Kurt Suzuki's Offensive Resurgence

[jimmer]

 

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.

well, we're talking minor league numbers for a player who has nowhere near enough MLB history to base anything on, but ok.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

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

 

 

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).

I thought it seemed gimmicky too. I'm too lazy to look it up, but it also seems like Zukes has been getting more rest lately. It could be lots of things but not just the bat.

[jimmer]

 

I thought it seemed gimmicky too. I'm too lazy to look it up, but it also seems like Zukes has been getting more rest lately. It could be lots of things but not just the bat.

Could just be that even really bad MLB hitters go on a good streak once in awhile. His BABIP in June is .361.

[howieramone2]

 

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 wa, and having a veteran catcher like him on the roster isn't needed. Trade him to ants to admidt it or not) 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.

Not so. Murphy will be our catcher next time we are in the World Series.

[DaveW]

Not so. Murphy will be our catcher next time we are in the World Series.

Which is when?

 

Does 115+ losses not signify a team is rebuilding or needs to rebuild?

[jimmer]

 

Which is when?

Does 115+ losses not signify a team is rebuilding or needs to rebuild?

The last name of our catcher may be Murphy when we next make it to the W Series, but it won't be John Ryan Murphy.

[Mr. Brooks]

Could just be that even really bad MLB hitters go on a good streak once in awhile. His BABIP in June is .361.

Yep, Drew Butera is hitting like Ted Williams in limited use this year.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Well I for one hopes he keeps it up a bit longer.  He's a free agent next year and exactly the type of guy that can be flipped for a lottery ticket prospect in the low minors.  It won't be much, but I'm all about collecting those power ball tickets.  If Herrman could get Palka, I'd think Kurt could bring in something of value as well. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

Well I for one hopes he keeps it up a bit longer. He's a free agent next year and exactly the type of guy that can be flipped for a lottery ticket prospect in the low minors. It won't be much, but I'm all about collecting those power ball tickets. If Herrman could get Palka, I'd think Kurt could bring in something of value as well.

Except Suzuki has been traded twice before, once as a pending free agent, and fetched nothing of the sort. We will be lucky if someone ate his final month's salary.

[twinsnorth49]

Not so. Murphy will be our catcher next time we are in the World Series.

I don't think that is likely at all, but I don't really think you probably do either.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Not so. Murphy will be our catcher next time we are in the World Series.

 

Didn't you just describe someone that can't hit .200 in Rochester as "When you suck, you suck"?  So for one guy that means cut him.  For another guy that means he's our future starting catcher.

 

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Keep on hitting, Kurt.

 

Keep on hitting, John Ryan.

 

Hopefully Ryan sees these two events happen in unison and makes the obvious decision(s).

 

Get what you can for Suzuki, call up Murphy, and look toward 2017.

[wsnydes]

 

Which is when?

Does 115+ losses not signify a team is rebuilding or needs to rebuild?

I certainly signifies a team that NEEDS to rebuild, but so should losing 90+ games in 5 of 6 seasons.

[Thrylos]

Really glad that Suzuki has been hitting better with that axe-handled bat.   Hopefully Ryan is working the phones right now to get something useful back.

 

The window of that opportunity might close the more Suzuki is playing

[Willihammer]

I've always been curious about what bats the pros swing. Wood type, length/weight, cupped, rounded, now we got knob choices. Good stuff.

[DaveW]

The Dodgers could use Suzuki IMO.

 

I wish we could have gotten Zach Lee for him(who was just dumped for a backup INF)

[jimmer]

So I went to the Ogden Raptors home opener.  It was a good time.  They are part of the Pioneer League, the second lowest rung in Pro baseball.

 

Their catcher has a cannon.  Easily threw out all 4 would be base steelers of 2B. One guy stole 3B but he did that against the pitcher.  Catcher had no chance.

[old nurse]

The axe bat leads to a chop swing so he is not driving the ball. A double and a home run says that Suzuki needs to buy a lottery ticket with his luck today.

[TheLeviathan]

Trade him, like, in the next 8 hours.

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

 

The axe bat leads to a chop swing so he is not driving the ball. A double and a home run says that Suzuki needs to buy a lottery ticket with his luck today.

 

He has three home runs and five doubles in his last ten games. I've never seen a player who's "not driving the ball" do that kind of damage.

[stringer bell]

 

He has three home runs and five doubles in his last ten games. I've never seen a player who's "not driving the ball" do that kind of damage.

Agreed. Great run for "Zuke". I hope it builds his trade value at the deadline. As a pending free agent he still wouldn't get much, but it would be better for all concerned for Suzuki to be playing elsewhere on 8/1/16.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Interesting to note, when Suzuki was traded back in 2012 and 2013, both times it reportedly involved cash being sent along to offset some of his salary.  He was making $5-6 mil annually at the time, comparable to his current $6 mil salary.  Both deals were also made after Suzuki cleared waivers in August.

[diehardtwinsfan]

given that the value on catching seems to have changed over the last few seasons, I'm not sure assessing him based on what his previous returns would be wise. I'm not expecting a world burner for Suzuki, but a lottery ticket like Palka could be a possibility. Palka is not a top 100 prospect.  He is young enough to be a decent one, but with question marks... of course if they are answered, the ceiling is fairly high.  I'd be happy with that type of prospect for Suzuki.

[Brock Beauchamp]

SELL SELL SELL, now! Before he reverts back to hitting poorly. Suzuki may actually bring back a decent ptiching prospect if we move him now before the trade deadline.

Okay, I know I've said this a thousand times on this forum but...

 

If you think a candidate is "sell high", so do all 30 GMs in baseball. They're not morons.

 

No one cares about Suzuki's last two weeks, at least not enough to drastically change his value. Even if he keeps hitting like this through July I don't think it will drastically change his value (though it sure won't hurt it either).

[ashbury]

No one cares about Suzuki's last two weeks

http://cdn3.volusion.com/p9bkz.a5ax6/v/vspfiles/photos/1349-2.jpg

 

"I say, SuzukiCo stock is up two and a half points this week?!? Get my broker on the phone; SELL! Before all the potential buyers notice he's overpriced."

[LaBombo]

 

Trade him, like, in the next 8 hours.

How about nobody gets to leave for lunch until there's a C+ prospect headed to MN for him?

 

Or maybe make that a B- prospect. Dick said last night that with Zukey's recent hot streak we have to talk seriously about whether Kurt belongs in the All Star Game.

[Pardon My Dinger]

If we trade Suzie's new bat, I'll be very disappointed. 

[KirbyDome89]

A nice June doesn't make up for all of last year and the first 1/3 of this season. Its nice to see Suzuki finally start hitting a bit but he isn't going to fetch anything of value in a trade. If the Twins can somehow flip him for a low level prospect then great but I'm not counting on it. He won't reach enough ABs to hit his vesting option (The Twins would never right? RIGHT!?). All we can do is sit back and enjoy the axe show.

[howieramone2]

 

I don't think that is likely at all, but I don't really think you probably do either.

I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. The very capable Jesse Lund of Twinkie Town, interviewed Rob Antony on 3-17, and he explained in depth our favorite teams position in picking up Murphy.

[LaBombo]

 

 

Okay, I know I've said this a thousand times on this forum but...

If you think a candidate is "sell high", so do all 30 GMs in baseball. They're not morons.
 

I'm pretty sure there's at least one GM who might place at least a little stock in a hitter either improving or going on a half=season hot streak during his age 33 season.

 

Unfortunately he's the one GM who could believe that and yet do the Twins absolutely no good in a Suzuki trade scenario.