Santana Optioned, Vargas Recalled

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Yes, Duensing and Stauffer and their 2+ WHIP need to be DFA'd asap. Just eat their combined $4+ million contracts.

I'd like to see those two replaced with Achter and Polanco

[drivlikejehu]

Polanco shouldn't be rushed. 

 

I'd DFA Stauffer and call up Bernier as the middle infield utility guy, and DFA Duensing and call up Taylor Rogers to begin his LOOGY career.

[jorgenswest]

Two thoughts

 

Hunter still needs to be given DH time - maybe once a series. The Twins still need another OF hopefully among Arcia or Buxton. That can be accomplished by going to 12 pitchers

 

Vargas needs to force pitchers to throw him strikes by laying off the pitches out of the strike zone. The message must have been received. In Minnesota, he offered at 33.9% of pitches out of the zone. In Rochester it was 18.5%. It should be less going to AAA but that is a significant difference.

[jokin]

 

Two thoughts

Hunter still needs to be given DH time - maybe once a series. The Twins still need another OF hopefully among Arcia or Buxton. That can be accomplished by going to 12 pitchers

Vargas needs to force pitchers to throw him strikes by laying off the pitches out of the strike zone. The message must have been received. In Minnesota, he offered at 33.9% of pitches out of the zone. In Rochester it was 18.5%. It should be less going to AAA but that is a significant difference.

 

As was the 115% improvement in his BB%.

[strumdatjaguar]

At some point, Eduardo Escobar,Jorge Polanco and Danny Santana are in a battle to see who is the starting shortstop in August.and two years beyond.  Then, one of them has ether secured a position or Nick Gordon or someone else is added to the mix.

[jimbo92107]

Good move, I was wondering why they were keeping Vargas down. Twins can win some games with Vargas at DH. He's so much more intimidating than Esco or Nunez behind Plouffe. Vargas is a legit power threat from both sides, and he will definitely knock in some runs.

 

Meanwhile, Nunez and Esco platoon SS and Left, where they belong. No more pretending to be a scarey DH, just super subs.

 

Speaking of subs, I'd like to hear what you guys think about calling up another super sub. Who would it be, Beresford, Bernier, or somebody else? What all positions do Escobar and Nunez actually play?

 

BTW, should Vargas start getting scarey tattoos and wear spiked armor on his front side? That would look tre cool... ;-)

[jimbo92107]

 

At some point, Eduardo Escobar,Jorge Polanco and Danny Santana are in a battle to see who is the starting shortstop in August.and two years beyond.  Then, one of them has ether secured a position or Nick Gordon or someone else is added to the mix.

If Polanco works his butt off on his fielding form, he'll be hard to beat. That guy's a gamer. Otherwise Gordon could sweep past everybody if he starts hitting. I hope that's not a long-shot 'if.'

[jimbo92107]

I'm making this call not just because I like Danny Santana, but because I really believe he's got star talent. He just needs to refine his approach at the plate so that he's not giving away so many outs. He also needs to work on stealing bases - a guy with his quickness and speed should be a threat every time he gets aboard.

 

Santana has one of the quickest bats in the organization, yet he strikes out a lot. That means he doesn't go up there with a good enough plan, a way of narrowing down the pitches he's going to offer at, a recognition of the situation, etc. With a bat that quick, seems to me he should be taking the Mauer approach, letting the ball get as deep in the zone as possible, then slashing across it to the opposite field. Of course he won't be another Joe Mauer, but being an oppo hitter is a good foundation for a guy like Santana, and it allows him to punch out at some of those outside pitches. Later he can learn to pounce on inside stuff like Dozier.

 

My drill for teaching the Joe Mauer style: Toss the student a basket of oranges, and he must slice each orange in half with a kitana. Fun and nutritious. Once the student can do this with a grape, he is ready. For what, I cannot say.

[Squirrel]

 

Meanwhile, Nunez and Esco platoon SS and Left, where they belong.

I actually hope this move keeps them both out of LF, where neither belong, ever.

[blairpaul715]

 

To do what?  What's changed?

 

I hope he continues to pound fastballs and grooved breaking balls.  It's what a lot of good hitters do.

I am hoping he isnt taking swings at every pitch in the dirt, after getting strike one on him........I am hoping there was a message to have better at bats..........i thought he was swinging wildly at pitchers pitches.

[SwainZag]

Danny needs to regain whatever confidence he had at the plate last season.  He attacked pitches last year.  This year, it seems as almost every swing, no matter the count, is an 0-2 defensive swing.  Not to mention him swinging at pitches out of the zone he shoudln't even be taking cuts at.  I hope he can go to Rochester and find what he had going for him last season.

[TheLeviathan]

I am hoping he isnt taking swings at every pitch in the dirt, after getting strike one on him........I am hoping there was a message to have better at bats..........i thought he was swinging wildly at pitchers pitches.

In April absolutely, but right before his demotion he was taking much better at bats.

 

In any case, he didn't see the kind of pitchers pitches in AAA that were confounding him. His adjustment had to happen against big league off speed stuff.

[HitInAPinch]

 

Arcia must really be struggling. Wouldnt mind seeing him brought back and perhaps dropping down to a 12 man bullpen

After the incident early in the season [where he didn't hustle out of the batters box] Arcia needed an attitude adjustment.  His current stats [ 29 AB's .103 BA ] are abysmal.  I thought the original move should have been to AA-ball.  Let him let a look at who's nipping at his heals.  

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

I think the other reason that Arcia was not the one called up has to do with when he was optioned. I think he still has another series or two before his 10 days minimum are up. That clock started just last week, yes? His rehab assignment did not count towards the 10 days.

[tobi0040]

 

Polanco shouldn't be rushed. 

 

I'd DFA Stauffer and call up Bernier as the middle infield utility guy, and DFA Duensing and call up Taylor Rogers to begin his LOOGY career.

 

Stauffer has a max two more appearances. He has 12 and when he gets 15, he gets a $250 bonus.  Another at 18, 21, and 24.  I just dont see see the Twins giving him even one.  Hopefully the two games are blowouts.

[tobi0040]

Offensively I like the Santana for Vargas move.  But I am not convinced that Vargas has the range for short stop.

[Craig Arko]

 

Offensively I like the Santana for Vargas move.  But I am not convinced that Vargas has the range for short stop.

I'm pretty sure the gravity well will just bring the ball to him.

[USAFChief]

Offensively I like the Santana for Vargas move.  But I am not convinced that Vargas has the range for short stop.

Nonsense. He covers a lot of ground.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

When Vargas sits around the infield....

 

I am very happy that he's back. Vargas is one of my favorites. 

[nicksaviking]

So I'm guessing if Polanco gets promoted before Santana gets recalled, Polanco will be coming straight from AA?  I don't see how both could co-exist at Rochester if the team still wants both to continue to work on their defense.

[Mike Sixel]

Are people arguing that Vargas learned a skill in 10 or so days in AAA?

 

Sending Santana down was an obvious move. Glad it was done. Now about that bullpen. ......

[tobi0040]

 

. Now about that bullpen. ......

 

DFA Stauffer and send down Duensing.  My priority would be Oliveros, Tonkin, then Achter.

 

Hopefully we get to Burdi in the next few months.  Last 10 appearances, 16.1 IP, 2.20 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 17k, only 4 BB

[Shane Wahl]

Good move, obviously. Work out that bullpen and then get Waldo back up within a week now.

[Shane Wahl]

 

DFA Stauffer and send down Duensing.  My priority would be Oliveros, Tonkin, then Achter.

 

Hopefully we get to Burdi in the next few months.  Last 10 appearances, 16.1 IP, 2.20 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 17k, only 4 BB

 

Yes, exactly what I would do, but I bet they would favor Thielbar over potentially both Tonkin and Achter at this point. They made Oliveros start again yesterday. Good grief.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

I could be completely wrong about this, but I got the sense that Vargas was the one to get sent down instead of Santana last time because they wanted to add a pitcher but wanted to give Santana every opportunity to turn things around.  

My opinion is that it was less about Vargas playing poorly (he was on the upswing in the days leading up to his demotion), and more about the staff wanting to shuffle the deck chairs a different way. I think Santana was destined to be sent down at some point this season unless he found his swing.  

Vargas didn't learn a new skill in his short AAA stint, but I think the demotion and the time away from the MLB pressure may have reminded him how he got the call up in the first place.

[tobi0040]

 

Yes, exactly what I would do, but I bet they would favor Thielbar over potentially both Tonkin and Achter at this point. They made Oliveros start again yesterday. Good grief.

 

Unfortunately you may be right about Thielbar. Good 1.69 ERA, but the 1.75 WHIP and 10-12 K to BB ratio are not screaming promote me.

 

On a side note....with Graham starting the other day and Oliveros starting in AAA, does anyone else get the sense that Pelfrey maybe moved soon?  Seems like we have oodles of starters and Ervin back soon.

[drjim]

 

Are people arguing that Vargas learned a skill in 10 or so days in AAA?

 

Nope. Split seems to be between those he said he didn't learn anything and those who said he had nothing to learn in AAA.

 

And Vargas was down for 3 weeks.

[drjim]

 

Unfortunately you may be right about Thielbar. Good 1.69 ERA, but the 1.75 WHIP and 10-12 K to BB ratio are not screaming promote me.

 

On a side note....with Graham starting the other day and Oliveros starting in AAA, does anyone else get the sense that Pelfrey maybe moved soon?  Seems like we have oodles of starters and Ervin back soon.

 

I get the sense they want Pelfrey in the rotation for the rest of the year.

[Mike Sixel]

 

I get the sense they want Pelfrey in the rotation for the rest of the year.

 

I'd bet we hear talk of an extension soon......

[tobi0040]

 

I get the sense they want Pelfrey in the rotation for the rest of the year.

 

If he continues to pitch well we get good pitching for a year and we can offer him arbitration.  He will likely fetch a 2-3 year deal so we would receive a pick. That is probably the best case.