Article: Twins Claim LHP Adam Wilk From Mets

[amjgt]

The Twins were 9-10 against the Indians last year. That was their best divisional opponent record. I don't know if I would call it really good.

 

The Twins were 5-2 against the Rangers. They seem to always be overrated because they hit so well. A lot of the talking heads seem to forget that pitching matters. Outside of a handful of seasons, the Rangers pitching has been terrible going back to the Bush Sr. administration. The Rangers won their division going away and had the best record in the AL. Then were easily dismissed by the third best team in the AL East. The Twins also had winning records against the Angels and Mariners last year. Put all that together and it seems pretty obvious that the West was a weak division last year.

 

Regardless, the next 3 weeks is likely to tilt the scale between contender and pretender one way or the other.

Damn. You focused on my "also-also"

[glunn]

 

Well, if you all remember, during Spring Training, I kept saying that Berrios leaving the Twins to go and "pitch" (he warmed the bench) with his island's team in the WBC, while others were busting their rears to win a spot in the Twins' team, was neither the smart choice nor something that I would recommend to a person in his position...

 

But there were a lot of "national pride" and "someone's nation should mean more than his team" (as if PR were a different nation to begin with) replies...

 

Guess Berrios is learning a hard lesson:

If he shows the Twins that making the Twins is not his number 1 priority, the Twins will act like him making the Twins is not his number 1 priority.

 

You got to walk the talk and Berrios did not.  How long will he keep getting punished for it?  I don't know, but if I were Berrios or Berrios's agent, I'd have a meeting with the Twins brass, explain my priorities and apologize for previous bad choices.

 

But I am not Berrios or his agent.

This seems like speculation to me. I have seen nothing confirming that Berrios is being "punished", and it seems more plausible to me that he is being held down due to concerns about his development. If the FO felt that Berrios was ready, then I doubt that they would hold him back to punish him. Such punishment would hurt the Twins as much or more than it would hurt Berrios.

 

I also see no reason for Berrios to apologize for wanting to play for his national team. As others have stated, the official position of MLB is to encourage such participation, and so long as he was doing his work I don't see why he needed to do all of it in Fort Meyers.  Also, everything that I have read has suggested that Berrios is exceptionally diligent in his training and devotion to becoming a better player.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Well, if you all remember, during Spring Training, I kept saying that Berrios leaving the Twins to go and "pitch" (he warmed the bench) with his island's team in the WBC, while others were busting their rears to win a spot in the Twins' team, was neither the smart choice nor something that I would recommend to a person in his position...

 

But there were a lot of "national pride" and "someone's nation should mean more than his team" (as if PR were a different nation to begin with) replies...

 

Guess Berrios is learning a hard lesson:

If he shows the Twins that making the Twins is not his number 1 priority, the Twins will act like him making the Twins is not his number 1 priority.

 

You got to walk the talk and Berrios did not.  How long will he keep getting punished for it?  I don't know, but if I were Berrios or Berrios's agent, I'd have a meeting with the Twins brass, explain my priorities and apologize for previous bad choices.

 

But I am not Berrios or his agent.

Vargas and Santiago send their regards from the MLB team...

[ThejacKmp]

 

Apparently the new front office's philosophy is to pick up cast-offs from other teams and hope they'll end up with some "diamonds in the rough." We were told for years that the young guys the Twins drafted 3-4 years ago would be studs. They've stock piled hard throwers who were supposed to be the Twins' future stars.
So instead, we choose a guy who was released from the Mets so they could start Tommy f-ing Malone?
This organization is a disgrace! The only saving grace will be that the team will be so awful no one will come to watch, and then maybe they can get serious about putting a decent product on the field.

 

Were we told or did we tell ourselves? I don't remember any member of the Twins FO saying that the picks would be studs. They understand that development is tough.

[yarnivek1972]

All of those guys are RHPs.

Wilk is a lefty

Then reimpinge Haley's elbow and bring Boshers back up. Or bring up Hurlbut.

[Platoon]

So is this one of those message moments? Showing Mejia and Berrios that they will pitch Herb Carneals second cousin in place of them if they don't start to control the FB? I really cannot come up with anything else that would make enough sense to justify one calling himself a MLB GM. While I am not one of those that think these games actually mean anything, as I can't see this team being a season long contender, I still cannot see a plan here. I know the new acquisitions are as expendable as an FBI director but Berrios just is not going to learn anything more from blowing away AAA hitters.

[Dave The Dastardly]

Free Jose!!!!

[Thrylos]

 

 

 

 

I also see no reason for Berrios to apologize for wanting to play for his national team.

 

 

He did not play for his National Team.  That would had been team USA.  Check his passport if you don't believe me   And he did not play much.  They just sat him on the bench most of the spring

 

[Thrylos]

 

 

Vargas and Santiago send their regards from the MLB team...

 

Santiago had already an MLB contract, and please remind me where Vargas spent the last month or so?

[David HK]

Alright!  Excellent!  We're on our way!

 

What a coup!  Now we can keep our delusions about contending this year with a bunch of placeholders on the pitching staff, and don't have to give any of those young arms a chance.  

 

Whew!

[Doomtints]

Like everyone else, I'm not sure what the point is with this move.

 

I could only guess as to what they could be thinking....

[DocBauer]

I haven't agreed with all the moves, or non moves, by the new FO before ST, during, or so far this season. But I absolutely have a feel for their moves, their direction, and any method to their madness, so to speak. This move, however, just befuddles me!

 

This just screams someone off the street to start a game and then move to the pen, or AAA, or just be a rent-a-game player. Nothing about it makes any sense at all.

 

Are they just trying that hard to give Berrios that one or two more starts? I just don't get it!

 

My fingers are tightly crossed that 2-3 pitching moves will be taking place over the next couple of weeks

[yarnivek1972]

He did not play for his National Team. That would had been team USA. Check his passport if you don't believe me And he did not play much. They just sat him on the bench most of the spring

I'm not sure that he would have been able to predict that. Two of the pitchers that started for PR had fewer career MLB innings than Berrios had at the time.

[curt1965]

How many of the following are on another major league roster?

 

Wilk

 

Breslow

 

Haley

 

Presley

 

Tepesch

 

So the pitchers at AAA or AA are worse than these guys?

[David HK]

Well, I'm trying to rationalize by thinking that maybe they're playing the service time game with Mr. B.  But by God, if you're thinking about getting those young arms in the rotation for future pennant contention, that time is even earlier than today.

 

Berrios has nothing to prove by mowing down AAA cats.  If he has to take his lumps and learn how to adjust, how about doing it in a whole year like this one?  Don't even try to pretend we have a chance in even this watered-down Central with the pedestrians we have on the current staff.  I know the injuries have hit the AA studs hard the past couple of years, and delayed their Mlb debuts, but Geez Louise, get them the hell up here soon, and let them get to learning.  Our young hitters are now taking those lumps and learning those lessons, and the pitchers are going to be a year or 2 behind even at this point.

 

We are not going to the Series this year.  Wilk and Haley and Pressly and Belisle and Breslow and Kintzler, et.al., are not going to carry us there.  If we have to wait til the service time clock is done ticking, so be it.  But I can't stand this placeholder crap, as a fan, for yet another year.  Get those guys up here ASAP, the ones we could or should be counting on, and let them take their medicine and learn their lessons.  

 

And--- while I'm ranting-- clean out that dugout.  Molly (IMHO) is not going to take this team to the promised land, either.

[Thrylos]

 

I'm not sure that he would have been able to predict that. Two of the pitchers that started for PR had fewer career MLB innings than Berrios had at the time.

 

a. he was jaded

b. he had bad council

 

Does not matter. He chose team PR,USA over the Twins, which is what (apparently) matters.

 

Bad choice and he has to learn from it.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Thrylos

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Is there any future contractual $ advantage for the Twins to keep Berrios and Mejia in AAA?

Not really. Berrios needs to stay down for 8-ish weeks longer to gain a year of service and Mejia would have to stay down until next season, I believe.

[yarnivek1972]

a. he was jaded

b. he had bad council

 

Does not matter. He chose team PR,USA over the Twins, which is what (apparently) matters.

 

Bad choice and he has to learn from it.

Apparently being the key word. There is nothing that supports your opinion. The fact that the WBC is allowed to continue to exist supports my opinion that MLB and therefore the majority of its owners want MLB players to play in it.

[glunn]

 

He did not play for his National Team.  That would had been team USA.  Check his passport if you don't believe me   And he did not play much.  They just sat him on the bench most of the spring

Out of my entire post you pick this to respond to?

 

The fact remains that it made sense for him to identify with Puerto Rico and want to play for their team, and that MLB encouraged this.  It also makes little sense for the Twins to "punish" a player who has a reputation for being a very hard worker at his craft.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Santiago had already an MLB contract, and please remind me where Vargas spent the last month or so?

A month? He played his first game on April 8th and his last on the 21st for a whopping total of 12. Try two weeks. 

 

I haven't seen the Twins make an effort to add additional 1B/DH to the 40 man to keep Vargas in AAA. I also didn't hear them say a word about how Santiago needed to get stretched out before making his first start. 

 

If there is some kind of internal stance against participating in the WBC then it must only apply if your name is Jose Berrios....

[drjim]

Berrios hasn't been down this long because of the WBC.

[DaveW]

I don't think it's the Twins "punishing" Berrios for playing in the WBC as much as it is the Twins being super super super beyond conservative when it comes to young pitching prospects.

 

Yes, new leadership etc etc etc but the majority of the old regime is still around. It takes a lot of time to change process and thinking that has been going on for the last 20 some odd years.

[tobi0040]

I have been telling my buddies all year. If you didn't know Terry Ryan was gone, you would not be able to tell based on the moves.

 

I just wanted things to make sense with a new front office. These moves don't make sense.

[Han Joelo]

I'm pretty late to this discussion. I'm failing to see what the Wilks move has to do with Berrios.

 

Pretty unexciting; back in the day this would have been fine print Transaction stuff in the newspaper. Rucsinski for Wilks? Wake me when Burdi, et al are ready.

[twinssouth]

This may have already been brought up somewhere in these 10 pages but if the Twins keep Berrios in Rochester until June 27 or so, they get an extra year of service time. Looks like they are just trying to get by until then with these waiver wire pick ups.

[tobi0040]

One other note, has anyone here ever worked for a boss that made terrible decisions?

 

These things can be overblown at times, but is it crazy to think guys like Dozier and Ervin aren't wondering what the hell is going on? And obviously Berrios has to he just pissed. These are bad moves for morale and can foster a terrible culture. People on a ship need to know the captain knows what is going on.

[drjim]

One other note, has anyone here ever worked for a boss that made terrible decisions?

 

These things can be overblown at times, but is it crazy to think guys like Dozier and Ervin aren't wondering what the hell is going on? And obviously Berrios has to he just pissed. These are bad moves for morale and can foster a terrible culture. People on a ship need to know the captain knows what is going on.

I think fans rate prospects a lot higher than established major league players do.

 

They were on the team last year when Berrios pitched.

[Danchat]

 

I'm pretty late to this discussion. I'm failing to see what the Wilks move has to do with Berrios.

Pretty unexciting; back in the day this would have been fine print Transaction stuff in the newspaper. Rucsinski for Wilks? Wake me when Burdi, et al are ready.

You're right, the Twins are using Wilk as a reliever, so the Berrios point isn't valid in this topic. 

 

Why the Twins are using Wilk as a reliever is beyond me...

[S.]

 

He made just one start for the Mets this season. He made five starts for the Mets AAA affiliate in Las Vegas where he went 2-3 with a 5.91 ERA.

Wilk is 29 years old. He made eight appearances for the Detroit Tigers between the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He did not pitch again in the big leagues until 2015 when he pitched two innings for the Angels. He spent 2013 in Korea.

His one start for the Mets was an "emergency" start on Sunday when he pitched in place of the suspended Matt Harvey. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on eight hits (including three homers) and a walk in 3.2 innings.

[Brandon Warne]

 

He had something going on?  Had a thing he had to be at?

 

He's not eligible to return until Monday. And if you think they're going to bring him back after 1-2 starts, well...