Is Nolasco the worst twins player of all time?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

While yes, any pitcher can have a bad outing, I think it is pretty clear that this was closer to the norm for Nolasco in a Twins uniform then some "random bad day"

 

And Terry Ryan had no choice, was forced to sign him, correct? 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

It was one twitter response 

Just one? Really?

[nicksaviking]

Can't wait for this rebuild to start, only three more years.

[ashbury]

 

It didn't go well today - but let's take a deep breath people.  

Then this is probably a cheap-shot over-reaction:

 

 

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

yeah, a deep breath of sour milk

[h2oface]

 

Nolasco wasn't hit that hard today, but the 4 walks were inexcusable.  

 

The 3 runs in the 3rd were set up by a lead-off walk and the runs scored on a bloop single to center and a 1-handed Cabrera double down the line on a very good pitch.

 

The 3 runs in the 4th were set up by a lead-off walk and a nubbed infield hit, a Gose should been single that Torii turned into a triple and then Nolasco was pulled.  The 6th run came on the should have been single by Kinsler turned into triple by Schaefer.

 

The hardest hit ball off him all day was probably the fly by Kinsler in the 1st that Torii caught at the track.  While I don't want to insinuate he pitched well, because he didn't,  but he wasn't knocked around the yard.  Something positive to take I guess.

He starts the season off with a .400 batting average against and a .526 on base percentage against. Just like batting practice.

If you need more positives.... Nolasco currently is tied (with 24 others) for the team lead in Rs, HRs, RBI, and SBs, and he hasn't even had an AB!

[nicksaviking]

I get holding back judgment after only one game, but I think people are correct in seeing this more as a trend continued from last year instead of wiping the slate clean.  

 

To dig a little deeper though, what was up with his sub 90's velocity? Uh, that ain't going to fly considering  the utter lack of impressiveness of his all around game.  This has bad vibes shooting from it in every direction. 

[mikelink45]

At this point I am more concerned with the way Shaffer played today - he is supposed to be the one fielder in the Outfield and he looked terrible.  Nolasco might pitch some good games, but overall he has a long ways to go to be the worst, I saw some good pitchers get raked these two days so I won't panic over one start from a mediocre pitcher.  

[twinscowboysbulls]

Love the potential of this thread.

[SwainZag]

 

He starts the season off with a .400 batting average against and a .526 on base percentage against. Just like batting practice.

If you need more positives.... Nolasco currently is tied (with 24 others) for the team lead in Rs, HRs, RBI, and SBs, and he hasn't even had an AB!

 

I've seen the numbers.  If I didn't watch the game, I would assume the Tigers just clobbered him.  His control was terrible, but like I said there were very few balls that anyone actually squared up against him.  The defense didn't help at all.  We can go on and on and on how he sucks, TR is an idiot, or we can actually talk about what went on during the game.  It was cold, on the road, against a good offense and nothing went his way.  I've seen him pitch worse.

[USAFChief]

I've seen him pitch worse.

Quite the confidence inspiring testimonial. ;-)

[Rosterman]

You gotta win series to be competitive. How many teams can our top two pitchers out duel. That is the question. And the guy in centerfield is hitting, so we can't complain about that dead hole.

[DiscGolfer]

Rondell White, I remember the 400 Bar was offering Bud Lites for whatever his average was at the time.

[h2oface]

If I was a manager, if I had starters like this...... I would start my best pitcher against the opposing teams number two or three, and start my 4 and/or 5 against 1 & 2, unless I want to line up my rotation for the home opener and series. Stagger my best starters. No need to have them go up against the other team's aces and hope for the best. I would also consider that Phil Hughes has only had one good opening month in his career (2010), and was not showing he was really ready all spring. Gibson looked the best and most ready to me, and he also is on the board for starting well last year. I would have started Milone on the road against Price, Hughes or Gibson today against Sanchez (either one, so they also line up to start the home opener Monday at Target), and the one I didn't start today to go against Greene Thursday. That also lets me avoid having Hughes go up against Sale on Sunday in Chicago, and puts him and Gibson in front of the Home Fans on Monday and Wednesday. If it rains, maybe Hughes is pushed to Monday, anyway. But the point is, no need to match up Hughes or Gibson against the opposing ace. I can maximize odds for my team better to not pitch Hughes, who starts slow, against the other Aces to start the season. 

Nolasco and Pelfrey I fill in after Hughes/Gibson or Gibson/Hughes. Starting the first game of the season on the road is over rated.  When Nolasco, Pelfrey, and Milone pitch, it is a hope and dream for a win, anyway.

[glunn]

It seems to me that attacking Nolasco for not hiding a desire to be in Los Angeles is being oversensitive.  I would like to have a pitcher who talks incessantly about his affection for some other city if he could pitch 200 innings for the Twins and get 200 strikeouts.  In fact, I would like to have five of such pitchers, and they could even wear "I love LA" tee shirts whenever they are not in uniform.

 

I also suspect that other Twins players and many players on other teams would prefer to play in Los Angeles -- great weather, better endorsement deals, wilder parties, etc.  I understand that it is a little inconsiderate to the fan base if a player publicly expresses affection for another city, but I would hope that we have sufficiently thick skins to not hold grudges about a tweet or two that was not intended as a slight to the Twins.

 

It seems to me that Nolasco is doing his best, and that we will know soon whether that will be good enough.  I also hope that May and Meyer knock loudly on the door by being lights out in AAA.

 

I also don't understand attacking Nolasco or any other player on the grounds that he has been vastly overpaid relative to his body of work, UNLESS there is real evidence that the player is not giving 100% to the team.  If Nolasco is working as hard as he can to succeed and he still fails, then he is a bad player but not a bad person.

[Mike Sixel]

They never had an issue just dropping Nishi from the lineup.......IF Nolasco plays like this for 6 weeks, they better have the same hook for him. 

 

I have no issue with the LA comments, if you are from LA, you probably don't want to move to MN all that much either.....

[JeffReboulet]

I agree that the "Nolasco flaunts his love for Cali" line is definitely a manifestation of our Minnesota (sports) inferiority complex. Whatever.

 

Like a few others, I don't think he was as godawful as his final line looked today. Still not close to acceptable, but I'm determined to wait a few weeks to see how Ricky (and the entire team!) respond. If it's still bleak at the end of the month, we can always go with the nuclear option: #bringbackgardy

[jimmer]

 

They never had an issue just dropping Nishi from the lineup.......IF Nolasco plays like this for 6 weeks, they better have the same hook for him. 

 

I have no issue with the LA comments, if you are from LA, you probably don't want to move to MN all that much either.....

Yeah, again, for me I didn't have any issues with his comment. I was just pointing out how some people might not be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of those kind of comments.

 

I'm from LA, I spent my first 21 years in California.  I can't see myself ever going back unless my kids want to go.

[David HK]

 

I agree that the "Nolasco flaunts his love for Cali" line is definitely a manifestation of our Minnesota (sports) inferiority complex. Whatever.

Like a few others, I don't think he was as godawful as his final line looked today. Still not close to acceptable, but I'm determined to wait a few weeks to see how Ricky (and the entire team!) respond. If it's still bleak at the end of the month, we can always go with the nuclear option: #bringbackgardy

Aieeeee!  Cue the Bernard Herrmann violins!  

[woolywoolhouse]

If Nolasco can't (or doesn't like to) pitch in the cold, what good is he going to be in October? (If the Twins make it back there during his contract.) And not just here. Unless it's a Tampa Bay/Arizona World Series, at least a couple games every World Series are going to be in a cold stadium. For what he's making, he should be able to pitch underwater if asked.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

For me, the bottom of the barrel is the 70ish innings the Twins gave Sean Bergman in 2000. Got paid $1.2 mil for that (He might have been the second highest paid player on that team behind Radke)

Hey, I saw Bergman beat the Yankees that year!  In New York, no less.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA200004250.shtml

 

I wish we could have paid $1.2 mil for encore performances of that in 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010.