Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/18): Miracle Clinch Playoff Berth

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/3126-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(6-18)-Miracle-Clinch-Playoff-Berth

[jokin]

Aaron Hicks have transportation issues that kept him from reporting to New Britain?

[Jeff A]

Why does Meyer keep getting pulled so early? Yeah, 78 pitches is a lot for three innings, but it's not like he should be gassed at that point. Is something going on here?

[Seth Stohs]

Why does Meyer keep getting pulled so early? Yeah, 78 pitches is a lot for three innings, but it's not like he should be gassed at that point. Is something going on here?

 

Most teams, Twins included, have a rule whereby if a pitcher needs more than 30 pitches in any one inning, they will get pulled. He averaged 26 pitches per inning, so most likely that third inning went pretty long and he went over 30.

 

Also, his pitch limit is 80-85 right now anyway, so he wouldn't have gone much longer anyway.

[gunnarthor]

At this point, I'd call Meyer up and let him pitch out of the bullpen for 6 weeks and then give him 6-10 starts toward the end of the season. And put May in the rotation now.

[dougkoebernick]

Thanks for the insight Seth!

[Jeff A]

Most teams, Twins included, have a rule whereby if a pitcher needs more than 30 pitches in any one inning, they will get pulled. He averaged 26 pitches per inning, so most likely that third inning went pretty long and he went over 30.

 

Also, his pitch limit is 80-85 right now anyway, so he wouldn't have gone much longer anyway.

 

Thanks, but of course that leads to the next question. Why such a small pitch limit?

[Seth Stohs]

Thanks, but of course that leads to the next question. Why such a small pitch limit?

 

Because he missed two months of the season last year with a shoulder issue and didn't pitch a lot of innings, so they're being careful. Wisely.

[Seth Stohs]

Aaron Hicks have transportation issues that kept him from reporting to New Britain?

 

Hicks got to New Britain (or Harrisburg, PA) last night. He's expected to play this weekend in Reading, PA.

[jokin]

At this point, I'd call Meyer up and let him pitch out of the bullpen for 6 weeks and then give him 6-10 starts toward the end of the season. And put May in the rotation now.

 

Ding-ding-ding.

[highlander]

With Meyer's low pitch count he should be able to stretch out over the full season, maybe a Sept call up, start next year at AAAwith an early call up ready to be a stud horse in the rotation

[Jeff A]

Because he missed two months of the season last year with a shoulder issue and didn't pitch a lot of innings, so they're being careful. Wisely.

 

Thanks again. I appreciate the information.

[Jim H]

At this point, I'd call Meyer up and let him pitch out of the bullpen for 6 weeks and then give him 6-10 starts toward the end of the season. And put May in the rotation now.

 

I would hesitate to put Meyer in the bullpen. When you are a starter, you have a set routine getting ready for your next start. You have set throwing session or sessions between each start and plenty of time to warm up for each start. None of that is necessarily true when you are a reliever. You sometimes need to get ready in hurry. Most relievers need to able to pitch 2 or more days in a row. Meyer has never been a reliever and has had shoulder issues besides. You can't entirely be sure that pitching out of the bullpen wouldn't be harder on his arm than starting.

 

My thought is let him be a starter. If he doesn't get to the majors this year because of pitch counts and innings limits, so be it. His future is a dominant starter, hopefully. I would rather the Twins didn't mess with that too much in the name of getting him to the majors a little earlier. Being a reliever is not necessarily easier on the arm than starting. Most starters turned relievers say that they had to learn whole new routines for that role. Let's just prepare Meyer for the role of starter.