Dozier to Lead-off

[stringer bell]

Let's face it.  Plan A for the lead-off hitter has struggled.  Danny Santana's slash line is .203/.237/.441, no adequate for any position in the lineup.  All of us would expect him to regress to the mean eventually and hit closer to last year's numbers.  However, his lack of selectivity has been a constant in almost 500 major league plate appearances.  It may be that the lead-off duties have added additional pressure for Santana.  I think it would be prudent to move him down in the lineup and restore his confidence. 

 

Brian Dozier strikes out a lot and doesn't provide the stolen base threat that Santana provides.  However, Dozier sees many more pitches per at-bat, draws quite a few walks and is a threat to turn around any inside fastball.  Dozier struggled big-time as a cleanup hitter, but his record batting first is pretty good. 

 

I think it will help the Twins greatly to bat Dozier lead-off for the near future. 

[Minniman]

Unless the Twins go to the OPS lineup theory, having Dozier bat first is not a good long term plan. Even then, it may not be good.

 

Having Santana bat there before establishing himself as a major league hitter was not a good plan either.

[Halsey Hall]

Face it, no one on the team besides Nunez is hitting the ball.  I'm not a stat guy, but just looking at the BA for this lineup, it's pathetic.  They can't all be this bad, or can they.  The rest of the lineup even makes Poof look ok.  Vargas is way over matched now that the book is out.  Throw him that breaking ball and he's an automatic out.  I'd give him the take sign whenever he gets 2 strikes.

 

At least Molitor has been switching things around, and probably won a game or two that Gardy wouldn't have.  And just how good is Bruno? 

 

I'd never have thought the day would come where I'd be so thrilled to see someone hit a single, but that day is here. 

[jokin]

 

Unless the Twins go to the OPS lineup theory, having Dozier bat first is not a good long term plan. Even then, it may not be good.

 

Having Santana bat there before establishing himself as a major league hitter was not a good plan either.

 

The only current alternative to this mess at the top of the order is Mauer.  Or wait.... OTOH, Aaron Hicks is teasing everyone again down in Rochester with a .375 OBP (ehhh, did I just write that?).

[jokin]

 

Face it, no one on the team besides Nunez is hitting the ball.  I'm not a stat guy, but just looking at the BA for this lineup, it's pathetic.  They can't all be this bad, or can they.  The rest of the lineup even makes Poof look ok.  Vargas is way over matched now that the book is out.  Throw him that breaking ball and he's an automatic out.  I'd give him the take sign whenever he gets 2 strikes.

 

At least Molitor has been switching things around, and probably won a game or two that Gardy wouldn't have.  And just how good is Bruno? 

 

I'd never have thought the day would come where I'd be so thrilled to see someone hit a single, but that day is here. 

 

Phil Miller pointed out this morning that Mauer has gone 55 games without a home run. Mauer ranks 30th, or last, among First Baseman with a paltry ISO of .032. (by contrast, to illustrate Mauer's lack of power production, Danny Santana ranks 26th among Shortstops with an ISO of .034)   Further, Mauer's 4 home runs last season, was the lowest total by a First Baseman since 1998.

[Minniman]

 

Phil Miller pointed out this morning that Mauer has gone 55 games without a home run. Mauer ranks 30th, or last, among First Baseman with a paltry ISO of .032. (by contrast, to illustrate Mauer's lack of power production, Danny Santana ranks 26th among Shortstops with an ISO of .034)   Further, Mauer's 4 home runs last season, was the lowest total by a First Baseman since 1998.

 

Some fans believe Mauer is still earning most of his paycheck.

 

He is like a dead albotross on the deck of a sinking ship.

[Minniman]

 

 

 

At least Molitor has been switching things around, and probably won a game or two that Gardy wouldn't have. 

 

And just how good is Bruno? 

 

 

Bruno was not a particularly good hitter in the majors. That does not mean he doesn't know his stuff.

 

There are too many hitters that have not improved under his watch, but reports are that he did a good job in the minors.

[Brock Beauchamp]

As an illustration of how badly the Twins' youngsters have performed in 2015, Santana's OPS is .519 as of today. That's horrible.

 

And it's still .057 points higher than Kennys Vargas.

 

Ouch.

 

This is what young players do... While I'd consider demoting Vargas, a guy who hasn't even played in AAA, I'm willing to give Santana another week or two to sort it out. We need to be patient with the kids, though Vargas looks like he needs a breather in the minors.