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Kurt Suzuki's Offensive Resurgence

Brandon Warne

By Brandon Warne
in Minnesota Twins Talk

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Hosken Bombo Disco All-Star

Hosken Bombo Disco

Community Moderator
Posted
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Please let him build some trade value with his bat so someone else will actually want Suzuki prior to the trade deadline. He is not a building block, and you certainly do not want his option to be exercised by reaching that plate appearances milestone if your the Twins.

 

There is no way Suzuki will reach the plate appearances for the option, and I agree Suzuki is not a building block. I would sign a June 2016 Suzuki for another year as a backup if only because the Twins still are so thin at catcher. I would have to see how the season plays out and I'd let him go to free agency before deciding, though.
wsnydes MVP

wsnydes

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

 

how do you like your extensions: 1 year, or 2? :)

Like my eggs, over easy.

 

Edit:  the far better rim shot would have been, "like my steaks, rare."   :banghead:  

jimmer Wichita Wind Surge

jimmer

Verified Member
Posted
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There is no way Suzuki will reach the plate appearances for the option, and I agree Suzuki is not a building block. I would sign a June 2016 Suzuki for another year as a backup if only because the Twins still are so thin at catcher. I would have to see how the season plays out and I'd let him go to free agency before deciding, though.

Who would Suzuki back up? The dynamo he traded for last year who so many said was going to be an above average offensive and defensive catcher? :-)

Brandon Warne FCL Twins

Brandon Warne

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Who would Suzuki back up?

 

Murphy, who is younger than Mitch Garver and -- I believe -- will still get it going offensively. He's now up to .341/.408/.561 in June. I think we've seen enough of Juan Centeno, by the way.

DaveW All-Star

DaveW

Old-Timey Member
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suzuki will make a decent backup catcher somewhere, but I would prefer it not be here, and I would prefer he is traded by July 31st.

 

Kurt seems like a great guy, teammate and it was pretty cool he made an all star team, something I'm sure he will be proud of for life. But this team is completely rebuilding (whether anyone in the org wants to admidt it or not), and having a veteran catcher like him on the roster isn't needed. Trade him to a contender and let him play in meaningful games!

 

Murphy isn't a sure thing at all for a ML starting catcher, so with that said I would rather the Twins continue to try to find a guy who could stick at catcher as a starter, and have Murphy as the backup heading into 2017, if Murphy "earns" a starting gig then we have a really good problem on our hands!

 

Ramos on a 2-3 year deal would be my choice, or I would try to buy extremely low on Zunino.

 

 

Seattle could be a decent fit as a trade partner for him, they have Ianetta but would

Probably like Suzuki as the backup.

jimmer Wichita Wind Surge

jimmer

Verified Member
Posted
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Murphy, who is younger than Mitch Garver and -- I believe -- will still get it going offensively. He's now up to .341/.408/.561 in June. I think we've seen enough of Juan Centeno, by the way.

49 PAs in June, right?  It's nice, but it's 13 games, no?  Doesn't negate the 120 or so PA before that which could be generously described as horrific.

Brandon Warne FCL Twins

Brandon Warne

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suzuki will make a decent backup catcher somewhere, but I would prefer it not be here, and I would prefer he is traded by July 31st.

Kurt seems like a great guy, teammate and it was pretty cool he made an all star team, something I'm sure he will be proud of for life. But this team is completely rebuilding (whether anyone in the org wants to admidt it or not), and having a veteran catcher like him on the roster isn't needed. Trade him to a contender and let him play in meaningful games!

Murphy isn't a sure thing at all for a ML starting catcher, so with that said I would rather the Twins continue to try to find a guy who could stick at catcher as a starter, and have Murphy as the backup heading into 2017, if Murphy "earns" a starting gig then we have a really good problem on our hands!

Ramos on a 2-3 year deal would be my choice, or I would try to buy extremely low on Zunino.


Seattle could be a decent fit as a trade partner for him, they have Ianetta but would
Probably like Suzuki as the backup.

 

Hot take: I might take a shot on Jason Castro, who is supposedly a good framing catcher who has shown some ability to hit in the past.

DaveW All-Star

DaveW

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

49 PAs in June, right? It's nice, but it's 13 games, no? Doesn't negate the 120 or so PA before that which could be generously described as horrific.

Yeah, it's way too early to pencil in Murphy as a starting catcher option...

Brandon Warne FCL Twins

Brandon Warne

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49 PAs in June, right?  It's nice, but it's 13 games, no?  Doesn't negate the 120 or so PA before that which could be generously described as horrific.

 

No I get that. I just mean the track record supports "he can kind of hit" rather than "is this person blind?" 

 

I'd give him another shot relatively soon here. 

Brandon Warne FCL Twins

Brandon Warne

Verified Member
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Yeah, it's way too early to pencil in Murphy as a starting catcher option...

 

But you've got a few months between now and then where you really should be figuring that out. That's why I think I'd get him back up here. Can't go into next year not having any idea what he can do.

jimmer Wichita Wind Surge

jimmer

Verified Member
Posted
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No I get that. I just mean the track record supports "he can kind of hit" rather than "is this person blind?" 

 

 

That literally made me laugh out loud.  Appreciate the funny.

wsnydes MVP

wsnydes

Old-Timey Member
Posted
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Eggs, plural? So then.... two years :)

Unless we're talking omelettes, then three or sometimes four!

jimmer Wichita Wind Surge

jimmer

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

 

I think I still have a whiplash injury from the homer he hit off Chapman.

Thanks for the info on the new bat.  Axe bat's for everyone!

yup, the whole team should switch now :-)

Parker Hageman All-Star

Parker Hageman

Site Manager
Posted
Posted

Ax Bats are gimmicky. Jimmy Rollins was one of the first to use them but stopped. From Rollins at Fangraphs:

 

“[The ax bat] makes you swing down like an ax. And that’s isn’t really a baseball swing. That’s the difference between a bat and an ax — with the ax, there’s one part, the blade, but with a bat, it’s round. You can use any part of the bat to hit.”

 

 

Suzuki is a chopper with his swing. It's one of the reasons he doesn't drive the ball much. Maybe the Ax Bat has a better feel to him because of that. 

 

One of the main reasons he is hitting better as of late is his ability to go the other way. As I detailed in spring training, in 2015, Suzuki hit just .169 going to right. This season he's 8-for-24 (he had 15 hits to right all last season). 

Mike Sixel GOAT

Mike Sixel

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

I agree Murphy should come up in July/August if he keeps hitting, they need more data on him......

 

I actually don't mind Suzuki as a backup. I think catcher is a position where a veteran is needed, to help the young catcher and even young pitchers. Now, there might be better veterans for this role, I have no idea.....

 

Either way, good luck to Mr. Suzuki in his new experiment! 

wsnydes MVP

wsnydes

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

 

Yeah, it's way too early to pencil in Murphy as a starting catcher option...

Also too early to write him off.

nicksaviking MVP

nicksaviking

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted

 

49 PAs in June, right?  It's nice, but it's 13 games, no?  Doesn't negate the 120 or so PA before that which could be generously described as horrific.

 

Right, but if we take that approach with the whole squad, only Nunez and Grossman don't get DFA'd/demoted.

 

At this point, I'm chalking all 2016 stats up to an outbreak of some toxic, neurological disease and pray that it's temporary and curable.

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