Twins DFA Melotakis

[Blackjack]

A few weeks back i was chastised when I said it was rude to DFA Wheeler. He had worked for years to get to AAA, got his call up, and then was ####canned. Whats the difference with Melo?? 

 

Left handed, he'll get another chance somewhere, either in Rochester or elsewhere. I'll trust Falvine, they do this for a living.

 

 

[kab21]

This is really an odd move. The Twins have literally given everyone that is likely to be mediocre (and a few with modest upside) a few games in the majors this year. His velocity is a big concern but he has managed to K 30% of hitters in 60 innings since returning from TJ. I could make a long list of RP'ers that got a chance but are less interesting than that.

 

Maybe there is something else though. Did someone mention some friction between Melotakis and the org earlier?

[whydidnt]

What reasons have they given to not be trusted? They see these players every day. We see stat lines.

 

Have you seen the pitching staff they put together this year? For me that's plenty of reason not to trust them. Every person on this forum knew that the pitching staff was awful this offseason. We all waited for the new regime to do "something" to address it and they didn't. For me that is reason not to trust the decisions they made.

 

The bit about seeing players every day is great, but so did the previous regime and it led to the worst record in baseball over the last 6 years. You still have to make good decisions based upon the information you have, and it's possible, especially in baseball to make the wrong one. I'm still waiting for the current regime to show any sign of being able to build a pitching staff that will not be an embarrassment 60 percent of the time.

[beckmt]

He may well clear waviers and be just assigned to Rochester(since this is his first time, do not believe he can elect FA).  As far as the process, there are plenty of pitchers the Twins need to look at this year and next, cutting one that does not seem like he will make it, does not create an issue for me.  

There also may be a bigger trade in the wind and Twins may need roster spots, we do not know the details.

[Otto von Ballpark]

He may well clear waviers and be just assigned to Rochester(since this is his first time, do not believe he can elect FA). As far as the process, there are plenty of pitchers the Twins need to look at this year and next, cutting one that does not seem like he will make it, does not create an issue for me.

There also may be a bigger trade in the wind and Twins may need roster spots, we do not know the details.

DFA removes the player from the roster immediately. There would be no reason to DFA well before any related trade was official/announced.

 

You may be right on waivers, but I suspect he would be claimed. He's left handed, 25 almost 26 years old, former 2nd round pick, stats are good, and he has options. Remember Brooks Raley? It doesn't take much for someone to claim him, even if they plan to waive him themselves a little ways down the road.

 

I guess O'Rourke cleared last year, but he was 28 years old with a career MLB ERA of 5.83 at that point.

[mlhouse]

 

Couldn't disagree more. This FO is actually making decisions on players instead of waiting for them to run out of options without any plan of using them on the MLB roster. 

 

I get that we all have our favorite MiLB players to follow, but I trust them coming up with the conclusion that he's not an MLB caliber arm. 

 

I don't have a "favorite" minor league player.  But, the continued bringing in players that already have washed out of one team's system while keeping our own prospects in the minors is idiotic, and the same thing the preious FO did.

 

Hurlbut or Palka may or may not have what it takes to play in the majors.  I have watched Hurlbut pitch and his stuff is pretty mediocre.  But, until ey are given a chance you simply do not know. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I don't have a "favorite" minor league player.  But, the continued bringing in players that already have washed out of one team's system while keeping our own prospects in the minors is idiotic, and the same thing the preious FO did.

 

Hurlbut or Palka may or may not have what it takes to play in the majors.  I have watched Hurlbut pitch and his stuff is pretty mediocre.  But, until ey are given a chance you simply do not know. 

I don't understand the Melo DFA but this will be a results-based evaluation.

 

What I see here - and it's something I see damned near every year - is people lamenting the DFA of mediocrity, only to see that player move to another team and do absolutely nothing. Joe Benson and Oswaldo Arcia are probably the most obvious examples of the past few seasons. The teeth-gnashing over those two players was absolutely epic yet all those people who wailed over the "loss" of those players never seemed to remember how much they complained after it was discovered that both Arcia and Benson were pretty bad at baseball.

 

Do I care about Melotakis? Not one damned bit. Do I understand why they made this move instead of a more obvious move? Not one damned bit.

 

But that doesn't mean the front office is wrong or the same as the old front office. If Melotakis doesn't have what it takes to become a serviceable MLB pitcher (spin rate, velocity, mound presence, whatever), then I will continue to not give a damn about this move.

 

But if Melotakis goes out and finds traction with another team, then we know this DFA was a mistake.

 

But not today.

[jokin]

 

 

 

We have to hope NO ONE claims Melotakis and that Hildenberger shines. Otherwise...I don't quite figure. I would even choose Melotakis over Haley at this point.

 

Someone else posted 30% chance he gets claimed. I'd say it's closer to 100%. The guy's splits are near identical. What team wouldn't want to take a chance on a hardthrowing lefty strikeout specialist?

 

Is Melo being dangled out there as potentially part of an envisioned trade package for more experienced pitching?

[yarnivek1972]

Someone else posted 30% chance he gets claimed. I'd say it's closer to 100%. The guy's splits are near identical. What team wouldn't want to take a chance on a hardthrowing lefty strikeout specialist?

 

Is Melo being dangled out there as potentially part of an envisioned trade package for more experienced pitching?

Of course, he's not hard throwing right now. Not relative to other lefty relievers. Turley throws harder as a starter. Put Turley in the pen and he's probably as good or better than Melotakis.

[old nurse]

 

DFA removes the player from the roster immediately. There would be no reason to DFA well before any related trade was official/announced.

You may be right on waivers, but I suspect he would be claimed. He's left handed, 25 almost 26 years old, former 2nd round pick, stats are good, and he has options. Remember Brooks Raley? It doesn't take much for someone to claim him, even if they plan to waive him themselves a little ways down the road.

I guess O'Rourke cleared last year, but he was 28 years old with a career MLB ERA of 5.83 at that point.

Brooks Raley was a starter in the minors before the Twins claimed him. Nor did he have success at the mlb level, although he did make it there. MLB is not on the  Melotakis resume.

[Thrylos]

 

Of course, he's not hard throwing right now. Not relative to other lefty relievers. Turley throws harder as a starter. Put Turley in the pen and he's probably as good or better than Melotakis.

 

He is throwing harder than both Boshers and Breslow and about as hard as Rogers at this point, FWIW

[Otto von Ballpark]

Brooks Raley was a starter in the minors before the Twins claimed him. Nor did he have success at the mlb level, although he did make it there. MLB is not on the Melotakis resume.

Sorry, didn't really mean to compare Melo to Raley. Just naming a random lefthander who got claimed a few times.

[old nurse]

 

Someone else posted 30% chance he gets claimed. I'd say it's closer to 100%. The guy's splits are near identical. What team wouldn't want to take a chance on a hardthrowing lefty strikeout specialist?

 

Is Melo being dangled out there as potentially part of an envisioned trade package for more experienced pitching?

From Berardino's story:

    .... Melotakis saw his velocity sit in the 89-90 mph range at Triple-A

 

I guess 89-90 for a lefthander is hard throwing. Yup, he was faster last fall. One would suspect there is an injury with him. If he is injured I doubt anyone would take him. Of course steam did predict he would get into a game for an inning, strike out one person, walk half a batter and allow a half of a run , more or less.

[jokin]

 

For those making a big deal of the 30% K rate tis year. A certain starter down there had a 53% K rate and is also a left hamded pitcher . It is a nice statistic but it does not mean major league success

 

Who has said that the numbers "mean" anything?

 

All anyone is "suggesting" is to look at the facts- Melotakis is a LH pitcher with a history of high K rates and who is young enough to possibly being able to restore his velocity might be just as deserving (or more deserving) of a shot at a 25-man spot as any of those who have come through the roster despite a long string of failure on their resumes.

 

Scouts don't like Melotakis' stiff arm action. I concur and I don't think that there's any doubt that Melo is an iffy prospect and the TJ thing obviously still is overhanging it all... but given the facts as we know them- and then alternatives that have been thrown into the fire for the big club thus far, isn't it reasonable for Twins fans to want to flesh this thing out more definitively before just abruptly pulling the plug?

[jokin]

 

Sorry, didn't really mean to compare Melo to Raley. Just naming a random lefthander who got claimed a few times.

 

It's a given, lefties with only a heartbeat going for them are going to get claimed a few times.

[jokin]

 

 

From Berardino's story:

    .... Melotakis saw his velocity sit in the 89-90 mph range at Triple-A

 

I guess 89-90 for a lefthander is hard throwing. Yup, he was faster last fall. One would suspect there is an injury with him. If he is injured I doubt anyone would take him. Of course steam did predict he would get into a game for an inning, strike out one person, walk half a batter and allow a half of a run , more or less.

 

Now you're denying the facts and sarcastically shading aorund what has been previously stated.

 

There are issues around his current velo, not his potential velo. Unless there's a grand plan involved, FalVine appear to be taking a calculated risk that either no one will make a claim, or if some team does, the Twins have somebody better.

 

Since you've been doing your Steamer research, could you publish what the projections are for Wilk, Gee, Heston, Wimmers, Tepesch, et al, because I've seen a lot more "less" from the lot of them... "more or less."

[jokin]

 

Of course, he's not hard throwing right now. Not relative to other lefty relievers. Turley throws harder as a starter. Put Turley in the pen and he's probably as good or better than Melotakis.

 

Agree on Melo and Turley. And probably like you, I've been scratching my head that Turley wasn't slated for RP duty from the day he was signed... unfortunately at this point, it's a daunting process to make the conversion to the pen mid-season for a guy fresh out of Indy ball... maybe in a month or so if he responds quickly enough to pitching back-to-back a few times?

[jokin]

 

That is a surprising move.  I literally wrote about 2 hours ago how he was the one healthy reliever left between him, Chargois and Burdi.  And now he is gone.

 

I have never physically seen him throw, so is Brandon Warne's note on him barely touching 90 MPH true?  However, if it is true, doesn't DL make more sense than DFA?

 

You would think so.

 

Must be more to the story.... that may never come out...

[yarnivek1972]

Agree on Melo and Turley. And probably like you, I've been scratching my head that Turley wasn't slated for RP duty from the day he was signed... unfortunately at this point, it's a daunting process to make the conversion to the pen mid-season for a guy fresh out of Indy ball... maybe in a month or so if he responds quickly enough to pitching back-to-back a few times?

Turley started and relieved in AA and AAA this year so I doubt it would be a difficult transition at all.

[mikelink45]

I must add  my name to the shocked list.  I kept hoping he would be called up, but instead he was sent away.  Wow we must have an amazing bullpen (I missed it) to cut this prospect. 

[Vanimal46]

I don't have a "favorite" minor league player. But, the continued bringing in players that already have washed out of one team's system while keeping our own prospects in the minors is idiotic, and the same thing the preious FO did.

 

Hurlbut or Palka may or may not have what it takes to play in the majors. I have watched Hurlbut pitch and his stuff is pretty mediocre. But, until ey are given a chance you simply do not know.

They've given several prospects a chance to prove themselves. Unfortunately the legit options (Chargois, Reed, Burdi) got hurt. Reed will probably make his debut in the next few weeks if he does well in AAA.

 

I'm confused. Are you advocating calling up Hurlbut when he has mediocre stuff? I don't see much of a difference between him and a waiver wire pickup.

[FanFromPhilly]

 

I must add  my name to the shocked list.  I kept hoping he would be called up, but instead he was sent away.  Wow we must have an amazing bullpen (I missed it) to cut this prospect. 

Our bullpen just gave up 1 run in 11.1 innings during a 3 game sweep of the Indians, allowing us to jump back into first place.  Who thought this team would be in first place after 73 games?

[Jham]

I'm glad we had Buddy instead of Melo today at least. Roster flexibility is important. We don't lose much of Boshers goes down. If we get rid of him and bring up xxxxxxxx, and they get hurt, we're borrowing and borrowing from our ranks and staining each lower level as well. And... most mediocre prospects will never be mediocre major leaguers.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I'm glad we had Buddy instead of Melo today at least.

Was somebody arguing that Boshers should go? I was thinking Breslow, who contributed nothing this weekend. Or don't roster Gee to begin with.

[kab21]

 

I don't understand the Melo DFA but this will be a results-based evaluation.

 

What I see here - and it's something I see damned near every year - is people lamenting the DFA of mediocrity, only to see that player move to another team and do absolutely nothing. Joe Benson and Oswaldo Arcia are probably the most obvious examples of the past few seasons. The teeth-gnashing over those two players was absolutely epic yet all those people who wailed over the "loss" of those players never seemed to remember how much they complained after it was discovered that both Arcia and Benson were pretty bad at baseball.

 

Do I care about Melotakis? Not one damned bit. Do I understand why they made this move instead of a more obvious move? Not one damned bit.

 

But that doesn't mean the front office is wrong or the same as the old front office. If Melotakis doesn't have what it takes to become a serviceable MLB pitcher (spin rate, velocity, mound presence, whatever), then I will continue to not give a damn about this move.

 

But if Melotakis goes out and finds traction with another team, then we know this DFA was a mistake.

 

But not today.

the teeth gnashing part of this is that the Twins have multiple RP'ers in the pen that are bad and they have given everyone (literally) a shot at the bullpen. Maybe Melotakis's stuff (post TJ) won't translate at all to the majors but AA hitters couldn't figure him out in almost 60 IP (post TJ). Seems like somebody you give a chance at this point.

[jokin]

 

the teeth gnashing part of this is that the Twins have multiple RP'ers in the pen that are bad and they have given everyone (literally) a shot at the bullpen. Maybe Melotakis's stuff (post TJ) won't translate at all to the majors but AA hitters couldn't figure him out in almost 60 IP (post TJ). Seems like somebody you give a chance at this point.

 

Yep, and again, especially a lefty.

[jokin]

 

 

Our bullpen just gave up 1 run in 11.1 innings during a 3 game sweep of the Indians, allowing us to jump back into first place.  Who thought this team would be in first place after 73 games?

 

I think that would be.... nobody.

 

Twins '87!

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

the teeth gnashing part of this is that the Twins have multiple RP'ers in the pen that are bad and they have given everyone (literally) a shot at the bullpen. Maybe Melotakis's stuff (post TJ) won't translate at all to the majors but AA hitters couldn't figure him out in almost 60 IP (post TJ). Seems like somebody you give a chance at this point.

I don't disagree - which is why I don't understand the move - but these guys have way more data on Melotakis than any of us.

 

Hence, it's a results-based decision. Gnash your teeth all you want but if you're wrong and Melo fails to be an MLB contributor at any point in the future, at least be intellectually honest enough to admit that you didn't know what the hell you were talking about.

 

Because, fer chrissakes, we've been here so. many. times. in the past. I see many of the same people who wailed over the Arcia decision (I was quite down on that move myself) pulling the identical performance in this thread.

[Jham]

 

Was somebody arguing that Boshers should go? I was thinking Breslow, who contributed nothing this weekend. Or don't roster Gee to begin with.

Not arguing for it, included him in a list of soft tossers preferably DFA'd in a 1/4 joking tone.  I'm pretty done with Breslow as well.  I think he could be offered assignment or DL and he'd take either over FA.  

[Shane Wahl]

 

I don't disagree - which is why I don't understand the move - but these guys have way more data on Melotakis than any of us.

 

Hence, it's a results-based decision. Gnash your teeth all you want but if you're wrong and Melo fails to be an MLB contributor at any point in the future, at least be intellectually honest enough to admit that you didn't know what the hell you were talking about.

 

Because, fer chrissakes, we've been here so. many. times. in the past. I see many of the same people who wailed over the Arcia decision (I was quite down on that move myself) pulling the identical performance in this thread.

 

Haha. FWIW, Arcia is going ballistic in AAA Reno this year. 17 homers, 1.133 OPS.