Samuel Deduno

[darin617]

Hopefully the Twins braintust leave Samuel Deduno alone and don't try to get him to "pitch to contact". It is nice to see some movement on the ball. The one thing that confused me about his start tonight was why our All Star catcher was absent from the game?

[J-Dog Dungan]

Mauer has had very few days off recently, and Gardy said that he was going to give him a day off on the road trip. The movement gives all the catchers that has been catching him trouble.

[Scheherezade]

Hopefully the Twins braintust leave Samuel Deduno alone and don't try to get him to "pitch to contact". It is nice to see some movement on the ball. The one thing that confused me about his start tonight was why our All Star catcher was absent from the game?

Because he's played every game since June 22nd?

[darin617]

So how many has he caught? Games played is not the same as games caught.

[Riverbrian]

I don't get it.

 

Deduno has lowered his ERA to 2.48... he Threw 6 shutout innins... Only allowing 2 hits both to AGon. Record stands at 3 and 0 and he came out of nowhere. Who is this guy? Great looking spinner and hitters are clearly struggling with it.

 

This thread should be full of Deduno discussion... You know... Can he be useful... Looking good so far Type discussion. Will he pitch for us in 2013 discussion. Will he get a handle on his fastball type discussion.

 

Yet... The discussion point is going to be a why did Mauer sit in this Shutout win at Fenway?

 

Absent of discussion this far... I'll just say that I look forward to Deduno's next start.

[DaveW]

I like DeDuno's results thus far, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

 

The guy has 20 BB and 19k in 29 IP. That is a recipe for disaster.

[righty8383]

I guess he has that "effectively wild" thing going for him. Teams will start being more patient and making him pay for those walks eventually if he can't show better control. He has major league stuff but not major league command(yet).

[Buck Nasty]

With that many walks - we'll never have to worry about him pitching to contact . Seriously - Deduno is having a nice run, but it's probably best to lower expectations to stop gap guy.

[jokin]

I like DeDuno's results thus far, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

 

The guy has 20 BB and 19k in 29 IP. That is a recipe for disaster.

As I just posted in the game thread, give Gardy, Andy and Ryan credit for giving him a shot and sticking with him. Sam's approach to the game is antithetical to everything they stand for. With his magician-like escape artist techniques from ever-impending BBs and 3-2 pitch count disasters, if he continues this unlikely success, perhaps he could eventually adopt "The Great Deduno" moniker.... did everyone catch his sheer expressions of joy and relief on his final out? Fun stuff.

[Riverbrian]

I like DeDuno's results thus far, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

 

The guy has 20 BB and 19k in 29 IP. That is a recipe for disaster.

I agree but I'm going to try to be glass half full guy. What if he lowered that walk total?

 

His breaking pitches are legit. If starts locating his heater and cuts his walk total and brings his pitch count down. It will compliment his nasty spinner. He could mix it up.

 

Of course that's like saying if Ben Revere just hit the ball longer he could be a power hitter.

 

Stranger things have happened on the mound. If he finds that release point on his fast ball like he seems to have found with his curve. It could be like a light switch.

 

Im going to try to be optimistic. I eagerly await his next start. I'll have my Beer and Popcorn ready,

[jokin]

I agree but I'm going to try to be glass half full guy. What if he lowered that walk total?

 

His breaking pitches are legit. If starts locating his heater and cuts his walk total and brings his pitch count down. It will compliment his nasty spinner. He could mix it up.

 

Of course that's like saying if Ben Revere just hit the ball longer he could be a power hitter.

 

Stranger things have happened on the mound. If he finds that release point on his fast ball like he seems to have found with his curve. It could be like a light switch.

 

Im going to try to be optimistic. I eagerly await his next start. I'll have my Beer and Popcorn ready,

Lot of ifs in there, but I'm pulling for him too, in a strange sort of way. His very presence at age 29 and the results he is achieving out there defies the basic expectations demanded by the Twins braintrust and frankly, basic common sense, as well.

 

And did you notice that Ben Revere is hitting a tad more deeply to the gaps, on occasion, during this 16 game hit streak? More fun stuff after a nice win.

[Riverbrian]

Lot of ifs in there, but I'm pulling for him too, in a strange sort of way. His very presence at age 29 and the results he is achieving out there defies the basic expectations demanded by the Twins braintrust and frankly, basic common sense, as well.

 

And did you notice that Ben Revere is hitting a tad more deeply to the gaps, on occasion, during this 16 game hit streak? More fun stuff after a nice win.

Ben hit .517 with 10 dingers in his senior HS year. He's got a little pop in his bat. Parmelee hit .407 and 11 dingers. I'm guessing Parmelee hit his longer tho.

 

Back to Deduno... Some Players just need a chance. That's about the only positive about Pavano and Baker going on the DL or basically every starter imploding. More pitchers get a chance to show something and sometimes they do.

 

If Baker was healthy... Pavano... Marquis.... Liriano... Blackburn... If they would have been healthy average pitchers this year. We may not have gotten to see Diamond or Deduno. Still a question mark on if they keep it up but they are making the most of the chance they have been given thus far.

 

A couple of feel good stories so far.

[Pius Jefferson]

Because he's played every game since June 22nd?

 

He looked lousy in the White Sox series. Especially that last at bat he had.

[old nurse]

I agree but I'm going to try to be glass half full guy. What if he lowered that walk total?

 

His breaking pitches are legit. If starts locating his heater and cuts his walk total and brings his pitch count down. It will compliment his nasty spinner. He could mix it up.

 

Of course that's like saying if Ben Revere just hit the ball longer he could be a power hitter.

 

Stranger things have happened on the mound. If he finds that release point on his fast ball like he seems to have found with his curve. It could be like a light switch.

 

Im going to try to be optimistic. I eagerly await his next start. I'll have my Beer and Popcorn ready,

There are a few pitchers that took a little while at the major league level to control their fastball. Just a little better control and maybe he will get the close call. Thank you for being a half stein full guy while posting here.

[DaveW]

I am as half full as they come, DeDuno has been a nice story thus far, I am just not ready to count on him to contribute until he fixes his walks issue.

 

Guys that have less then a 1:1 K/BB ratio just don't succeed at the big league level. His GB% isn't great and his FIP and XFIP show that he is due for some serious regression to the mean at some point. If he can limit his walks he could potentially become a back end of the rotation type guy, but until then I just don't see it happening long term.

 

I do like the fact he strikes people out though, that is a nice refresher from the majority of pitchers we see on the big league club.

[jokin]

Ben hit .517 with 10 dingers in his senior HS year. He's got a little pop in his bat. Parmelee hit .407 and 11 dingers. I'm guessing Parmelee hit his longer tho.

 

Back to Deduno... Some Players just need a chance. That's about the only positive about Pavano and Baker going on the DL or basically every starter imploding. More pitchers get a chance to show something and sometimes they do.

 

If Baker was healthy... Pavano... Marquis.... Liriano... Blackburn... If they would have been healthy average pitchers this year. We may not have gotten to see Diamond or Deduno. Still a question mark on if they keep it up but they are making the most of the chance they have been given thus far.

 

A couple of feel good stories so far.

I know it's over-optimistic-night, but those 10 Revere dingers in HS are intriguing....Ben Revere has a strong football background, as well, starring in high school (supposedly averaged 3 TDs/game his senior year) and genetic lineage with both his grandfather and father playing and coaching the sport at Eastern Kentucky University. Is there a chance he might develop a more powerful football physique of a body that might yet yield more power to his batting stroke? Remember when Kirby Puckett first came up and went homerless early on in his career, we know how that turned out. I know they aren't the same player, but they are both high contact rate free swingers and a hard-working kid like Revere could easily work some off-season strength training into his workout routine. Here's hoping.

[glunn]

Getting back to Deduno, here is a link to his lifetime stats. Yes, he has always given up a lot of walks and his WHIP has never been great. But he seems to have always been hard to hit.

 

Maybe being in the big leagues will inspire him to make the transition from good to great.

 

Diamond and Plouffe, and now Deduno. These are three players who could turn out to be very valuable.

[Craig Arko]

I love those minor league stats: 780 IP, 39 HR, 81 hit batsmen.

 

More and more I like this guy.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I can't see Deduno sticking without lowering that walk rate quite a bit but the guy is still hilarious to watch every fifth day. Hopefully he'll be able to maintain his success while also learning to throw more strikes. Not a lot more, just enough to cut get his BB per 9 in the 3-ish range.

[DPJ]

If the rotation doesn't work out, he could be an intresting guy in the pen. Have him just focus on 2 pitches and hopefully that would help his walks.

[Guest USAFChief]

I don't trust Deduno at all, but as I mentioned in a game thread a while back, he's not your ordinary Twins minor league free agent AAAA junkballer. He has no command whatsoever, but he does have stuff. If you're gonna throw crap against a wall to see what sticks, I'd rather be throwing crap that has a chance to be a spectacular flame out or a spectacular success, rather than crap that might not embarrass you, but has no real shot at being good, either.

[Brock Beauchamp]

If the rotation doesn't work out, he could be an intresting guy in the pen. Have him just focus on 2 pitches and hopefully that would help his walks.

I don't think it would. His fastball is uncontrollable, it seems.

[BigVin]

I like what the Twins have now, and what's also coming very soon.

 

Possible Starting Pitchers for 2013:

1. Scott Diamond - thinking he's a lock

2. Kyle Gibson - probably not till end of may or june

3. PJ Walters

4. Cole Devries

5. Sam Deduno

6. Liam Hendricks

7. Free Agent/s

 

Please let Nick Blackburn go!!!

[stringer bell]

You could never move Deduno (who is 29 years old) beyond a fifth starter role because of all the walks, probable short starts and the likelyhood of ugly 100 pitch, 3 inning clunkers. However, when matched with low expectations, he can and should be considered for the rotation in 2013.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I don't think I'd count on him.... Keeping him on the 40 man and seeing if he can hone his control is certainly worth it... sometimes guys just figure that out... If cuts his walk rate in half, he's an effective starter.

[whatever54]

Deduno really is the least " Twins like" starter we've seen them trot out to the mound in a long time. I really don't recall the last starter we've pitched with the same combination of nasty breaking stuff, and unpredictable fastball. A refreshing change, at times a scary change. But you have to kind of like the guy, it's clear he really is giving it his all. You have to wonder how long it will continue to work, how long he'll be effective, maybe he beats the odds and has a real future as a starter.

[Mauerzy4Prez]

1) Mauer did not catch last night because he deserved a rest. AND Drew "the pitcher whisperer" Butera has proven that he can handle guys with control issues very well. Look at what he did to help Liriano come back after his terrible start to the season.

 

2) Deduno is a joy to watch pitch right now. His emotion and competitive spirit is a huge refresher from what we are used to and I love it! As Gardy said last night in his post game interview, who cares about how many balls to strikes he threw last night. His performance was fantastic, and he shut out the Red Sox at Fenway, for the first time in 16 years for the Twins. No way should we second guess what he did or did not do.

 

2.1) Moving forward he will have to bring in the control just a bit on his fastball. But really only enough to keep the hitters off his breaking stuff as they get used to it. His recipe for success is to stay outside of the strike zone to keep hitters chasing the ball and either making terrible contact or striking out.

[TheLeviathan]

The problem with Deduno is that he can't even be a reliever - he's just too erratic to be anything but a spot starter. Pitched a nice game though.

[Craig Arko]

It would of course be epic if he went to Yankee Stadium and threw this same kind of game. He'd never have to win again to be a Twins legend.

[stringer bell]

I like what the Twins have now, and what's also coming very soon.

 

Possible Starting Pitchers for 2013:

1. Scott Diamond - thinking he's a lock

2. Kyle Gibson - probably not till end of may or june

3. PJ Walters

4. Cole Devries

5. Sam Deduno

6. Liam Hendricks

7. Free Agent/s

 

Please let Nick Blackburn go!!!

My best-case scenario would be for Blackburn to build some trade value and for the Twins to trade him for a (Blylevenism) Jonathan Sanchez type, who maybe could benefit from the strike-thrower mentality that Anderson and the Twins' org preaches.