Thread: Bollinger: Florimon is the favorite to start at shortstop

Originally Posted by Nick Nelson

He's not the one constructing the rosters, so I'd say the problem goes beyond him.

No, but he's been the one constant throughout his reign, and I doubt he had no say in Castro over Bartlett or Hardy getting the fast track out of town.

Originally Posted by FrodaddyG

No, but he's been the one constant throughout his reign, and I doubt he had no say in Castro over Bartlett or Hardy getting the fast track out of town.

Gardenhire favorites Punto, Tolbert, and Casilla couldn't play themselves out of a spot no matter how hard they tried.

Originally Posted by LoganJones

Obviously you don't 'get it'. That's not what I was saying at all. I was saying we regulars don't know what 'controlling the infield' means, but that won't stop some people from saying that its an indication Gardy is full of it.

OK, "if you have to ask, you'll never understand" works just as well as a synopsis. That you go on to talk about stopping people from saying certain things is also indicative.

Originally Posted by Nick Nelson

And while I'm willing to believe that there is more than meets the eye with some players, it's awfully difficult to lend any credibility when the Twins use this type of reasoning to make blatantly horrible decisions like choosing Castro over Bartlett, Nishioka over Hardy, or Casilla over anybody. At what point do they take a step back and say, "We need to start reevaluating how we assess the shortstop position"?

Exactly. The Castro over Bartlett one still stands out to me. I don't think anyone disagrees with Gardy in a general sense, I think the disagreement is in how this phrase is used to elevate lesser talents and denigrate others. In fact, I think Casilla was an example of it being used for and against him.

I like how others have phrased this and it's an angle I never even considered -these vague intangibles are really being used too heavily to construct our rosters. They are foolish replacements for actual talent and production.

Originally Posted by FrodaddyG

No, but he's been the one constant throughout his reign, and I doubt he had no say in Castro over Bartlett or Hardy getting the fast track out of town.

True, but there are plenty of people that have to sign off on these decisions and the GM is the one executing them. This is an organizational thing; the Twins seem to evaluate shortstops in a different (and - if the results bear it out - worse) way than other teams in the league. Florimon is a sign that they're staying on that same path, which is frustrating.

I think that the Twins just do not have many options here.

If not Florimon, then who?

55 year old Carroll?
Dozier?
Escobar?
Danny S?
Beresford?
Good Rum?

Who?

Originally Posted by grover738

Oy. Just thought of those Butera at catcher days with Dozier, Florimon and Butera batting 7-8-9. There should be an asterisk on the opposing pitcher's ERA, not sure he deserves one full IP for getting through those three. Ok, that was harsh, but man. Those three at 7-8-9 is something that should only happen in August when everyone is hurt, not sometime in April when everyone is healthy.

You forgot Valencia in April 2012--ughh that was brutal. The Twins had many horror stories in April 2012, sorry to dig him up, but I thought he batted 6th, so it was 6,7,8, and 9!

Originally Posted by Nick Nelson

True, but there are plenty of people that have to sign off on these decisions and the GM is the one executing them. This is an organizational thing; the Twins seem to evaluate shortstops in a different (and - if the results bear it out - worse) way than other teams in the league. Florimon is a sign that they're staying on that same path, which is frustrating.

+1. Remember when Smith was walking out the door (leaving his head in a basket) and quipped "I wasn't the only one who signed-off on him, only the last signature." Perhaps there should have been several more heads in that very same basket.