Why no Park?

[mikecgrimes]

 

 A two-out walk with nobody on in the late innings against a dominant 'pen is generally worth almost nothing.

 

Good thing every game has a 3rd 4th and 7th inning.  Sometimes the walk leads to 6 runs.  Sometimes the 422 foot homerun leads to 1 run, and sometimes you score runs against good pitchers.  Baseballs a crazy game.  Santana had a great pitching performance mostly because he didn't walk guys.  The homerun he gave up wasn't a problem.  In the long run it appears on base percentage has more value then power.

[The Wise One]

I have yet to see some proof that Park can hit major league pitching.  A 30% strikeout rate in spring training. Like many other minor league power hitters, they can hit minor league pitching. So, who have his HR come off this spring. Answer that question and you MIGHT have your answer why he was not brought back to the 40 man roster.  This whole way of looking at things reminds me of the Adam Brett Walker threads. ABW would appear to have 0 AB this spring in the mlb camp

[Vanimal46]

It's not especially complicated. For whatever reason the front office doesn't think much of Park and don't care about his spring training stats.

And I appreciate that logic. Can't have it both ways where we say ST stats don't matter then get upset because Park did well in ST.

 

Power hitters aren't viewed the same around the league. Chris Carter, Pedro Alvarez, etc. had a difficult time finding employment. Park's in the same boat as them IMO.

[drjim]

 

And I appreciate that logic. Can't have it both ways where we say ST stats don't matter then get upset because Park did well in ST.

Power hitters aren't viewed the same around the league. Chris Carter, Pedro Alvarez, etc. had a difficult time finding employment. Park's in the same boat as them IMO.

 

Lack of positional flexibility really hurts him. And I think his performance last year set a baseline that they want to see exceeded in AAA before they bring him back.

 

Lighting up spring doesn't necessarily prove he has solved his fundamental issue of being able to catch up to a fastball when legitimate off speed is mixed in.

[Doomtints]

Easy answer. The Twins feel he's not the guy they need right now.

 

However, this means they have no one of consequence to back up Joe Mauer at first. This is a mistake, Mauer needs regular days off to remain productive.

 

Give it a couple of weeks. Some pitcher will go to the minors and either Park or Vargas will be back. The Twins know they can't leave 1B so thin.

[PatG1]

Wonder if we are ever going to see Sano-Park-Vegas as #s 3-4-5 for a consistent half a season!! Let them get comfy...

 

[Bill Brown69]

Short reply NO. Long reply NO.

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

Wonder if we are ever going to see Sano-Park-Vegas as #s 3-4-5 for a consistent half a season!! Let them get comfy...

Have to agree with Bill Brown69. 

As Mike Sixel pointed out in another thread, they not only dropped Park from the 40-man roster, they then went out and tried to hire a DH who is half a decade older than Park.

They see no value in Park. I hope he does well wherever he lands.

[Bill Brown69]

I did not make that post to say we would never see Park but rather to say that we will never see all 3 together. 

 

If Vargas fails when healthy I could see Park being up before Fathers Day but Vargas back in AAA. By the time Mauer retires one or the other will be gone for good and it is definitely a possibility that Sano is at 1st then. But like many of my other posts, the theme is it will all play itself out. 

 

As an old baseball guy I cringe at the thought of all 3 in a row. Somewhat like the days of the Blake Street Bombers only worse. Remember them anybody? Fun baseball during the season but I don't recall them winning any playoff series.

[gocgo]

Well, in a SSS Park has 12 HR in 215 AB and a .191 BA with a .684 OPS.  I'll give him credit for looking good in spring after his wrist surgery.  Players were surprised by the move and said that his swing looked really good.  Park's SSS of MLB at bats has him hitting home runs at a .056 clip or about 1 in every 19 at bats.  By comparison, Miguel Cabrera hits home runs at pretty much the same rate 446/7853.  The difference is that Cabrera gets lots of other hits to go with the home runs.  Let's face it, there is no denying Parks power as he registered some long home runs last year.  The problem is the all or nothing approach.

 

As far as Robbie Grossman at DH, walking is not what you pay a DH to do.  OPS is what you want with an emphasis on the S.  So, that needs to be solved.  Is Park the answer?  Is Vargas the answer?  Dunno, but taking Park off the 40 man certainly reduced the options.

[twinscowboysbulls]

No Park, because pitchers figured out how to get him out.  

 

He needs to prove it a little longer than 30 AB's in Spring Training.

[Mike Sixel]

 

No Park, because pitchers figured out how to get him out.  

 

He needs to prove it a little longer than 30 AB's in Spring Training.

 

How will he prove it in AAA? 

[jorgenswest]

How will he prove it in AAA?

 

I don't think we will see it in the slash stats or any numbers available to the public. They will take far too long to be meaningful. He will be able to demonstrate an improved approach, pitch recognition and hard contact rate to the skilled eyes watching him daily.

[mikecgrimes]

 

How will he prove it in AAA? 

 

By adding a few more singles doubles and walks and cutting down on the strikeouts.  If he's hitting .270 with the power numbers he usually puts up May 1st I imagine he will get the call.