Trevor May

[jorgenswest]

Trevor May is on the DL with back trouble.

 

As a starter in the minors he was reliably healthy. His first injury was last year a couple of months after being moved to the bullpen. His comment as reported by Mike Baradino at the end of last season

 

"May also wonders if the lower-back spasms that plagued him over the final five-plus weeks would have be easier to ward off he’d remained in the rotation. In his starter days his hip would usually bother him in August, but he was able to manage the problem better with at least four days of rest between starts."

 

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2015/10/05/twinsights-bullpen-revelation-trevor-may-would-rather-start-in-2016/

 

He now has back trouble a second time in less than a year of relief work. While thereis no way to know if he would have had trouble with his back had he remained in a starting role, I hope the Twins will consider returning him to the rotation. They can give him a long rehab and stretch him out before returning him to the majors. Once he returns, there is no shortage of ineffective starters to replace.

[bluechipper]

I hope they try to convert him back to starting.

[Blake]

And convert Jepsen into DFA.

[Han Joelo]

Hope he heals up.  Might as well try him as a starter again...he hasn't exactly ran with the relieving.  How often are failed relievers effective starters, though?  I can see where the regularity of starting might help with health, but he's going to have to pitch consistently better than he has.  Here's hoping!

[Halsey Hall]

May's been pretty bad out of the pen to my surprise.  Might as well stretch him out and see if he's a bust.

[stringer bell]

Agree with Halsey. May has been too inconsistent out of the 'pen. I thought sending him there would be a good move for a contending team. Since everything has unspooled, let him stretch out and see if he can be a good starter.

[DaveW]

The Twins mishandling a young and promising player by placing them in a role that doesn't fit them to cater to an overpaid and mediocre veteran?

 

Color me shocked.

 

But hey, at least they signed Grossman and got a few good weeks out of him so far! That totally makes up for the other 40 debacles this Front Office has committed in the past few years.

 

I honestly don't see how any fan would be willing to watch this team on TV during the summer months, much less drop $150+ to go see them "play" live at Target Field.

[Linus]

Agree that he should be stretched out and starting. They have to find 5 starters or their future is not good despite the young talent.

[HitInAPinch]

I'd like to hear more than speculation. 

 

1. May is smart enough to know that there are different mechanics in play between starter and reliever.  If not, the Twins should have told him so.  What did he do over the off season to better prepare for a relief role?
2. Post 2015 season, what role DID the Twins tell him to prepare for?  If my recollection is functioning this morning, didn't May start off Spring Training as a starter?
3. Gut feeling:  May is one of those guys who doesn't tell management when he hurt and needs a day or 2 off.

There just seems to be something missing here.  When the Twins converted Hawkins, it took around 2-3 years to get him past the starter mentality to relief / closer.  Patience, maybe?  The Twins aren't exactly in full, rebuild mode, but it's starting to look like a touch-up won't cover it.

[TheLeviathan]

May never should have left the rotation. Time to rectify yet another obvious, glaring mistake.

[jimmer]

 

I'd like to hear more than speculation. 

 

1. May is smart enough to know that there are different mechanics in play between starter and reliever.  If not, the Twins should have told him so.  What did he do over the off season to better prepare for a relief role?
2. Post 2015 season, what role DID the Twins tell him to prepare for?  If my recollection is functioning this morning, didn't May start off Spring Training as a starter?
3. Gut feeling:  May is one of those guys who doesn't tell management when he hurt and needs a day or 2 off.

 

Um, but, but, he was told he had a shot at the rotation.  Remember? Why do you think he should have prepared for a relief role?

 

Maybe he bought into the tall tale that he had a real shot at the rotation (like others did).  Maybe he thought it wasn't possible the Twins would double down on the mistake of moving him to the pen to begin with.

[Badsmerf]

I think he might have a point. For non arm related injuries it would be more difficult to manage as a relief pitcher. I never really thought about it that way. With Meyer being a bust (my label, dare anyone to argue), Berrios struggling with command, Duffey blowing up, and ****ing Pat Dean in the rotation..... things don't look so good. Send May to AAA to stretch out and pray you didn't **** him up.

[Jham]

 

I think he might have a point. For non arm related injuries it would be more difficult to manage as a relief pitcher. I never really thought about it that way. With Meyer being a bust (my label, dare anyone to argue), Berrios struggling with command, Duffey blowing up, and ****ing Pat Dean in the rotation..... things don't look so good. Send May to AAA to stretch out and pray you didn't **** him up.

I had pretty serious doubts about exactly how good May was last year both in the rotation and the pen.  IE he was far better in both roles than he ever had been.  Overnight success usually isn't super sustainable.  Some time in AAA to further develop in either role is probably a good thing.  At this point, I'd like to see him start, but if the team is convinced he will never be a consistently reliable starter and has a chance to be an above average back of the bullpen arm, I'm fine with him staying in that role.  I think the team thought we'd compete, and he could refine his craft in the pen and help us win games and start later in his career.  Either way, he needs to pitch better.  AAA should help.

I personally think the idea that pitching from the pen is more likely to lead to injuries, back or otherwise, is at best an unsubstantiated guess, and I feel like I'm meeting more than half way on that.

[DocBauer]

2017: Santana, Gibson, Duffey, Berrios, May.....possibly Meyer....Wheeler in the wings for at least the first half of the season. 

 

I'd be happy opening the season with that rotation. One vet, one young vet, 3 youngsters with a lot of promise to build on, with more on the way.

[jimmer]

 

2017: Santana, Gibson, Duffey, Berrios, May.....possibly Meyer....Wheeler in the wings for at least the first half of the season. 

 

I'd be happy opening the season with that rotation. One vet, one young vet, 3 youngsters with a lot of promise to build on, with more on the way.

I think that rotation gets destroyed myself.  Definitely wouldn't be happy with that.  That's a rotation one settles on because that's what we do.  It's going to be a few years before we have a rotation to be happy about.  We just don't develop pitchers well.

[DocBauer]

 

I think that rotation gets destroyed myself.  Definitely wouldn't be happy with that.  That's a rotation one settles on because that's what we do.  It's going to be a few years before we have a rotation to be happy about.  We just don't develop pitchers well.

Totally understand your opinion. Not say it's all world yet. BUT, healthy, Santana and Gibson are solid, and Gibson still hasn't hit his ceiling, IMO. Duffey has got skills, but still hasn't even pitched a full season yet. We all know the ability and potential of Berrios. Add in another young arm, and at least we are headed the right direction...which is talented and young with potential. 

[LaBombo]

 

2017: Santana, Gibson, Duffey, Berrios, May.....possibly Meyer....Wheeler in the wings for at least the first half of the season. 

 

I'd be happy opening the season with that rotation. One vet, one young vet, 3 youngsters with a lot of promise to build on, with more on the way.

 

No offense (and this is no way directed at you),   but as a fan, I'm angry about that opening day rotation.

 

The Twins have been terrible for five of the past six seasons.    How many successful organizations have SIX years, an allegedly top-flight farm system, and a potentially above-average payroll with only one monolithic contract (Mauer),   and then field a rotation like that one?

 

And as a bonus question,   what does that projected 2017 rotation say about the Twins front office if arguably its most likely member to succeed hasn't been a starter since succeeding in the role but losing it anyway almost a year ago?

[Badsmerf]

When can we stop inserting Meyer into the MLB rotation? I really want to know when it will stop.

 

Is anyone confident duffey can rebound? I don't know what's going on, but he is getting crushed right now.

 

The twins have a disaster on their hands right now. It's unbelievable how terribly this rotation is put together. Now there is little that can be done about. Not trading young talent and lack any trading chips to get anything if value back. The best hope they have are a bunch of guys in A ball. That is a mighty big piece of uncertainty.

 

Once again, the timeline for competing is being pushed back. Sorry for the rant guys.

[LaBombo]

 

 

We all know the ability and potential of Berrios.

 

This one sentence, for me at least, captures a pretty troubling aspect of the Twins in the Second Age of Ryan.

 

Recent history has shown that we absolutely do NOT know anything like the true ability or potential of a Berrios,  or any other prospect for that matter, at least to the same degree that more successful organizations know for their prospects.

 

While we have all certainly heard the scouting and the projections on the best Twins prospects, the Twins have struggled mightily to turn these guys into good major league ballplayers.

[DocBauer]

 

No offense (and this is no way directed at you),   but as a fan, I'm angry about that opening day rotation.

 

The Twins have been terrible for five of the past six seasons.    How many successful organizations have SIX years, an allegedly top-flight farm system, and a potentially above-average payroll with only one monolithic contract (Mauer),   and then field a rotation like that one?

 

And as a bonus question,   what does that projected 2017 rotation say about the Twins front office if arguably its most likely member to succeed hasn't been a starter since succeeding in the role but losing it anyway almost a year ago?

Absolutely agree 100%.

 

My point is that the rotation option as I've listed it has more potential than we've seen the past few years, and is at least a step in the right direction. Compared to Nolasco, Milone and the suddenly injured and "lost it" Hughes, I'd rather at least see potential.

 

Not saying I'd be happy with the past few years or the FO, but at least plugging in some live, young arms with potential keeps me interested and hopeful. Though, with the exception of Berrios, the Twins best young SP options are probably in AA and A+ at the moment. (sigh)

[LaBombo]

 

Absolutely agree 100%.

 

My point is that the rotation option as I've listed it has more potential than we've seen the past few years, and is at least a step in the right direction. Compared to Nolasco, Milone and the suddenly injured and "lost it" Hughes, I'd rather at least see potential.

 

Not saying I'd be happy with the past few years or the FO, but at least plugging in some live, young arms with potential keeps me interested and hopeful. Though, with the exception of Berrios, the Twins best young SP options are probably in AA and A+ at the moment. (sigh)

 

I would also rather see the rotation you suggest if the guys in question trend the right way in 2016.   But it would require the Twins to admit they sort of blew it with some of the veterans, and lately they seem to be in rose-colored glasses mode.

 

Bill James said that most 105+ loss seasons happen because of an organization's fear of a 90-loss season even though rebuilding is more or less inevitable.  While no one thing is to blame, that's about as good an explanation of this terrible Twins season as any.

[Mike Sixel]

Another quality trade, and another debacle of handling a young player. Shocking, really.

[Kwak]

Quality trade?? Hardly. May learned from Pelfrey and Milone--starters (even bad ones) make far more that set-up relief pitchers.

 

That being said, the Twins could use a major change in how they use their pitchers: starters work longer--6 innings (even in blowouts!) and 120 pitches are expected. This nonsense of "protecting arms"?--lacks evidence and why? The >30 vets won't be extended and there will be very few (if any) long-term contracts let by the Twins on a pitcher. They are too risky and too expensive.

 

Another change--longer outing by the bullpen. It's burning out the bullpen using one pitcher, one inning. Worse--one pitcher one batter. No wonder there are sore backs ,shoulders, arms. Pitch them 2 (or more innings--and rest one day for each inning up to four days. This "chess match" mentality is unhealthy--and further ​it's not working!

[Mike Sixel]

Uh.....that was sarcasm on the quality trade part.....