Ryan Pressly

[DocBauer]

With all the angst and type spent on the bullpen, and our general views of its construction and it's failures at times, performance and said construction, it might be time to throw a little love Pressly's way.

 

Look, all things considered, a healthy Perkins, close to his old self for a year or two more, really helps this bullpen. The frustrated jury is still out on this matter. Hopefully, we will still get a positive verdict. I don't know if we still know what we have in Jepsen, and we should have traded for a second quality arm last year when we got him, but he was outstanding for us last year. After a couple bad outings this year, regression boo birds were already chirping. However, he's looked better lately. Again, like a lot of the pen in the early going, May hasn't shown very brightly. And should still be in the rotation, IMO, but he has the stuff and potential to be very good in the pen. And he showed last season, and during ST, what he can look like as a RP.

 

But while we gnash teeth over failures, and failure to act, and wait for other top RP prospects to arrive, we may have found a really nice arm in Pressly. And with Perkins out of action for now, everyone moves up a notch, and Pressly could be very important going forward.

 

While he was sheltered in 2013, he still finished 3-3 with a 3.87 ERA, 71 hits in 76.2 IP, just shy of a 2-1 SO/BB ratio, .251 BA against and 1.28 WHIP. Not bad first time around. Welcome to your first taste of The League.

 

His opportunities in 2014 were limited and not as successful: 28.1 IP, 30 hits, just shy again of a 2-1 ratio, .278 BA against and a 1.34 WHIP.

 

Bef ore his injury derailed his 2015, he was showing some life again. 27 hits in 27.2 IP, his customary just shy of 2-1 SO/BB ratio with 22/12, a .251 BA and rather mediocre 1.41 WHIP.

 

In SSS thus far, he's looking good in 2016. As I write, Im uncertain if I have the most up to the moment stats, but I believe we are looking at a win, no runs, 6 hits in 8.2 IP, 6 SO to 3 BB, a .188 BA against and 1.04 WHIP.

 

Has time and opportunity given us another, maybe somewhat unexpected, quality option in the bullpen?

[Thrylos]

 

Look, all things considered, a healthy Perkins, close to his old self for a year or two more, really helps this bullpen. The frustrated jury is still out on this matter.

 

The jury is not out on that one.  Shoulder issues minus 5-7 mph; remember a guy named Santana?   Put a fork in him.  Perkins is done.

 

Pressly was one of the best RHRP options last season and it was expected that he will be good this season.

 

Still the Twins need a couple good arms or three.  JT Chargois should be packing his bags

[DocBauer]

The jury is not out on that one.  Shoulder issues minus 5-7 mph; remember a guy named Santana?   Put a fork in him.  Perkins is done.

 

Pressly was one of the best RHRP options last season and it was expected that he will be good this season.

 

Still the Twins need a couple good arms or three.  JT Chargois should be packing his bags

I hear ya. I really do. And I have maintained that something happened to Perk just before, or at all star last season that we still don't know about. But I can't ignore his first half last season. While Perk remains a huge question mark at the moment, Im not sure we can write him off this soon.

 

And while his milb IP are short, I agree on Chargois. Despite his limited experience, I think he is on the fast track based on stuff and attitude. It's still early, but seems to have the proverbial "it" factor. And more and more, it looks like Fien has the "used to" factor.

[Thrylos]

 

And while his milb IP are short, I agree on Chargois. Despite his limited experience, I think he is on the fast track based on stuff and attitude. It's still early, but seems to have the proverbial "it" factor. And more and more, it looks like Fien has the "used to" factor.

 

Totally.

 

Chargois looks like a cold-blooded killer out there.  Got the Mariano Rivera composure.

 

Fien who?  He was never anything when BABIP approached MLB norms.

[Squirrel]

 

Still the Twins need a couple good arms or three.  JT Chargois should be packing his bags

 

I'm ready to hear announcers pronounce his name around the league.

[Thrylos]

 

I'm ready to hear announcers pronounce his name around the league.

 

Hearing Bert trying to do that, will be enough

 

[Squirrel]

 

Hearing Bert trying to do that, will be enough

Well, he was the one I was most thinking of ... but thought I'd spread it around.

[DocBauer]

I wonder, would "Shaggy" dare choose the Scooby-Doo theme song as his walk in music?

 

Would be priceless!

[DocBauer]

Totally.

 

Chargois looks like a cold-blooded killer out there.  Got the Mariano Rivera composure.

 

Fien who?  He was never anything when BABIP approached MLB norms.

I think Fien was fine, as a steal, once upon a time. And I can't completly fault the Twins for taking a roll of the die one more time for depth and hope of a rebound. But results do matter, and sooner or later, there will come a time in which they have to make a move. And that time should be coming soon. And while I'm encouraged by what Graham is doing at Rochester, I don't know that he's as sweet of an option right now as Chargois. I think the time is coming very soon to buy a ticket on the Shaggy train and just bite the bullet.

[stringer bell]

Pressly has been pretty good so far. He still needs to throw more strikes, but the fastball is a good pitch and the breaking ball is a nice out pitch. Today's performance wasn't stellar, but he got hitters to hit the ball to the deep part of the park and to the only plus outfielder on the field for the Twins.

 

I wasn't on board with tendering Fien for a middle relief role, but he's there for now.

[PseudoSABR]

 

After a couple bad outings this year, regression boo birds were already chirping.

Excellent phrasing. 

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

I think Fien was fine

 

Can't spell Fien without 'fine'!

[mikelink45]

I keep hoping to see a study of relief pitcher performances over years of service.  It seems to me that RP tend to fall off after having a big year (considering how often they throw which to me is more important that total innings) they tend to regress the year after they shine (except for the HOF type - Mariano).  I think Perkins has peaked and will be middle innings if anything, Jepsen is a fill in and Fien had his peak come and go whiich means he should go.  I am not sure how this translates to the young guys in the minors, but I do think we need to get them in and using their peak value in the majors.  

 

In this sense I think we are really wasting May and hopefully they will get him in the rotation and see if he is what we hope.  There are some teams (SD) that could use some of our current rotation vets and it would be good to move them and start building the minors up and getting the young arms in.

[diehardtwinsfan]

yeah, I think there's something to the wear on an arm about warming up almost daily, throwing very high leverage, and then getting up and doing it again a day later.  Not to mention all the times they warm up and don't pitch.

[jorgenswest]

Relief pitcher statistics are inconsistent due to the small sample over a season. One season isn't enough to be confident that the numbers represent well the true talent. When the numbers change more often from season to season it is easy to jump to the conclusion that their skill level is inconsistent when it probably is just random.

 

As for Pressly, any assessment the Twins make at this point would have to come from the eye of their trained staff. There will be some information in the pitch level data related to velocity and movement reasonably soon that might indicate a change in skill level. Midseason a change in strike out, walk and ground ball rates might indicate a change in skill. It will take multiple seasons worth of data to be confident in some of the more often used statistics.

 

Watch the velocity, the movement, the effectiveness of each pitch. Has he improved a pitch? Has he changed his pitch mix? That will be the first hope in a change of skill level other than the eye of someone watching him in practice and in games.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I hear ya. I really do. And I have maintained that something happened to Perk just before, or at all star last season that we still don't know about. But I can't ignore his first half last season. While Perk remains a huge question mark at the moment, Im not sure we can write him off this soon.

 

the Twins have enough bullpen filler right now that they can move on entirely from Perk. If he somehow does manage to come back strong for the second half of the season, the pen will be that much stronger as a result.

[nicksaviking]

I like Pressly and as he was the most consistent member of the pen last year when healthy, I thought it was crazy that he wasn't assumed a roster spot simply because he had an option.

 

I'm ready for Chargois and the other young arms too. I'm also hoping Graham turns out like Pressly, so far they're on the same path.

 

The league still puts a value on the "closer" title, so I really hope this club sees the light and if they ever find themselves with a surplus of bullpen arms (pipe dream I know) they continually deal the guy with silly closer label to get the best return.

[Mr. Brooks]

I haven't been able to watch many games yet, with so many day games.

What's up with Pressly? Just SSS noise? Or something in his delivery or velocity to be worried about?

[stringer bell]

I didn't see today's performance, but Pressly has had plenty of velo. He looks super impressive for one hitter and then gets pounded. He was lousy at the end of ST and he's had three straight tough outings and counting.

[Vanimal46]

The jury is not out on that one.  Shoulder issues minus 5-7 mph; remember a guy named Santana?   Put a fork in him.  Perkins is done.

 

Pressly was one of the best RHRP options last season and it was expected that he will be good this season.

 

Still the Twins need a couple good arms or three.  JT Chargois should be packing his bags

A little over a year later... Things haven't changed all that much, have they?

[jun]

I think Pressly might be the first to get demoted with Tonkin not far behind. 

[yarnivek1972]

Pressly could be suffering the effects of being overworked in the first half of last year. It wouldn't surprise me if he lands on the DL.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Pressly could be suffering the effects of being overworked in the first half of last year. It wouldn't surprise me if he lands on the DL.

i wonder that as well, that he's hurt from last year and still not quite over it.

 

On the other hand, It might be that he's just young and need to develop consistency

[yarnivek1972]

i wonder that as well, that he's hurt from last year and still not quite over it.

On the other hand, It might be that he's just young and need to develop consistency

Pressly is 28. He's got 4 full seasons under his belt at the MLB level.

[DJSim22]

 

I think Pressly might be the first to get demoted with Tonkin not far behind. 

 

His head is a mess, but he as nothing else to prove at AAA.  What else do we always say when someone is struggling?

[USAFChief]

Pressly could be suffering the effects of being overworked in the first half of last year. It wouldn't surprise me if he lands on the DL.

If he is, it's not showing up in velocity.

 

I think at this point you chalk it up to a couple badly located pitches that got hit hard. He gets a lot of rope, IMO. More than Tonkin for sure.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Pressly is 28. He's got 4 full seasons under his belt at the MLB level.

ok, so not so young, still inconsistent.

 

2014 and 2015 were not full seasons in the bigs

[70charger]

 

If he is, it's not showing up in velocity.

I think at this point you chalk it up to a couple badly located pitches that got hit hard. He gets a lot of rope, IMO. More than Tonkin for sure.

 

You absolutely chalk it up to a couple bad pitches. And really, three games? We're going to extrapolate from that to an injury, or to fatigue from last year. Come on now.

 

Look, I know losing sucks. But let's be serious.

[yarnivek1972]

It's more than a couple bad pitches. Pressly has allowed 5 extra base hits in his last 3 outings.

[70charger]

 

It's more than a couple bad pitches. Pressly has allowed 5 extra base hits in his last 3 outings.

 

"His last 3 outings."

 

Start listening to yourself.