nicksaviking

Yup, because they aren't going to have that 95 MPH fastball forever. Use it before you lose it, don't waste it on International League batters.

Due to Ryan's comments about taking the best pitchers regardless of handedness and Molitor's comments about a different usage of the pen, I don't think Theilbar is a lock, and I certainly don't think Mione is a lock if he doesn't make the rotation. While Ryan obviously has final say, Molitor doesn't strike me as a guy who will keep quiet if the GM tries to stick him with an 85 MPH flyball pitcher in his pen. And for what it's worth, Ithink Ryan knows better as well.

" Mike Pelfrey is back from elbow surgery and (evidently) finally healthy. And then there's Milone, who might be the most accomplished big-leaguer of the bunch." "Is back from" and "most accomplished" are phrases that show the club is still trying to capitalize on players' past accomplishments, so is giving pitchers in their early 30's four-year deals. I know this front office is eager to see the young players, but it just always seems they can't help themselves and will always go with experience over potential if both options are available to them, and I don't know why. The organization's two most successful rebuilds came from a near 100% youth movement.

So Stauffer had an ERA+ of 96 and Boyer was at 94 last year. Stauffer had an FIP of 3.02 to Boyer's 2.93, all while playing for the same team. Yet because the Twins got a wild hair to offer Stauffer guaranteed money while Boyer was only offered a minor league deal, Stauffer is all but a lock to get a job while Boyer is likely out of luck? I could do without either guy, but this just doesn't seem sound like very sound decision making to me.

Yes, that's a valid argument for a contending team; weighing "win now" vs "future" is a sticky subject in all team sports. It means jack squat when your team loses 90 games four consecutive years.

Brian Dozier? Trevor Plouffe? Eduardo Escobar? The team regularly thrusts position players who have blase or lackluster minor league results into MLB roles. They don't do the same with the starting pitchers, and frankly, I don't think May and Meyer had lackluster minor league results. They don't seem to afford starting pitching prospects the same opportunities to work out their flaws at the MLB level that they do to position prospects. This might be due to the fact that they have had such an awful track record with young pitching the last decade, but I think an over-cautiousness is doing everyone a disservice. Afterall, a position player is much more likely to be a useful player into his mid-30's. In an era where signing free agents arms to multi-year deals is a fool's errand, you have to get all the pitches out of your young guys that you can before they become a liability. I don't know why minor league innings are any less of a concern for wear and tear on a pitcher than major league innings. From a logistiacl standpoint, pitchers should be called up before hitters. Lots of clubs seem to be figuring this out recently.

So if they don't force the issue, we never see them? Some times the issue has to be force upon the youngsters, plenty don't show their full potential until they get to the highest level.

There have, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that Milone could do it again. It's just frustrating that our team seems to go out of its way to try to foster those long-shots, more so than any other team.

True, but by the end of August, after Hunter slides through waivers, if the Twins did end up trading him would anyone notice if the team is once again in "sell mode". All but about 10 TVs are turned off by then.

I know there are going to be plenty of eye-rolls and some indignation, but this was his quote: “If I go out and I hit .280-plus and put up 17 home runs like I been doing the last couple of years and do 80 RBIs or more, I’m coming back,” Assuming those kind of hypothetical numbers are inline with more modern stats, why wouldn't he come back? Even if a guy had to spend most of his time at DH, those numbers would be useful to most teams. Now if those numbers were somehow accompanied by a .680 OPS, than eyerolls would be warrented.

I guess Ryan doesn't.

Why is Oliveros getting cut so soon? This team's already set on only having one guy in the pen who can hit 95? The way they've drafted lately makes it seem like they understand the theory that strikeouts in the pen are useful. They don't seem to practice that theory though.

I don't mind sending Hicks to AAA. Of course if the team does so and Schaffer performs to any degree of competance, there's a pretty solid chance Rosario or Buxton play well enough to beat Hicks to the big club.

I am definately pro-leg kick. He had timing and contact issues with the toe-tap, if he's going to miss anyway, why not at least try to generate more power in the few times he happens to make solid contact.

Yeah, the current system isn't equal for US born players and the foriegn born ones. Of course there are certain other benefits to growing up in the states compared to The Domincan Republic or Cuba. I'm guessing that should they so chose, there would be nothing stopping Smyly or Brady Aiken from moving to Venezuala and applying for citizenship in an attempt to cash in on the international cash pool. That is if they don't mind the constant threat of being kidnapped and ransomed. I'm all for an international draft, but I tend to roll my eyes hearing a 1st world person complain about the handfull of 1-in-a-million lottory tickets that happen to be available to some of these impoverished kids.

It sends up red flags for me as well though it shouldn't; your middle section really is the main point. Using ERA for relievers is just a not sound measurement. Four bad outings in April could crush one's ERA he could never recover from. Additionally, the guy who comes in with men on base gets off Scott free when he let's all the runners score before closing out the inning. Digging deeper is going to be needed to evaluate relievers.

Seems to me nearly the whole division is relying on players who had outlier career years last year (Kluber, Brantley, JD Martinez) young players with only one season of positive performance (Abreu, Ventura, nearly everything good about the Twins) or star players clearly on the decline (everyone on the Tigers). There are barely any established franchise stars in their prime in this division; David Price and the injured Chris Sale seem to be about it. Perhaps you could toss Alex Gordon in there. I think this division has a whole lot of average and wishful thinking.

I think the whole division is going to stink. I wouldn't be surprised if there was only one .500 club.

I didn't want any more players over 30, but there's no one to block in the OF at this time except for maybe Schaffer, so I don't much care about his actual production and I could care less about his paycheck. Charisma goes a long way, if the front office and the players themselves think Hunter will improve the clubhouse atmosphere and/or instill leadership skills in the youngsters, he probably will. It's basic self-fullfilling prophecy stuff. I'd feel the same if everyone was brainwashed and thought Danny Valencia and Delmon Young would improve the clubhouse atmosphere and improve leadership skills. MY thoughts on Hunter, his skills or his views don't matter.

I didn't know about his story or that he was a local guy, thanks for the write up. The name looked familiar due to a past of obsseively going over Twins rosters when I was young, but I honestly wouldn't have been able to give one fact about him until this article.

If you're leadoff hitter his prone to hitting long balls, isn't the simple solution to make the 8th or maybe even 7th spot the blackhole of the team? I'm expecting regression, but if Suzuki is still putting up a .330 OBP, put him in the 9 hole instead of Hicks, Schaffer or whoever is struggling to put it together. Even with only minor regression, if Santana only ends up with a .320 OBP, there's a decent chance Hicks, Suzuki and Escobar can top that batting at the bottom of the order anyway. Dozier doesn't have to bat #2, if we're only doing it for the sake of his pop.

I saw Danny Santana in CF last year Chris Parmelee play RF despite playing most if his AAA games at first and Trevor Plouffe play 3B after spending his minor league games at SS and the outfield. Then we have Michael Cuddyer. I don't think we can rule out any position for Harrison even if the club thinks they may have.

Great on the spot analysis. I agree, the lack of lower body movement reminds me of a right handed Denard Span. He obviously lacked any semblance of power. Span's swing probably would cause many to be surprised he actually has a 6', 200+ lb frame, something that should be able to generate more power.

Oh my, that could be a problem. You think of big players like David Oritz and Jim Thome and Vargas at 24 is dwarfing them both.

Please, just this once can we have the newest, coolest toy on the market?