Why is Meyer on an 80 pitch limit?

[Possumlad]

Hey all - heard reference multiple times to Meyer's ~80 pitch limit. Do why know why he's on a limit? If I remember correctly, hasn't it been almost 3 years since his last major surgery?

 

Is it simply a matter of keeping him fresh for a possible mid/late season call-up? Or does he have fatigue issues/something more serious?

[JB_Iowa]

Found this on Rotoworld:

 

May 16:

 

Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said Friday that the team plans to limit Alex Meyer's pitch counts this season.

 

They want to let Meyer pitch the entire season without shutting him down, but will be very cognizant of his workload in each outing. Antony said that Meyer could wind up finishing the season in the bullpen. They'll undoubtedly play things cautiously with their prized young right-hander, so don't expect him to make a big impact in fantasy leagues this year.

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/mlb/5466/alex-meyer

 

 

I don't know if it really answers the question as to why other than being protective of a young player who is still working his way back.

[JB_Iowa]

But also, he missed 2 months last year and only totaled 80 innings (plus AFL) due to shoulder soreness.

 

It seems logical that the Twins would want to extend him gradually.

[nicksaviking]

It's not a bad idea to help save his arm for deeper into the season, but I have to think limiting his pitches to 80 per start may actually hurt when it comes to building up arm strength.

[markos]

The strange thing about his current pitch limit is that he didn't have one in late April. He had three consecutive starts in late-April to early-May where his pitch counts were 100, 100 and 92. This ~80 limit didn't start until mid-May.

[Badsmerf]

Good for the twins. Seems like they are really trying to avoid injuries to their top pitching prospect. Nothing shuts down a potential playoff contender like an injury to a top sp pitcher (liriano 2006). Similar to the Stewart situation, I see this as only a good decision. I think it's more because of his issues last season than anything else. More injuries happen when the arm is fatigued.

 

In addition, looks like he isn't part of the plan for the twins this season. Really don't know how you'd justify an 80 pitch limit for him then. If he does come up it will be in the pen, which is disappointing but I could live with it.

[InfraRen]

I get it. Do hope we see him in the majors soon to get his feet wet, that way he can be full steam ahead next year.

[nicksaviking]

I still have a concern though. He's being limited to 80 pitches now, but if the Twins call him up and are actually playing meaningful games, are they really going to pull him after 5 innings if he's dominating?

 

If they are going to allow him start thrwoing 100 pitches again later in the season at the MLB level, I'd think adding 20% more pitches than what he's been accustomed to throwing would make him even MORE susceptible to an injury.

[Badsmerf]

I don't think it will matter where he is and how well the twins are doing (btw are you really suggesting playoffs? ). I hope at least. Hopefully he is going to be a big piece over the next decade, one fringe playoff run is no reason to ruin that.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Meyer may have the highest ceiling, but he's being outperformed by 3 guys in Rochester already on the 40 man. I don't think you see him in MN until September for callups, and even then in the pen.

 

I should note that I do think it would be wise for the team to start upping that pitch count gradually...

[Otto von Ballpark]

Meyer may have the highest ceiling, but he's being outperformed by 3 guys in Rochester already on the 40 man. I don't think you see him in MN until September for callups, and even then in the pen.

 

If he's being outperformed, it's by a fairly subjective criteria. Meyer is dominating K/9, not just on the team but in the league (ranking first among qualified starters, a full 1 K/9 ahead of the 2nd place guy -- who by the way, has already been promoted to MLB). And his BB/9 is in the ballpark of average so he grades out very well in K:BB ratio too.

 

May might be better so far, but only because he's been outstanding and he's 3rd in the league in qualified starter K/9 (still 1.5 behind Meyer, though). Others have been encouraging but I would not say they've performed better than Meyer overall. Darnell is averaging only 5 IP/GS even without any pitch count restrictions; Johnson and Pino have been league average or worse in K/9 as starters, and they are both in their 6th year in the league.

 

And the 40-man should be of little concern. Barring a sudden development, Pelfrey should be 60-day DL'ed soon. And all of them have option years remaining beyond 2014, so there is no "rush" to evaluate any particular guy.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I should note that I do think it would be wise for the team to start upping that pitch count gradually...

 

Perhaps, but it would be interesting to know the Twins plan for him. If they want to avoid a shutdown if he is otherwise pitching well (starting/relief/whatever), I have no problem with continuing to limit his pitches or innings per start right now.

[nicksaviking]

I don't think it will matter where he is and how well the twins are doing (btw are you really suggesting playoffs? ). I hope at least. Hopefully he is going to be a big piece over the next decade, one fringe playoff run is no reason to ruin that.

 

I'm not suggesting playoffs, I just assume that if the Twins are still in a similar position to what they are in now (and signing Morales suggests they expect to be) when Meyer is called up, settling for a pitch count of 80 doesn't seem like it will fly with teammates and fans who will expect more.

[Steven Buhr]

One might imagine that one reason for limiting his pitches NOW is so they won't feel as compelled to do so if he's contributing significantly to the Twins later in the year.