Just how important is a LH SP?

[DocBauer]

Other than Lester, I don't know that there's a lot in the way of LH SP's on the market this year.

 

A top LH SP is one of the harder things for a team to find. Over the years, the Twins have been pretty fortunate to have a pair of stud ones in Cy Young winners Frank Viola and Johan Santana. Additionally, at times, they've had other LH'ers who were anywhere from solid to very good amongst the likes of Anderson, Rogers, Liriano, Diamond and Duensing, when a successful starter for one season, and a few scattered others.

 

In a perfect baseball world, I believe your team would employee one top LH SP near the top of the rotation with a second arm elsewhere in the 5. In an ideal baseball world. Of course, it's tough enough to find even one really good one.

 

It is my hope that in two years, possibly as soon as 2016, the Twins rotation will include Hughes, Meyer, Berrios and May. That obviously leaves room for one more starter. I would love that to be a LHer. Could we sign one? Could we move ML or milb talent for one? With Gonsalves and Thorpe too far away, could Taylor Rogers, Gilmartin or Duffy be an option? There are things to like about all three. Gilmartin was a top prospect who got off to a nice start before running in to issues. Has he taken a necessary step back with the Twins this season in order to move forward? Duffy had a really nice season, put up decent numbers, even hit AAA with success. Rogers has solid numbers, but so-so SO numbers, though scouting reports vary on his pure stuff. I know Seth speaks pretty highly of him.

 

So the question to the forum is simply, how important is a LHer in the rotation?

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

In theory, variety of handed-ness would be a factor in choosing between pitchers of similar overall ability.

 

In practice, a team rarely has unlimited options and a pitcher's ability is much more important than which arm he throws with.

 

Also, the Twins play half their games in a park that plays much better for right-handed power than left-handed power. That may make the presence of a LH starter even less important.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think it forces other managers to have to handle their lineups a bit differently.  I don't think having a lefty is a requirement at least at the expense of a more capable righty, but I do agree with TR in his assessment of the org when he said we need to get stronger with LH pitching, and in an ideal world, I'd have one or two in the rotation.

[kab21]

I don't care at all.  All I want is capable pitchers.

 

I don't think it forces managers to manage any differently.  A team's roster is basically set and some teams will have a platoon option or two but for the most part managers don't have much lineup flexibility to set things differently for LH/RH starters due to 12/13 man pitching staffs.  And I'm certain that no team is loading up their starting lineup with LH hitters just so they match up well with the Twins.

[nater79a]

Other than Lester, I don't know that there's a lot in the way of LH SP's on the market this year.

 

A top LH SP is one of the harder things for a team to find. Over the years, the Twins have been pretty fortunate to have a pair of stud ones in Cy Young winners Frank Viola and Johan Santana. Additionally, at times, they've had other LH'ers who were anywhere from solid to very good amongst the likes of Anderson, Rogers, Liriano, Diamond and Duensing, when a successful starter for one season, and a few scattered others.

 

In a perfect baseball world, I believe your team would employee one top LH SP near the top of the rotation with a second arm elsewhere in the 5. In an ideal baseball world. Of course, it's tough enough to find even one really good one.

 

It is my hope that in two years, possibly as soon as 2016, the Twins rotation will include Hughes, Meyer, Berrios and May. That obviously leaves room for one more starter. I would love that to be a LHer. Could we sign one? Could we move ML or milb talent for one? With Gonsalves and Thorpe too far away, could Taylor Rogers, Gilmartin or Duffy be an option? There are things to like about all three. Gilmartin was a top prospect who got off to a nice start before running in to issues. Has he taken a necessary step back with the Twins this season in order to move forward? Duffy had a really nice season, put up decent numbers, even hit AAA with success. Rogers has solid numbers, but so-so SO numbers, though scouting reports vary on his pure stuff. I know Seth speaks pretty highly of him.

 

So the question to the forum is simply, how important is a LHer in the rotation?

 

Tyler Duffey is a right-hander, so you can probably take him off your list.

 

You could add a guy like Jason Wheeler, though.

[drjim]

I don't care at all.  All I want is capable pitchers.

 

I don't think it forces managers to manage any differently.  A team's roster is basically set and some teams will have a platoon option or two but for the most part managers don't have much lineup flexibility to set things differently for LH/RH starters due to 12/13 man pitching staffs.  And I'm certain that no team is loading up their starting lineup with LH hitters just so they match up well with the Twins.

 

The one thing I would say is that there might be some benefit to having different types of pitchers to give different looks to a lineup during a series and throughout the season. It doesn't matter if it is a LH per se, just different styles of pitching. But I also think this is quite secondary to talent.

[DocBauer]

Tyler Duffey is a right-hander, so you can probably take him off your list.

 

You could add a guy like Jason Wheeler, though.

Wow! Did I ever get mixed up there! Not sure what I was thinking when I typed Duffey's name. Thank you for the correction.

[zchrz]

Ideally one of your top 2 is a lefty because they benefit from being a rarer opponent to face.  The majority of lefty starters get by with lesser stuff so one that can pitch at the top of the rotation almost gets a second platoon split because even when throwing to a right handed batter, said batter hasn't faced another good lefty in awhile.  I think in theory if you were to compose the ideal staff (that isn't all aces) it would have a bunch of different styles and looks so the opposing teams are never getting a series where they face 3 right handed sinker ballers (the old twins mold).

 

1 power rhp

2 power lhp

3 workhorse rhp

4 lhp

5 sinkerballer rhp 

 

I think they should try and trade for Gio Gonzalez to add not only a pretty good pitcher but also another wrinkle to the top of the rotation.  Plouffe + a lower minors arm might get it done.

[kab21]

Ideally one of your top 2 is a lefty because they benefit from being a rarer opponent to face.  The majority of lefty starters get by with lesser stuff so one that can pitch at the top of the rotation almost gets a second platoon split because even when throwing to a right handed batter, said batter hasn't faced another good lefty in awhile.  I think in theory if you were to compose the ideal staff (that isn't all aces) it would have a bunch of different styles and looks so the opposing teams are never getting a series where they face 3 right handed sinker ballers (the old twins mold).

 

1 power rhp

2 power lhp

3 workhorse rhp

4 lhp

5 sinkerballer rhp 

 

I think they should try and trade for Gio Gonzalez to add not only a pretty good pitcher but also another wrinkle to the top of the rotation.  Plouffe + a lower minors arm might get it done.

 

Better add Duensing to this trade...

The one thing I would say is that there might be some benefit to having different types of pitchers to give different looks to a lineup during a series and throughout the season. It doesn't matter if it is a LH per se, just different styles of pitching. But I also think this is quite secondary to talent.

 

Yes and no.  Teams play 3 game series and they don't juggle their rotation to get different looks.  The only thing that I would like to avoid is having 5 soft tossing low K pitchers in the rotation but that has more to do with the upside of such a rotation being low.