Punting DH

[Mike Sixel]

Does anyone have a theory on why the Twins are punting DH?

[Puckett34]

Because...reasons

[diehardtwinsfan]

Vargas getting sent down after doing fairly well for 2 weeks straight is a bit odd.  I suspect there was something else going on there.  He's hitting well in AAA as well.  I'd like to see him, Arcia, or Pinto back up and hitting in the DH role soon.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I agree w/ dhtf that management has some kind of issue w/ Vargas, and also think TR didn't want to eat Stauffer's salary and cut him. Why carry 13 pitchers and no DH?

[gunnarthor]

 

Does anyone have a theory on why the Twins are punting DH?

Don't most teams at this point not have a full time DH? 

 

I do think though that in a few weeks Arcia will be our fulltime DH and Rosario will stay in LF for a bit longer.

[drock2190]

 

Don't most teams at this point not have a full time DH? 

 

I do think though that in a few weeks Arcia will be our fulltime DH and Rosario will stay in LF for a bit longer.

 

Who wants to watch Escobar and Nunez in the DH spot for the next few? 

 

Bring up Vargas right now. Send Santana down, bring him up. Escobar plays ss

[drivlikejehu]

They're punting DH because Ryan is the only person on the planet to think that A. Stauffer is good and B. you should have 13 pitchers.

[gunnarthor]

 

Who wants to watch Escobar and Nunez in the DH spot for the next few? 

 

Bring up Vargas right now. Send Santana down, bring him up. Escobar plays ss

We could, but Vargas sort of sucks.  Let him figure out how to take a walk in AAA and bring him up later.

[nytwinsfan]

No.

[drjim]

 

Vargas getting sent down after doing fairly well for 2 weeks straight is a bit odd.  I suspect there was something else going on there.  He's hitting well in AAA as well.  I'd like to see him, Arcia, or Pinto back up and hitting in the DH role soon.

 

What's going on is that Vargas struggles to hit major league pitching and brings less than nothing to table otherwise.

[DuluthFan]

They seem to be keeping it open so they can play Hunter at DH more while they give the young outfielders some time in the field.

 

I don't see what the big need for an extra bench player is about. For pinch hitting? Are you going to pinch hit for Mauer, Dozier or Plouffe? How about Hunter, Hicks or Rosario? Probably not Escobar either. Perhaps Santana. Right now the offense seems to be working fairly well. There are not a lot of pinch hitting opportunities available, so why the need for an extra bench player?

 

Pitching is still the number one question mark on this team. The starters have been pitching farther into the games than last year while for the most part limiting runs allowed. They are still waiting for the other shoe to drop on Pelfrey and Gibson. Hughes seems a little shaky this year as well.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

They seem to be keeping it open so they can play Hunter at DH more while they give the young outfielders some time in the field.

 

I don't see what the big need for an extra bench player is about. For pinch hitting? Are you going to pinch hit for Mauer, Dozier or Plouffe? How about Hunter, Hicks or Rosario? Probably not Escobar either. Perhaps Santana. Right now the offense seems to be working fairly well. There are not a lot of pinch hitting opportunities available, so why the need for an extra bench player?

 

Good points made here, but it still doesn't justify using Escobar at DH.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

This thread could also be called Sano Mashing at Rochester

[Otto von Ballpark]

Hunter has had 2 games at DH since Vargas went down. Nunez 4, and Escobar 3.

 

And you don't need to get rid of the DH to get Rosario and Hicks in the lineup. Robinson has 5 starts and Escobar 2 more in the OF since Vargas went down.

[USAFChief]

Like it or not, Hunter is the right fielder, with an occasional day off or DH here or there in hopes of keeping those 40 year old legs as fresh as can be expected.

 

That's no excuse to be regularly DHing two utility infielders.

 

We all love that they've gotten away with it. That's no reason to keep doing it.

[mickeymental]

hard to believe that they WILL keep doing it ...

[Craig Arko]

Arcia, Vargas, Pinto, and Sano are all on the 40-man. Seems likely one of them will be here soon. Perhaps not in Boston, as the Green Monster has been known to mess up young power hitters in its storied history.

 

But yes, this is an actual chink in the armor that deserves consideration.

[Hrbowski]

Why not have the pitcher bat? Mike Pelfrey leads the team in average...

[nytwinsfan]

It is criminally negligent to have Vargas obliterating AAA pitching and at the same time Nunez and Escobar batting DH. As a commenter above noted, they have gotten away with it, but that is no good reason to keep it up. Send down Santana, move Escobar to SS full time and call up Vargas to play DH.

[Lakeside]

I don't understand the negativity with Molitor's lineups.  The Twins are, I believe 3rd in the AL in runs scored at 4.6 per game.  What's wrong with that?

 

It appears to me that Molitor prefers speed and utility over Vargas and Arcia at this time.  If we stop scoring with speed and clutch hitting maybe he will look to Vargas and Arcia for the long ball at that time.

 

After Stauffer's perfomance today it will be hard to keep him.  My guess is that we will bring a position player over a pitcher, but I'm certainly not so sure it will be Vargas or Arcia.

 

 

[drivlikejehu]

 

I don't understand the negativity with Molitor's lineups.  The Twins are, I believe 3rd in the AL in runs scored at 4.6 per game.  What's wrong with that?

 

It appears to me that Molitor prefers speed and utility over Vargas and Arcia at this time.  If we stop scoring with speed and clutch hitting maybe he will look to Vargas and Arcia for the long ball at that time.

 

After Stauffer's perfomance today it will be hard to keep him.  My guess is that we will bring a position player over a pitcher, but I'm certainly not so sure it will be Vargas or Arcia.

 

Clutch hitting isn't a skill, it's luck. Nor are the Twins winning because of "speed."

 

The issue is probably more Ryan than Molitor though... it's hard to have a real DH with 13 pitchers.

 

 

[Lakeside]

 

Clutch hitting isn't a skill, it's luck. Nor are the Twins winning because of "speed."

 

The issue is probably more Ryan than Molitor though... it's hard to have a real DH with 13 pitchers.

To each their own.  Vargas does nothing for me unless he can hit 25-30 dingers a year and about 30 doubles.  His K pct., double-plays hit into, and clogging the bases when on. . . plus his lack of really playing a position is more a detriment to me than I would prefer.

 

Fans can dream that he is David Ortiz. . . but he is not.  Maybe someday.

 

Arcia can hit. . . but can he play the outfield?  Did you see Colabello cause 3 runs today by his play in LF. . one on the Mauer error and two by not getting to Hunter's double?  There is a real place for speed, defense, and utility options in baseball and I think Paul Molitor knows that.

[Mike Sixel]

And defense matters for the DH?

[Lakeside]

 

And defense matters for the DH?

Got me there. . . forgot this thread was on DH.

 

As to roster, though, Vargas would not be on mine.  Stauffer down and Arcia up makes some sense, but I don't think he would be an everyday DH.  Hunter will have time, Nunez will have time.  Arcia with some time against RHs makes sense as a DH only. 

[blairpaul715]

 

Arcia, Vargas, Pinto, and Sano are all on the 40-man.

But yes, this is an actual chink in the armor that deserves consideration.

And I bet they are considering it, but they have decided now is not the time................as much as i agree that one of them would be nice to have at DH, i am not going to argue with results....................as much as WE ALL blame TR or the manager for losing, give them credit for pushing the correct buttons, to keep us on the winning side.

[drivlikejehu]

 

And I bet they are considering it, but they have decided now is not the time................as much as i agree that one of them would be nice to have at DH, i am not going to argue with results....................as much as WE ALL blame TR or the manager for losing, give them credit for pushing the correct buttons, to keep us on the winning side.

 

Why should we give them credit for luck? What did Ryan do to cause Mauer to have a fluky average with RISP so far this year? Hint: nothing.

 

Also, why should we give them credit for having a good record at the end of May, when only the record at the end of the regular season counts for anything?

[SwainZag]

 

Why should we give them credit for luck? What did Ryan do to cause Mauer to have a fluky average with RISP so far this year? Hint: nothing.

 

Also, why should we give them credit for having a good record at the end of May, when only the record at the end of the regular season counts for anything?

 

This is very much a damned if you do, damned if you don't attitude.  Doing well?  They are lucky.  Doing bad? Front office is trash.  They are obviously doing something right.  First 20 win month  in 25 years and one of the best records in the league so far.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

What's going on is that Vargas struggles to hit major league pitching and brings less than nothing to table otherwise.

 

Perhaps, but he seemed like he was turning it around posting a >.800 OPS in his appearances for 2 weeks prior to being sent down.

[DocBauer]

There is a perfectly good reason..sorta...why the Twins don't have a full time DH. What, you thought it was complicated and Molitor didn't want one? Silly you. The truth is, right now, the Twins don't have one. Period. So for now, Molitor is putting together a lineup that makes the most sense daily. And for the most part, it's working quite well.

 

Now, I've been vocal and critical about sending Vargas down just when it looked like he was coming around. And we could go round and round together and against management if it was a smart move to send him down when it appeared he was starting to hit. But, he has been raking at AAA, a level he's NEVER played at, BTW, and will hopefully get the entirety of his game legs under him before being re-promoted again. Also, in the near future, you have to figure Arcia will be healthy enough again to rehab and hopefully be brought back up.

 

In the meantime, Molitor is putting out the best daily lineup he can. That means balancing offense and defense. And that means, once in a while, for now, you have a utility INF batting .370-ish, or others, playing the DH role on any given day.

 

Now, when Arcia, Vargas or Pinto, etc al, can hit .250 w/power or above, then we are talking my friend! In the meantime, that is where we are at. Hey....you may not like the answer, but there it is.

[TheLeviathan]

If the Twins really want to play Escobar...why not send down the guy that looks like he needs it (Santana) and get Vargas back up?