Dietrich Enns to make his MLB debut

[howieramone2]

 

Agreed. I think that this FO is trying to promote on merit rather than organizational longevity. I also think the promotion order tells you everything you need to know about what the FO thinks about the previous regime's guys at AAA - not a whole lot. We made the trade of a seasoned starter with an expiring contract for someone else's AAA  guy who may or may not make it. We can wait to see; the Yankees decided they couldn't wait to endure the ups and downs of a young starter. Very sensible trade on paper and it will be fun to see how it plays out in practice.  

The previous regime's guys are at Target Field. 

[Thrylos]

 

I mean... at the end of the day, Enns is 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 51.1 innings (9 games, 8 starts) this year in the International League. He's got 12 walks and 51 strikeouts. 

 

I mean... that's pretty good. I feel like we should be more excited about this... 

 

Agreed.  That's what I don't get.  He is putting up Berrios numbers.  If someone who has been with the Twins all season was putting those king of numbers, there would have been an outcry for his promotion.  

 

People are even want to see Slegers in the majors, who just won't cut it, over Enns.  I don't get it.

[kab21]

I think it is important to keep reasonable expectations but he has a decent chance to become a solid to very good back end starter. I consider very good back end starters to be nearly average SP'ers in the 4.25 ERA or better area. This has to be the goal for every pitcher on the staff even if it is very unlikely to occur.

[lukeduke1980]

 

Frustrating they couldn't figure out a different move other than sending Vargas back again. Mauer is running on fumes. It would be nice to have a 1B other than .195 GImenez. 

 

Molitor didn't seem pleased with the totality of the moves. 

This is the surprising part.  I was expecting a reduced Mauer role as he continually shows that he wears down.  Enns will likely be yo-yo'd though so maybe Vargas or a Garver will come back.

[nicksaviking]

 

If Enns comes out and makes a nice 6-7 inning start, he's going to make the Yankees look kinda foolish especially after Garcia's bad last start.

 

Bold prediction: Enns will look no worse tonight than Garcia did for the Yankees last outing. 

[SwainZag]

 

This is the surprising part.  I was expecting a reduced Mauer role as he continually shows that he wears down.  Enns will likely be yo-yo'd though so maybe Vargas or a Garver will come back.

 

Joe had a pretty good month in July, I would be more willing to call 8 games in August a mini-slump rather than being worn down.  The BABIP of .120 won't stay that low. 

[howieramone2]

 

Joe had a pretty good month in July, I would be more willing to call 8 games in August a mini-slump rather than being worn down.  The BABIP of .120 won't stay that low. 

Joe has carried us in the past, I think there is a good chance he will again.

[Dman]

 

I mean... at the end of the day, Enns is 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 51.1 innings (9 games, 8 starts) this year in the International League. He's got 12 walks and 51 strikeouts. 

 

I mean... that's pretty good. I feel like we should be more excited about this... 

 

For me there have been so many bad debut starts it is hard to get too excited.  I hope he does well and his numbers look good but so did Berrios and he didn't off that well.  I want to be over the moon excited but like I said recent history has me skepticle.

[amjgt]

 

I'm really looking forward to this start tonight. It's always fun to see guys with potential make their debut.

 

I also like the decision to push Gibson to the Detroit series. He pitched one of his best games against them in their last matchup.

 

We haven't had a good one in a while

[amjgt]

 

For me there have been so many bad debut starts it is hard to get too excited.  I hope he does well and his numbers look good but so did Berrios and he didn't off that well.  I want to be over the moon excited but like I said recent history has me skepticle.

 

I'm fully prepared for both Enns of the spectrum

[nicksaviking]

 

Joe had a pretty good month in July, I would be more willing to call 8 games in August a mini-slump rather than being worn down.  The BABIP of .120 won't stay that low. 

 

He took a lot of walks, that is helpful for a team that struggles with offensive consistency.

 

Still, he only had 3 XBH in July and for the year has fewer than Jason Castro and only one more than Jorge Polanco, both maligned for their offense and both of whom have significantly fewer at bats. Offensively Mauer and Grossman are basically the same guy, I don't think both need to be regulars at this point.

[Tom Froemming]

I like that they adjusted the rotation to have Enns go tonight, instead of in Mejia's usual spot. Detroit has the best OPS vs. LHP in all of baseball at .841. The Brewers are 12th at .752.

[Dantes929]

All we do is read about these guys so absolutely it is fun to see the debut.    May and Berrios were fun to see because we got to see what kind of stuff they had and whether it was something to look forward to.  Both could have debuted better but for nerves and not everyone has the same response to those nerves.

[gunnarthor]

 

He took a lot of walks, that is helpful for a team that struggles with offensive consistency.

 

Still, he only had 3 XBH in July and for the year has fewer than Jason Castro and only one more than Jorge Polanco, both maligned for their offense and both of whom have significantly fewer at bats. Offensively Mauer and Grossman are basically the same guy, I don't think both need to be regulars at this point.

Look, Mauer isn't my favorite guy either but he gets on base. He's a heck of a better alternative than Vargas. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

Look, Mauer isn't my favorite guy either but he gets on base. He's a heck of a better alternative than Vargas. 

 

Vargas wasn't even mentioned in that post. 

 

Mauer is not good compared to other 1B in the majors. He seems to wear out too, but that could just be anecdote, not sure. Walks are better than outs, but they aren't nearly as good as hits or extra base hits. Not all OBP is created equal. It's why you have to look at all the stats.

[Taildragger8791]

 

Joe has carried us in the past, I think there is a good chance he will again.

 

...this year he has?

[Taildragger8791]

 

Joe had a pretty good month in July, I would be more willing to call 8 games in August a mini-slump rather than being worn down.  The BABIP of .120 won't stay that low. 

 

Slashing .250/.368/.350 is a pretty good month for a first baseman? 

[gunnarthor]

 

Vargas wasn't even mentioned in that post. 

 

 

Context, dude, context.

[Mike Sixel]

Is the the be all and Enns all of pitching? 

[gunnarthor]

 

Slashing .250/.368/.350 is a pretty good month for a first baseman? 

This should probably become it's own thread but Mauer is still probably our best option at first base. Yes, his power is bad but that slash line is probably better than anything Vargas (the only obvious replacement on the 40 man roster) could do.

 

So we have these choices:

1) Play Mauer as we have been with occasional off days and shuffling line ups as we have been.

2) Play Vargas more (I think this is a bad idea)

3) Add Park to the 40 man roster and see if he can play 1B. (I like this idea more than #2).

4) Make a trade. Obviously, it depends on price but I'm not sure I want the Twins trading off prospects at this point.

5) Move Sano to first base and insert Escobar at third. 

 

I don't know if they have other realistic ideas. Kepler played a lot of first in the minors and bring up Granite for a corner spot? See if Grossman can play first and bring up Vargas/Park to DH? Ugh.

[luckylager]

His Player's Weekend jersey should have "NNNNN" on the back. 

[Taildragger8791]

 

This should probably become it's own thread but Mauer is still probably our best option at first base. Yes, his power is bad but that slash line is probably better than anything Vargas (the only obvious replacement on the 40 man roster) could do.

 

So we have these choices:

1) Play Mauer as we have been with occasional off days and shuffling line ups as we have been.

2) Play Vargas more (I think this is a bad idea)

3) Add Park to the 40 man roster and see if he can play 1B. (I like this idea more than #2).

4) Make a trade. Obviously, it depends on price but I'm not sure I want the Twins trading off prospects at this point.

5) Move Sano to first base and insert Escobar at third. 

 

I don't know if they have other realistic ideas. Kepler played a lot of first in the minors and bring up Granite for a corner spot? See if Grossman can play first and bring up Vargas/Park to DH? Ugh.

 

I agree Mauer is the best we've got at 1B for now, and he's not a liability by any means, but I think some people really undersell how ineffectual he is. We've lowered our standards to what we call "good" play at 1B. Watching the bottom of the order get on base and the top of the order repeatedly do nothing about it is pretty darn frustrating. Continuing the status quo 4 months into the season is just punting on the problem.

 

The options aren't great but I'd like to see the baseball professionals use a little creativity to find a solution. Maybe work out a platoon split, although Mauer and Vargas have both been much worse against lefties. Garver eats up lefties, maybe getting him up here offers some flexibility. Something has to be tried, because to this point they've made no attempt to try something new to create actual offense at 1B/DH.

[Major League Ready]

 

If Enns comes out and makes a nice 6-7 inning start, he's going to make the Yankees look kinda foolish especially after Garcia's bad last start.

 

Maybe they felt sorry for us after trading Hicks for Murphy.

[Riverbrian]

I happy to see Enns and wish him the best. I'm excited. 

 

I am sad to see Vargas sent back down. We need more power so in my mind either Vargas or Park is necessary.

 

I'd be more inclined to send down Busenitz instead of Vargas. Not that I have anything against Busenitz but Paul really doesn't seem inclined to actually use him. 

 

We need more power!!! Personally... I'll take a bad OBP guy to get it. 

[SwainZag]

 

Slashing .250/.368/.350 is a pretty good month for a first baseman? 

 

Unless I am reading the line wrong on frangraphs he was .262/.418/.344.

 

Obviously the slugging isn't there, but an OBP over .400 for a month is valuable.....especially when there is no prototypical 1B knocking on the door to take over the job.

[rdehring]

How did a discussion about Enns first major league start end up with all this talk about Mauer?

 

Don't know anything about Enns other than what I read when the Twins got him. After looking at his numbers the past couple years, I mentioned that he just might turn out to be good. Still believe that and tonight we will get our first look. With Littell struggling at Chattanooga, maybe Enns will be the top end of this trade.

 

And count me among those who believe in Vargas. There is no way he can produce to his maximum getting sent back and forth between Rochester and Minneapolis every few weeks. I still like his potential and see him as an excellent fit with the young guys on this team, ie, Sano, Rosario, Buxton, Polanco and Kepler. They seem to fit together real nice.

[SwainZag]

 

I agree Mauer is the best we've got at 1B for now, and he's not a liability by any means, but I think some people really undersell how ineffectual he is. We've lowered our standards to what we call "good" play at 1B. Watching the bottom of the order get on base and the top of the order repeatedly do nothing about it is pretty darn frustrating. Continuing the status quo 4 months into the season is just punting on the problem.

 

The bottom of the order has what...3 good games in a row now?  Let's not act like they have been producing all season long, or even for an extended period of time.

[Thrylos]

 

I like that they adjusted the rotation to have Enns go tonight, instead of in Mejia's usual spot. Detroit has the best OPS vs. LHP in all of baseball at .841. The Brewers are 12th at .752.

 

That, and Detroit's bat's have ~ .120 higher OPS vs LHP over vs RHP, while Milwaukee is about the same

[nicksaviking]

 

Look, Mauer isn't my favorite guy either but he gets on base. He's a heck of a better alternative than Vargas. 

 

Perhaps not, Vargas has had a lengthy audition. Garver hasn't had one yet though.

 

And for what it's worth, even during the years where people questioned Garver's bat, he always was really good at drawing walks. It's not like they'd be replacing Mauer with a guy who's at bat is constantly decided by the second pitch.

[h2oface]

 

While I am not a huge fan of Colons I believe he has pitched better than Santana and Berrios the last few games.  If the Twins hang around the wild card race and he continues to pitch well I am fine with him pitching every 5th day.

 

Three games sucked, and 2 games good. Even with the Twins, he is down 3 games to 2. Seems he owes us a couple 3 more before I get excited. The first 13 games of his season don't just not happen, either. We (and he) got lucky a couple games is how I look at it so far. He certainly will be getting at least a couple more starts that I will not enjoy watching him, no matter what happens.