January Mailbag Call

[Nick Nelson]

What's on your mind here in the middle of this frigid offseason? We'll be running another TD Mailbag column later this week. Use this thread to submit any questions you have about the team, prospects, MLB, Twins Daily or anything else you please. Like last time, we'll send a coupon for a free large pizza from Papa John's to anybody whose questions are used in the column!

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

What was the biggest surprise of the Hall of Fame voting results?

 

How bad does Ricky Nolasco have to be to lose a spot in the Twins' rotation? Conversely, how good does Alex Meyer have to pitch to earn a spot?

[Mike Sixel]

Which minor league RP will we see up early? Not a big fan of not using your minor league system for those guys fast, before they get hurt (which seems to be what many, not all, other teams are doing now).

[stringer bell]

Are the Twins really going to go with their current options for center field?  Related question--will Danny Santana see considerable time in center this year?

[Boom Boom]

Does the removal of Eric Fryer from the 40-man indicate that the Twins are comfortable enough in Josmil Pinto to be the backup catcher?

[nater79a]

Six Twins (Schafer, Duensing, Nunez, Plouffe, Fien, Milone) will exchange arbitration figures with the club later this month. Which one(s) have the potential to be the most contentious, if any?

[nytwinsfan]

Does the removal of Eric Fryer from the 40-man indicate that the Twins are comfortable enough in Josmil Pinto to be the backup catcher?

 

Related, is the "Pinto is a bad defensive/receiving catcher" belief that everyone seems to share based on the eye test (and presumably pitchers' comments) alone, or are there stats that show this?

[jharaldson]

Ron Gardenhire was either first or second in the AL for Manager of the Year 6 times and has been linked to 0 manager jobs this offseason.  Joe Maddon was either first or second in the AL for Manager of the Year 2 times and a team fired its current manager and hired him almost immediately after he came available.  Why has Ron Gardenhire generated almost no interest in the MLB community?

[Rosterman]

The Twins do have MANY holes. Can we expect Santana and Vargas to replicate their 2014 season? Is Pinto for real as an alternative behind the plate. At what point do you give up on Hicks. What happens if Hughes doesn't shine and Perkins implodes. And do we have a backup plan for Mauer at first. The Twins have the pieces for the starting 25, but not much in reserve in many places if something happens. Are any of the minor league free agent signings really helpful to the team in the short-term?

[VandyTwinsFan]

Will the Hunter+Arcia = (slowest OF ever) experiment last beyond All-Star break?

 

Will a Twins pitcher have more strikeouts than any of the Twins position players? Arcia had 127 K's in 103 games and Phil Hughes had 186 K's last year. Next best for pitchers was Nolasco at 115 K's. 

 

If a tough Plouffe could tough through, how many games would a tough Plouffe tough through?

 

In a 7 game series between the big league club and roster made of the AA/AAA teams, how many games does the big league team win?

[SwainZag]

Will the Hunter+Arcia = (slowest OF ever) experiment last beyond All-Star break?

 

Did you see Willingham+Arcia?  Hunter is much quicker than Willingham ever was.

 

What's the timeline for Nick Burdi?  Any chance that Sano and Buxton both start the season in Rochester?

[youngpadawan]

Could Gordon pull off a Buxton-esk first full season and shoot up prospect rankings? How do their first half seasons compare?

[Halsey Hall]

Who's the cream of the crop in the Central Division this year?

[Bark's Lounge]

Based upon what you know about the Twins players behind the scenes (leadership, respect, preparation, etc.), if the Twins were to name a Player or Players a Captain - who do you think would get to wear the "C" on their uniforms?

[Tibs]

Is the Papa Johns coupon good in Iowa?

[Tibs]

What is it going to take for the Twins to win the division?

 

I'm done with this 90 loss stuff. Win Twins!

[Riverbrian]

What do you think of the Padres Off Season. Acquiring all that talent and not parting with Hedges or significant MLB pitchers...

 

Could the Twins ever have an off-season like that?

 

BTW... When I ask "could the twins ever have an off-season like that". I don't mean it in a snotty way... It's a legitimate question type phrasing.

[Nick Nelson]

Is the Papa Johns coupon good in Iowa?

It is not, unfortunately. MN only. But you can gift it to a friend here and score some points.

[Wookiee of the Year]

Which two players do you most expect to disappoint in 2015? And: Which two players do you most expect to surprise in 2015?

 

(Answers can be 40 Man or top prospects.)

[glunn]

Lots of great questions here.  I am wondering who is most likely to be the next Twins pitcher to take the mound in a World Series.  

[ashbury]

  I am wondering who is most likely to be the next Twins pitcher to take the mound in a World Series.  

_{^{Ricky Nolasco.  Traded to a contender on July 31.  Pitches mop-up in an 11-0 loss in Game Two.}}

[old nurse]

Lots of great questions here.  I am wondering who is most likely to be the next Twins pitcher to take the mound in a World Series. 

Do they still have to be wearing a Twins uniform

[Blackjack]

Are the Twins really going to go with their current options for center field?  Related question--will Danny Santana see considerable time in center this year?

 

Related question, Escobar had a good year at short, why does everybody say that Santana should be at short instead?? What did he do in the minors or majors to earn the starting shortstop job??

[tobi0040]

My question would be, for the sake of defense, what are the odds the Twins trade either Arcia or Vargas and leave the remaining guy at DH.   Which would you see traded in that scenario?

[Blackjack]

Realistically, barring injury, how many years before Kohl Stewart plays for the Twins? Will he ever play with Alex Meyer, before Meyer becomes a free agent?

[DaveW]

When is the mark DeRosa Q&A coming?

[tobi0040]

What are the odds one of Meyer and May make the team (assuming one in the pen).  What are the odds just one and which would you suspect it would be?