Darnell promoted

[Thrylos]

Meyer's turn doesn't line up with our openings, until next May.

 

Pun intended?

[Mike Sixel]

That went well.

[Seth Stohs]

1.) Logan Darnell is a legit prospect. He's probably a Top 20 prospect for most. May end up being a Brian Duensing, Part 2, but that wouldn't be bad.

2.) May has pitched twice since coming off the DL. Reports I'm getting from Rochester are the he just needs to shake some rust off. Unfortunately, one start got rained out and one start was cut short (3 IP) by a rain suspension.

3.) Meyer didn't line up in this scenario when Gibson couldn't start again. Didn't line up. 

 

Let's not make so much of this. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

Seth, they have known about this Saturday opening for the past week, and there should have been no rush to get Gibson back, just let him sit until his next scheduled turn. They could have easily held Meyer back from his last AAA start and had him plan for Saturday instead.

 

Heck, they could have just had Meyer take Johnson's spot last Monday coming out of the all star break too. It has been 3 weeks since Nolasco has been out, and over a month since Deduno was bumped out. They have had plenty of chances to get Meyer in the rotation but have chosen not to, it is as simple as that. (May is a little more defensible due to his injury, but even he was further delayed by assigning him to the futures game.)

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Not to worry, because both Meyer and May line up nicely for both Tuesday and Wednesdays starts, with the added benefit that Gibson and Hughes would get an extra day or two.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Maybe they even DL Gibson at this point since it's only a few days more anyway, and add a player who could be of use. I better not hear anything about adding Hughes to DL -- the radio guys said he's up and around and ready to go!

[Mr. Brooks]

1.) Logan Darnell is a legit prospect. He's probably a Top 20 prospect for most. May end up being a Brian Duensing, Part 2, but that wouldn't be bad.

2.) May has pitched twice since coming off the DL. Reports I'm getting from Rochester are the he just needs to shake some rust off. Unfortunately, one start got rained out and one start was cut short (3 IP) by a rain suspension.

3.) Meyer didn't line up in this scenario when Gibson couldn't start again. Didn't line up. 

 

Let's not make so much of this. 

 

Why couldn't Meyer have started on Wednesday (instead of Swarzak), you know, when he DID line up?

 

If you wan't to not make so much of it, fine, but don't suggest it has anything to do with lining up with the rotation. That is something that can easily be solved by moving guys back.

 

You also claim it is because Meyer "doesn't throw many strikes", even though that was refuted with the numbers. 

 

May deserved to be promoted BEFORE his injury, and was passed up by the likes of Pino and Johnson. He was also limited to just 47 pitches his first start back. He only missed a month, I could see such a low pitch count if he missed 3 months, but 47 pitches for missing a month with a minor calf strain? There is more to that story. 

 

 

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

Always an excuse. Does no good to trade for guys if you refuse to bring them up.

[drjim]

And I imagine that their "interest" in sustainable fan entertainment hasn't been nearly enough to meet those goals- it seems pretty clear at this point, on the brink of another 90+ loss season, that changes in thinking and philosophy about the on-field product are past due.

 

I wish the Twins would stop waiting and push the magical "win" button that other rebuilding teams like Houston and the Cubs have already utilized.

[HitInAPinch]

Y'know, it's alright to have Kris Johnson, Yohan Pino, or Logan Darnell in the back of your starting rotation.

 

But not all three at the same time. I wasn't frustrated with Gibson's slo-mo progression to the majors last season, but I'm starting to get peeved that May and Meyer haven't reached the majors yet.

I'm getting really frustrated with Twins bringing up all these soft-tossers.  Time to purge and purge HARD!

[stringer bell]

Lets go over the three promoted before Meyer and May:  Johnson, a former high draft choice (LH), throws hard enough (92), but he lost his prospect tag after being discarded but has been very successful for two years at Triple A.  Darnell, never a high prospect, is younger (25), left handed, and has been successful at AAA.  Darnell doesn't throw that hard, but has a nice change-up.  Pino is older (30) and has been in the minors for over a decade, he once was property of the Twins (traded for Pavano) and signed as a minor league free agent.  He doesn't get it much over 90, but had excellent, perhaps dominant, numbers at Rochester this year.  Pino is a right hander.  It is a mixed bag and all three don't ever figure to be more than back end of the rotation guys, but all three aren't career minor leaguers, all three aren't soft tossers, and two have the dividend of being lefties.

[Otto von Ballpark]

It is a mixed bag and all three don't ever figure to be more than back end of the rotation guys, but all three aren't career minor leaguers, all three aren't soft tossers, and two have the dividend of being lefties.

 

Two of them have basically been career minor leaguers, up to age 29/30.  Pino has been a minor league free agent the past 3 offseasons (and was also simply sold outright 4 seasons ago).  Yet we decided he was our #1 priority for a rotation audition this season?  Johnson was a minor league free agent as recently as September 2012, and was traded straight-up for a RHP AAAA reliever turning 28 y.o. last winter.  And he has been the #2 priority?

 

I don't mind that they are pitching with the Twins, I like to see new faces.  But they shouldn't be the top priorities, taking the first two rotation openings (post-Deduno).  We can sort these guys in the bullpen (Guerrier's spot), in August after a trade, if another guys gets injured, or just in September when rosters expand.

 

We can't rely on either of these guys for the 2015 MLB rotation almost regardless of what they do this summer, due to their track records.  I would much rather get a good preview of Meyer and May, so we can make some informed decisions about the roster this offseason (do we need to pursue another starter? or two starters?).  Otherwise, I fear we are going to have so little info on the MLB transition abilities of Meyer and May that we will either over-commit to them and lack good depth, or over-commit to FA starters like Correia/Pelfrey again, and wind up continuing our rotation woes into yet another season.

[stringer bell]

My post was made to point out that there were differences in the three guys promoted who have gotten starts.  I think it is beneficial to see what is there and if their effectiveness will play in the majors.  However, I believe (along with the large majority of TD posters) that the Twins need to see what they have with the guys with upside, specifically May and Meyer.  Super 2 and years of control shouldn't matter that much with guys in their mid-20s or older.  They need to have a better idea if either or both of the big guys are going to be ready to help the club next year.

[Willihammer]

Anyone watching the ESPN game, Dodgers v Giants? The booth interviewed Kershaw (sub 1.00 ERA his last 10 starts). Turns out Kershaw is also working on his changeup. Has been for some time. (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-pitch-that-clayton-kershaw-hasn-t-yet-mastered-232853071.html).

 

(From memory), some of his quotes on the pitch:

 

"I wish Ryu would return the favor [of Kershaw sharing his slider grip with Ryu] and teach me how to throw a changeup"

"I'll never shake to a changeup"

"I know I'll have to rely more on a changeup someday"

 

OK, Kershaw has very good fastball command, and he does throw a slow curve as a third pitch. But, here we have a 26 year old player coming up on his 200th start - and he's not a finished product either.

 

edit: didn't mean to derail the thread - back to Darnell.

 

I actually thought Darnell pitched better than his final line indicated on Saturday. It would be nice to have a larger sample to draw from but in that one start he looked like a possible 5th starter candidate for 2015, maybe a long man. Just my first impression. Will definitely be watching his next starts.

[drjim]

Darnell strikes me as the logical replacement for Duensing.

[TheLeviathan]

Darnell strikes me as the logical replacement for Duensing.

 

Not enough prospect status - Duensing was a top 10 prospect in our system at one point.  (It's relative, but I think it's safe to say Darnell hasn't reached that point.  Brett-Walker has all the makings though!)