are right though that the Twins strength is that if someone gets hurt they shouldn't be struggling to find another pitcher, they already have one to take over and that is important in a long season.

1. Hughes 2. Gibson 3. Santana 4. Nolasco 5. Milone May and Duffy ready to step in and take over when injury happens, but those two will stay put once they move in. If the Twins move them into the rotation then keep them there, don't yank them back out. First injury out of the gate may be Santana, we will see if the PED's have been holding his arm together for the last few years, then it may be Hughes if he hasn't recovered from what appeared to be some sort of dead arm last year. I have a feeling that Nolasco will be healthy this year. Berrios starts in the minors