Miller: Gardy wants more pop off the bench....

...and isn't necessarily committing to a 3rd catcher.

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He said something else interesting after workouts, too: He's tired of feeling like he has no options in the late innings. Light-hitting infielders and spare catchers aren't enough, and Gardenhire said he hasn't even decided yet whether a third catcher will be necessary. "I'm going to have a better bench this year," Gardenhire said. "I told Terry [Ryan, the general manager], I'd like to have more pop off the bench."

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First, I'll believe it when I see it. But it will be interesting to see of Ryan would consider signing a bench bat if Gardy has the guts to leave Butera waiting in Rochester.

I don't know if any of these guys look especially productive, but Carlos Lee, Derrek Lee and.....Jim Thome are all still unsigned.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/192323891.html

It sounds like, if Gardy is going to take the fall for this team, he's going to do it on his terms. I like it.

Gardy should 100% have say in how the bench is made up, and Ryan should be responsible for getting him that bench. Of course, the Vikings said they'd use Allen in a rotation more to keep him fresh this last season......so like John, I'm in a wait and see mode.

Did he mean speed instead of pop? :-)

Replace Butera with a 24 pack of Diet Rite.

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Originally Posted by Willihammer

It sounds like, if Gardy is going to take the fall for this team, he's going to do it on his terms. I like it.

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+1, like it.

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Originally Posted by John Bonnes

First, I'll believe it when I see it.

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Second, I'll believe it when I see it.

I could maybe go back and try to find some evidence on my own, but can anyone remember what changed between the end of Spring Training '12 and whenever it was that Butera came up? They broke camp last year with only Mauer and Doumit as catchers. That makes me think it's possible they could do it again, but I would feel better if I could remember the reason (whether or not it's a good one) that they changed the situation, and especially if that reason had reverted to its state of last year at the end of spring.

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Originally Posted by CDog

I could maybe go back and try to find some evidence on my own, but can anyone remember what changed between the end of Spring Training '12 and whenever it was that Butera came up? They broke camp last year with only Mauer and Doumit as catchers. That makes me think it's possible they could do it again, but I would feel better if I could remember the reason (whether or not it's a good one) that they changed the situation, and especially if that reason had reverted to its state of last year at the end of spring.

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I believe it's when Morneau was shelved for a couple weeks at the beginning of May that brought that along...

This is exactly what I personally wanted to hear.

I have high hopes for the offense this year... I think the starting lineup can score some runs... Knock some balls out of the park... I think the offense will do very nicely even with our SS's and 2B options.

However, Someone will have to be able to pinch hit for our lighter hitting options and we don't have that guy on our roster right now. It's our biggest offensive need in my opinion.

It's odd I know... But... having someone to pinch hit for our SS and 2B spots is a bigger issue than having a SS or 2B who needs to be pinch hit for.

They got to find someone... Thome... Derek or Carlos Lee... Vlad the Impaler... Jack Cust... Dallas MacPherson... Clement... Tie Domi... Someone with Power.

II would be delighted with more pop off the bench.
Wonder where that will come from...
Arcia?

Vlad is an interesting name. Righthanded, pull hitter, still 38.

He would be a horrible example to the younger guys of plate discipline though.

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Originally Posted by John Bonnes

...and isn't necessarily committing to a 3rd catcher.



First, I'll believe it when I see it. But it will be interesting to see of Ryan would consider signing a bench bat if Gardy has the guts to leave Butera waiting in Rochester.

I don't know if any of these guys look especially productive, but Carlos Lee, Derrek Lee and.....Jim Thome are all still unsigned.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/192323891.html

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Nice post John impressed ...

Maybe that's why they were saving Molitor.

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Originally Posted by Willihammer

Vlad is an interesting name. Righthanded, pull hitter, still 38.

He would be a horrible example to the younger guys of plate discipline though.

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Counter-examples are sometimes very effective! Kind of like satire. Or something. "Here's what we were telling you not to do. You see it now?"

Counter examples are only effective when the guy looks bad doing it though. A distant possibility, Vlad would be the best hitter on the team.

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Originally Posted by CDog

Counter-examples are sometimes very effective! Kind of like satire. Or something. "Here's what we were telling you not to do. You see it now?"

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lol... What happened to the "Like" button... I don't want to post anything... I just want to like this comment!

Man I want to believe this so bad......just can't. Gardy has defeated my will to believe in rationality with this team's roster construction. Fingers crossed.

I'd like to believe this... wouldn't mind seeing Thome back here if he wanted to return...

Here goes. Twins wouldn't need "pop off the bench" if it was put in the lineup in the first place. Gardy probably has figured-out that every game situation late in the game Morneau will face a LHP and he needs a RHB who "has some pop". Had the Twins figured this out a few weeks ago, they could have signed said RHB "with some pop" for about $1MM plus some incentives--or shall I say re-signed.