Morneau looks frustrated-time for a change?

[nokomismod]

His body language just looks bad right now. I think he should at least be moved down in the order so that Plouffe can maybe start hitting home runs with guys on base.

Do you expect Morneau to show slight signs of improvement this year and next or will he stay about the same and call it quits after this season?

[John Bonnes]

My personal theory - and this is becoming my go to theory any time Morneau is struggling - is that his wrist hurts again but he's not telling anyone. Sigh.

 

(And no, I don't have any inside information on which that is based.)

[gunnarthor]

I figure it's one of three things A) He's hurt his concussions have disrupted his brain enough that he won't ever be able to "see" the ball as well as he had in years past and, with his age, he'll continue to play like this. Good power when he connects but lots of strike outs and bad at bats or C) He's still incredibly rusty from not playing much the last few years and, when he has played, has been dinged up. He needs a lot of at bats to shake the cobwebs out but, as the summer progresses he'll start coming back to normal, finish the season strong and give us reason to hope that next season will be a strong one for him.

 

I think it's more C than B but it could be A. He's hitting righties pretty well so I think it's just a matter or repetition for him to get back to more or less normal. It'll take a while but I think the Twins have to keep him in the lineup to find out either way. I have no problem if Gardy wants to move him down the order.

[TheLeviathan]

I tend to agree with Bonnes. If not the wrist, it's something. This happened with the neck injury too. He struggles mightily and then we find out 7-10 days later it was some undisclosed injury.

[CDog]

I figure it's one of three things A) He's hurt his concussions have disrupted his brain enough that he won't ever be able to "see" the ball as well as he had in years past and, with his age, he'll continue to play like this. Good power when he connects but lots of strike outs and bad at bats or C) He's still incredibly rusty from not playing much the last few years and, when he has played, has been dinged up. He needs a lot of at bats to shake the cobwebs out but, as the summer progresses he'll start coming back to normal, finish the season strong and give us reason to hope that next season will be a strong one for him.

 

I think it's more C than B but it could be A. He's hitting righties pretty well so I think it's just a matter or repetition for him to get back to more or less normal. It'll take a while but I think the Twins have to keep him in the lineup to find out either way. I have no problem if Gardy wants to move him down the order.

I hope and have hoped and continue to hope that it's C). I don't think anyone (maybe even Morneau himself?) knows which is true. So I guess I'll keep hoping.

[Crotalo]

His mechanics are terrible and he looks like he's afraid to stay in...especially against LH pitching. Either he gets over it, or he doesn't. Right now, he's no where close and is swinging at pretty much everything.

[IdahoPilgrim]

I hope I'm wrong (I probably am) but I don't think Morneau will come back, at least not to what he was before. He may regain some form, but he'll never be like he was before 2010. I remember an interview he gave before the season started and it left me the impression that he knows he's in the tailend of his career and not the start. In other words, he's looking ahead to the day it's over. Now, that doesn't mean he's going to roll over and quit (I am not at all saying that) but I just got the impression that even he thinks his best days are behind him. I think this protracted concussion/injury thing the last 2 years has taken a toll on him mentally and moved him to a different place. I still think he has a role to play and can be productive, but the old Justin is gone.

[CDog]

I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Morneau will come back, at least not to what he was before. He may regain some form, but he'll never be like he was before 2010.

The thing that makes me feel like nobody really knows what's going on (includnig the player, possibly) is that you could likely have made that same statement right now even if he hadn't had any health concerns or basically missed a season and a half without getting major league at bats. He's 31. Obviously that's not an age where players are always done or even close, but it's likely past prime. And with how much he absolutely raked in '10 (and to lesser extent the several years prior), it's almost a given that he never would have touched that from this point on even without the other setbacks.

[UCLA_YANKEE_COLA]

I sure hope it's the wrist but it sure feels like we're creeping awfully close to the end of the line. His age wouldn't dictate that but it makes it a lot harder to envision a return to form. I know when I turned 30 I started falling apart. Of course I'm a mostly unathletic drunk but everything I do hurts more and takes longer to recover from than it did at 29.

[Badsmerf]

Give him some days off then! Parmelee needs to play and if Morneau is playing hurt he is just being stubborn. It doesn't help anyone. Morneau hopefully knows this.

[wagwan]

Wrist is hurt let him rehab at New Britain They love him and Colabello can get some swings for Rochester who started Holliman at first. He obviously does not want to sit down

[twinzgrl]

His mechanics are terrible and he looks like he's afraid to stay in...especially against LH pitching. Either he gets over it, or he doesn't. Right now, he's no where close and is swinging at pretty much everything.

I agree with this...remember how for a week or two he was really in a groove after his wrist supposedly was better. Before the season started I really thought his career was over, and was happy when he was able to play every day. But it is obvious that there is something really wrong right now. I hope he can figure it out. We need him.

[diehardtwinsfan]

yeah, watching Justin hurts... my favorite player by far. Hope he can get back to some of his earlier form

[jianfu]

I'm sure it's mostly injuries, but I also think the move to TF has really been difficult on him.

 

I don't know if he's at the end or not, but even at the height of his powers he was U-G-L-Y to watch when he slumped. Those terrible attempts to pull low offerings six inches off the outside of the plate were there even around 2006-2010. So, in a weird way, maybe that's good news?

[diehardtwinsfan]

they always throw him outside, why doesn't he take it and go oppo? I'd think if he starts scorching a few to LF that this will change on him in a hurry...

[Roaddog]

I love Justin Morneau and what he has done for the Twins. But something isn't right. Maybe he will never fully recover from the concussions.